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GEOPOLITICS


Wide Awake and Busy: The Baltics Prepare for Russian Hybrid Attacks
Not all European Union countries are prepared to counter Russia’s hybrid threats, but proximity has increased awareness and readiness in...
2 days ago


Belarus: Lukashenka’s sham election and shift towards a Chinese political model
On 26 January 2025, Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka announced his ‘overwhelming’ victory in his seventh presidential election,...
Mar 18


The Baltics Adapt to Trump
The Baltic states have had the US as a steadfast ally since the end of Cold War but may now have to build regional defenses as Washington...
Mar 17


Ghosts Haunt Poland’s Future
The prospect of the US abandoning Europe is raising profound questions in Warsaw. Poland is nearing a crossroads. It has been there...
Mar 14


Reminder: Russia wants war, not peace
Lately, the aether is abuzz with the word ‘peace’. From providing the backdrop for stormy meetings at the Oval Office, to dominating the...
Mar 11


China on peace in Ukraine: What to expect based on the track record of Beijing’s narratives
With US President Donald Trump’s opening talks with Moscow on Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, denying Russia’s role as an...
Mar 7


North Korea Fighting Against Ukraine: How and Why Russian Propaganda Denies It
Since the full-scale invasion, discussions have occasionally arisen about the so-called “Korean scenario” for Ukraine. In 2022, “...
Mar 4


‘Freedom Is Dearer Than Life’ Says Jailed Georgian Journalist
From prison, Mzia Amaglobeli has become a symbol of resistance against Georgia’s oppressive pro-Russian elite. In a photograph taken in...
Feb 28


Paper bear: the myth of Russian invincibility is blackmail for negotiations
The Kremlin’s flirtation with the idea of Russia’s invincibility started way before the recent heated Munich Security Conference . In...
Feb 24


China Speaks to Europe in the Language of the Wolf
The appointment of a new diplomatic supremo for Europe sends a harsh message on Beijing’s next steps. When the president of the European...
Feb 21


Poland and the Battle to Beat Russian Despotism
As Ukraine’s biggest democratic neighbour, Poland has done everything in its power to help Kyiv. There’s every reason to continue that...
Feb 14


Using NATO’s Article 5 Against Hybrid Attacks
Hybrid warfare against NATO nations should trigger the doctrine of collective defense. But how would it work in practice? By Eitvydas...
Feb 12


Don’t Know: Even Now
As crises loom, questions still outnumber answers. By Edward Lucas. Lithuania’s Snow Meeting is less famous than Davos. But the night-owl...
Feb 4


Choking Russia’s Shadow Fleet in the Baltic
Efforts to shut down the shadow fleet have taken on greater urgency after attacks on NATO members’ critical infrastructure. Here’s what’s...
Jan 17


Europe — Look East to Rebuild the Western Alliance
Europe needs to embrace the incoming Trump administration’s priorities if it wants to strengthen transatlantic relationships....
Jan 13


WP - How to respond to Russia’s hybrid war on the West? Hybrid counterattack.
Russia is suspected in a wide range of indirect attacks in Europe, including cutting undersea cables. Finnish police have said that seven...
Jan 7


Baltic Power Shows Way on Hybrid Threats
The Baltic states, with a long history of Russian interference, offer a model for tackling hybrid threats. On Halloween, Lithuania marked...
Dec 12, 2024


NATO draws up plans for its own fleet of naval surveillance drones
MILAN — The NATO alliance has begun planning for its own fleet of unmanned boats meant to help protect critical undersea infrastructure...
Dec 10, 2024


NATO to revise strategy on how to tackle hybrid warfare
The military alliance is looking for more ways to protect members' assets from sabotage by actors such as Russia and China. There is even...
Dec 9, 2024


Georgia Nears its Moment of Truth
Protesters have been angered by a sudden decision that has put the country’s future on the line. Georgia has suspended its dialogue with...
Dec 5, 2024


Russia Sanctions — No Time to Wobble
The impending arrival of a new US President provides opportunities to improve the measures and seek transatlantic unity. There’s a whole...
Dec 2, 2024


How to Counter Russia’s Hybrid Threats? First, Make Them a Priority
Moscow’s hybrid war on the West needs a robust and smart response, which means coordinated action from the European Union. The hybrid...
Nov 28, 2024


Russia and China: Two Countries, One Threat
Since the outbreak of all-out war in Ukraine, debate has raged in the US on whether the Russian and Chinese threats can be separated....
Nov 21, 2024


Making Russia Pay for Hybrid Attacks
There is a range of actions the West can take to counter Russia‘s malign activities. With the problem worsening, they need to be swiftly...
Nov 19, 2024


The High North: NATO Confronts Russian and Chinese Ambitions
The Arctic region, once an isolated expanse of ice and silence, is rapidly transforming into a key geopolitical focal point. This is how...
Nov 15, 2024


