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Recent events show the Russian-Belarusian playbook moving from migrant pressure towards coercion, presenting Europe with some tough dilemmas. Photo: STATE BORDER GUARD SERVICE at the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania Russia’s shadow war against Europe is a multiple pronged attack on NATO and other countries. In the northeastern sector of this front line, shoving developing world migrants through border fences has long played a role. In October, this campai

Illustration: Wix The Russian invasion of Ukraine has underlined the role of space communications infrastructure in securing internet connectivity on the modern battlefield. Russia is currently developing a satellite network project meant to serve as a domestic alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink. This could give the Kremlin a dangerous edge in Ukraine, while transforming the security and space safety landscape on a global scale. Since it was established in 2015, SpaceX owned lo

The old talk of a peaceful European future comes to a shuddering halt in the lands of eastern Ukraine. Kramatorsk / Instagram: kryvokulskyi Europe’s longest road, the E-40, begins its 5,000-mile journey at the port of Calais, long the gateway to the British Isles, and ends in the Altai Mountains of Kazakhstan. It’s part of the E-road system, which aims to help unite Europe in trade and to aid development and ties between neighbors; until 2014, it was doing just that. Now, whe

By Agnia Grigas Agnia Grigas These are tense times for NATO’s European frontline states. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is well into its fifth year. US President Donald Trump is reducing troop presence in Europe and questioning America’s commitment to NATO, while the European powers are yet to take on full responsibility for their continent’s security. And the war in the Middle East is consuming finite resources and diverting attention from other security topics. In this challe

Source: Bernd Dittrich / Unsplash WASHINGTON — Earlier last week, Ukrainian forces reportedly were forced to cancel drone missions amid sudden restrictions on Starshield, the military-grade version of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite service, that interrupted their communications. Ukrainian officials and military units reported dropped connections and lowered operation speeds, although the full extent of the disruptions and the reasons behind them remain unclear. By October 15, co

Russia’s abuse of civilians in occupied Ukraine is in the news, but it’s far more widespread than realized. Source: h_kharkov/Instagram Russia’s attacks on civilians and refusal of humanitarian aid for besieged frontline Ukrainians in the occupied territories have become a powerful symbol of the Kremlin’s barbarism. In recent weeks, the results of this anti-humanitarian campaign have been highlighted in the small, occupied town of Oleshky. Conditions are critical in the town,

Russia’s full-scale invasion has transformed almost every aspect of Ukrainian life, including people’s faith. Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra / Photo: Evstratij Zorja/Facebook Polling suggests the war has made Ukrainians more religious. But a closer look at more than two decades of data suggests a more complex picture. While 12 years of Russian aggression have strengthened religious commitment among a significant minority of Ukrainians, the relationship between

Gen Z shuns Putin’s war and quietly mourns lost freedoms and vanished opportunities. Photo: TASS / Kirill Kuhmar Russia’s Supreme Court decision to remove the only registered party openly campaigning for peace, Yabloko, from the ballot for September’s State Duma election has revived the question of how many Russians oppose the Kremlin’s war and how much space remains to express that opposition. It is certainly a signal of the regime’s resolve. After all, if a Western-style l

The increased focus on drones can assist militaries in many ways, but this technology is far from a panacea. Corsair Autonomous Vessel / Picture source: Saronic On July 12, three explosives-laden Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) motored into an enemy port, maneuvered past whatever defenses may have been in place, and blew up a drydock cradling a submarine undergoing maintenance. If the USVs had been Ukrainian and the target had been Russian, the robot raid would have been old

Building a supply chain independent from China is impractical. For now, leverage data, connectivity, and automation to reduce risk. Source: General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine How can the US and other democracies safely use drones, including those made in China or using Chinese components? Commercial and civilian drone use has expanded in recent years and will undoubtedly continue to grow as tech evolves. Drones use the airspace in ways that challenge existing regula

