China and Russia are holding Serbia back on the way to the EU
The Republic of Serbia has held the status of an EU candidate country since 2012 and has been in membership negotiations since 2014, but the process remains far from completion. Meanwhile, authoritarian powers such as China and Russia are by no means “sitting idly by.” Both autocracies, each in their…
NATO’s inland sea becomes a theatre of hybrid warfare
After Sweden’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance, the Baltic Sea has effectively become an inland sea of NATO. Since then, alliance members have been staging one naval exercise after another in these waters. In September 2023, off the coasts of Latvia and Estonia, two weeks of “Northern Coasts” exercises…
The Magnitsky case: echoes in Dubai
The city of Dubai (UAE) is not only located at the crossroads of trade routes and serves as a global financial center. For quite some time now, Dubai has also become a specific place of concentration for individuals from around the world accused of crime and corruption. Dubai enjoys a…
China and Russia seek to conquer the Arctic
Russia and China are demonstrating intensified cooperation in the Arctic, particularly in the security sphere. Moscow anticipates that global warming will melt Arctic ice, opening new opportunities for use of the Northern Sea Route (along Russia’s northern borders). Beijing likewise expects that climate change will make the Arctic more accessible,…
Belgium: the case of combating money laundering
On September 2, 2025, the Brussels Prosecutor’s Office announced that, in addition to investigating the money laundering case involving former EU Commissioner for Justice Didier Reynders—who has been under investigation since 2024—it is also tracking his ties with Moscow. In particular, Belgian law enforcement became interested in possible contacts between…