Fifty shades of the Kremlin’s ‘red lines’
In international politics and diplomacy, clearly signalling one’s positions, or so-called ‘red lines’, has a real practical value – to...
Nov 13, 2024

Georgian Election: The Kremlin’s Tactical Victory?
On October 26, Georgia held its parliamentary election, with the central intrigue surrounding the contest between the ruling Georgian...
Nov 5, 2024


Rossotrudnichestvo in Africa: Propaganda and Soft Power
The Kremlin has continued its relentless campaign to gain influence in Africa in 2024. Leading this effort are not only its diplomatic...
Nov 1, 2024


Georgian authorities raid homes of disinformation researchers ahead of elections
Disinformation researchers Eto Buziashvili (left) and Sopo Gelava (right). Image: Atlantic Council The homes of two prominent...
Oct 25, 2024


Tuning into Ukraine: North Korean Troops in Ukraine?
UCMC’s new project, #TuningIntoUkraine , delivers concise, up-to-date insights on Russia’s war in Ukraine. Each 3-minute episode is...
Oct 22, 2024


Analysis: Why Moldova is a make-or-break moment to combat Russian interference
Moldova upcoming presidential election and referendum on joining the EU is an urgent test for Russia’s ability to interfere globally for...
Oct 18, 2024


Come play ‘sphere of influence’ … this time in Central Asia
Fantasising about Russia’s influence beyond its actual borders is one of the Kremlin’s favourite games. The rules are simple but...
Oct 3, 2024

Floating Megabomb Heaves to Near the English Coast
The MV Ruby, a ship carrying a highly explosive Russian cargo, is damaged and looking for a port. Whether or not this is hybrid warfare,...
Oct 1, 2024


Kremlin disinformation on Moldova’s referendum
On 20 October, Moldovans will head to the polls to elect a new president. Also on the ballot: the country’s future relations with the...
Sep 23, 2024


Playing Games in Africa
As signatures dry on a new defence pact between Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, online gamers can play with these countries’ destinies in...
Sep 9, 2024


23 August – Black Ribbon Day, or the European Day of Remembrance
23 August is a special day for historic events in Europe. The European Day of Remembrance, also known as Black Ribbon Day, honours the...
Aug 26, 2024


Kremlin information, manipulation, and interference in the Lublin Triangle (Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania) and Moldova
Kremlin efforts to manipulate and interfere with information are an ongoing challenge in the countries of the Lublin Triangle, or L3, a...
Aug 23, 2024


Preventing Russian victory in Georgia – a key task for Europe’s new chief diplomat Kaja Kallas
On the front line against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the former Estonian prime minister has just been appointed head of European...
Aug 16, 2024


Interview with Nino Dolidze: election turnout in Georgia is most important now
Nino Dolidze is a civil activist and Executive Director of the International Society for Fair Elections and Democracy (ISFED), a key...
Aug 14, 2024


Ukraine’s Chinese Diplomatic Mission
On July 24, Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, met with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People’s Republic of...
Aug 6, 2024


The Kremlin mobilises the church for war… for Africa
In its confrontation with the West, Russia seeks allies among the countries of the Global South, particularly in Africa. Recently, the...
Jul 31, 2024


Russia’s ‘Africa Corps’ takes over Wagner Group’s lucrative operations on the continent
Moscow has effectively dismantled and largely taken over the Wagner Group and its African operations, once led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, in...
Jul 5, 2024


In Sub-Saharan Africa, China embraces Russian messaging against Ukraine
Russian narratives thrive in Sub-Saharan Africa with the help of Chinese media networks, localization expertise, and infrastructure....
Jul 3, 2024


Elections are battlefields for the Kremlin: dismiss and drive wedges
From 6-9 June, elections to the European Parliament took place across EU Member States in the largest European democratic exercise. These...
Jun 17, 2024

Kremlin Shady Horse Ilan Șor: The main voice of Russia in Moldovan politics
The project “Shady Horses” delves into investigating Russian propaganda dissemination within Western countries through prominent...
May 29, 2024


Georgia: Resilience in action
When protestors took to the streets of Tbilisi first in March 2023 and then again in April 2024 to express their opposition to a draft...
May 17, 2024


Breaking free from the toxic relationship with Russian culture
A few weeks ago, as I sipped my Sunday morning coffee and perused the FT weekend issue, I came across a wine advertisement featuring a...
May 15, 2024


Victory Day, 9 May in the past in the USSR and Russia today
Update 8 May 2024 Putin just started another presidential term as an unchecked czar of Russia, continuing his rule since the year 2000....
May 13, 2024

Shady Horses of Propaganda. Alessandro Orsini – Loud opinions with Russian Cliches
The project “Shady Horses“ delves into investigating Russian propaganda dissemination within Western countries through prominent...
May 8, 2024

The Kremlin Screams “Foul-play” Against the International Olympic Committee
Contrary to what the Kremlin wants you to believe, Russia’s relationship with the IOC severely soured long before Thomas Bach, head of...
Apr 25, 2024
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