Ukrainian and foreign fighters with experience of the front are scouring the globe to find the best technology to see off Moscow’s forces. Ukraine, with limited manpower, needs asymmetric advantages wherever they can be found. Innovation is decentralized across many Ukrainian units, and across the country, volunteers, engineers, and soldiers are working hand-in-hand to develop new technology. But there’s a limit to commanders’ capacity to withdraw soldiers from the front to t

Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming the primary source of information for millions of people. For authoritarian states, control over generative AI has turned into a critically important element of controlling and managing the masses. This is precisely why Russian language-model developments and the services connected to them deserve close attention. But are they really a “sovereign” technology of Russian origin? Consider the example of YandexGPT – a large languag

Source: Darnytsia District State Administration Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal has warned that Moscow is likely to expand attacks on the country’s civilian population and critical infrastructure in the coming months as Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to finally break Ukraine’s resistance. “Russia’s goal now is to destroy our water supplies,” commented Shmyhal in an interview with Politico this week. “Last winter they targeted electricity and heating, but you c

Source: Lithuianian Armed Forces Lithuania’s security environment has fundamentally changed over the past decade. Public and institutional thinking, however, has not fully adapted. Lithuania is no longer operating in peacetime. Alongside sustained Russian rhetoric about a future conventional invasion, Lithuania is already facing an ongoing hostile campaign below the threshold of open conflict, eroding the distinction between peace and war. Those actions go beyond traditional

Foto: Vladimir Velengurin / KP As Russian President Vladimir Putin grows increasingly isolated domestically and internationally amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, there is renewed speculation over who might one day succeed him and what that this would mean for Russia. “For the first time since the conflict began, Russians are starting to imagine a future without Putin,” Britain’s Economist reported in May. The prospect of new Russian leadership provokes mixed reactions. Wh

The Kremlin’s propaganda is increasingly documenting the symptoms of a systemic crisis, while criticism of Putin is no longer an absolute taboo even among former supporters of the regime. After the failure of the “Kyiv in three days” plan, when Russian propaganda was filled with triumphant rhetoric, its propagandists mastered a peculiar genre: they could spend hours listing the problems facing their country, yet with almost mystical persistence avoided discussing the causes o

Screenshot form Tass WASHINGTON—On July 25, Ukraine struck an Iranian cargo ship in the Caspian Sea, killing a sailor in the attack. At the time, Ukraine stated that the ship was carrying military equipment to Russia, while Iranian officials claimed it was a commercial ship and warned Kyiv of reprisal. In the days that followed, Tehran reportedly considered carrying out a retaliatory strike, until Iranian Foreign Minister Abas Araghchi spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, An

The Kremlin’s on-again-off-again campaign to intimidate and disorientate European allies is picking up once more. Galati, Romania / Source: Digi24 Russia’s shadow war against NATO allies has moved southwards, with three drone breaches of Romanian airspace in as many days, and a surge of other incursions in recent weeks. Together with another attack on Poland, where a Russian cruise missile struck 100 km (62 miles) from the country’s eastern border on July 30, the incidents su

Ukrainians have taken to the streets in recent weeks to voice their concerns over the sudden removal of the country’s reformist defense minister. Rolling protests in Kyiv and cities across Ukraine have sparked the biggest political crisis since the start of the full-scale war and have highlighted the continued strength of the Ukrainian population’s democratic instincts. Photo: Mykhailo Tyunkin, Graty The remarkable readiness of ordinary Ukrainians to defend their rights and h

The two neighbors are mutually dependent in fighting the Russian menace. They should remember this when historical disputes erupt. Photo: ТСН 2026 is the Year of Jerzy Giedroyć. Americans may be forgiven for not recognizing one of Central Europe’s leading 20th-century democratic intellectuals, but Poles have no excuse. The Polish Senate decided to honor him last year. Most of the country’s elite, including President Karol Nawrocki, a professional historian and former director