Against the backdrop of a stalemate on the front in Ukraine and growing pressure on the Russian economy, the Kremlin, according to Western intelligence, has ordered an expansion of sabotage and “hybrid” operations in Europe. The goal is to undermine support for Kyiv in the coming months. One of the...
Raiffeisen’s Russian subsidiary handles contracts for suppliers to Russia’s defense industry
After Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, Austria’s Raiffeisen Bank International (RBI) repeatedly promised to wind down its business in Russia and sell or spin off its Russian subsidiary. AO Raiffeisenbank still operates in the Russian Federation, however, and remains the largest Western bank on the Russian...
How European technologies keep reaching Russia’s defence industry through third countries
Despite expanding sanctions, European industrial and navigation technologies continue to reach Russia and Belarus through intermediaries, concealed end users, and re-exports from third countries. Investigations and law-enforcement statements released in August–September 2026 showed that the weak point of the sanctions regime remains control over goods after they have formally left...