ALL ARTICLES

Putin’s refusal to accept any peace that does not ultimately lead to the subjugation of Ukraine is nothing new. For decades the Kremlin has paired hollow diplomatic language with foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI) campaigns that present Moscow as a reasonable actor while it undermines sovereign neighbours. Recent talks in Geneva between US and Ukrainian negotiators indicate tentative progress in their discussion on a potential peace agreement. Doubts ha

A comparative assessment of the Russian and Ukrainian wartime economies underlines that Russia’s ongoing invasion has imposed far greater costs on Ukraine by depleting its manpower , worsening its demographics , and straining the country’s financial resources . Sustained support for the Ukrainian economy is therefore crucial as Europe and the United States seek to push Putin toward the negotiating table. Ukraine Economy / Source The Jerusalem Strategic Tribune American and Eu

Kremlin success would benefit the Beijing regime in a whole number of ways, including the theft of Ukrainian military technology. What might Europe look like if the fighting finally ends in Ukraine? Would we return to a pre-2022 continent of mutual suspicion but broad economic ties to Russia? Or something very different and even more concerning?  That, of course, depends on the exact terms agreed by the warring parties and their various backers. But any deal favorable to Vlad

Ever since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022, there has been growing alarm over the support that Moscow is receiving from fellow authoritarian regimes including Iran, North Korea, Belarus, and China. However, while Western officials have publicly raised concerns over material support for the Russian war effort, the issue of cooperation in the information sphere has received less attention. This is short-sighted. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has d

On 30 September 2025, Russia celebrated the anniversary of the ‘reunification of new regions’ – how pro-Kremlin disinformation refers to the occupation of parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions. To mark the occasion, Russia minted coins depicting Ukrainian lands and organised lavish concerts where top Russian celebrities praised the Moscow’s ‘care’ for the occupied territories. Through these carefully choreographed events, the Kremlin sought to

Source: 47th separate mechanized brigade As Europe races to strengthen its defenses against the mounting threat posed by Russian drones, more and more countries are looking to learn from Ukraine’s experience. Speaking in October, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen acknowledged that Ukraine is currently a world leader in drone warfare and called on her European colleagues to “take all the experiences, all the new technology, all the innovation from Ukraine, and put it in

In many parts of Africa, memories of colonial exploitation, past foreign interference and broken promises remain vivid. These wounds – some still open – make fertile ground for narratives that tap into historical trauma, anti-Western sentiment and cultural conservatism. It is precisely this emotional terrain that Russian disinformation seeks to exploit. The TruthAfrica project was born out of a growing need to track and challenge the insidious spread of propaganda across the

Developments in 2025 have highlighted the reordering of regional power relations in the South Caucasus. There is opportunity for the West, but peril too. Fuzuli international airport, called the air gate of Karabakh / Source report.az Tensions over an Azerbaijan civilian airliner destroyed by a Russian missile, the cautious rapprochement between Armenia and Turkey , and Georgia’s increasingly confrontational stance toward the European Union (EU) reflect tectonic changes in

Ukraine’s setbacks are troubling but only part of the story. By Edward Lucas Consequences of enemy shelling of Ternopil (Photo: Suspilne Media) Corruption scandals in Kyiv, devastating attacks on infrastructure, the looming loss of Pokrovsk, and newly effective Russian innovation in  drone warfare  — the bad news from Ukraine keeps coming. Put the elements together and they make a bleak, even dire, picture. Ukraine is running out of soldiers, money, power supplies, and time,

The EU is doing well in some areas but as attacks rise, much more continent-wide cooperation is needed. Prime Minister Tusk confirmed the incident on Warsaw–Lublin railway line was an act of sabotage. Source: Donald Tusk / X/ Press materials The purpose of shadow warfare attacks on European countries by Russia and its proxies is multifaceted: to test the vulnerability of critical infrastructure, to destabilize societies and governments, and to provoke reactions that undermine

Art can deliver a powerful geopolitical message — so be careful. By Edward Lucas Source: State Border Guard Republic of Latvia One of the pleasures of my annual visit to Venice is seeing how the countries that I know best present themselves at the Biennale, the international summer-to-autumn cultural festival that features alternately art and, this year, architecture. The current crop includes an  Estonian  exhibit on home insulation,  Lithuania  on trees,  Ukraine  on roofs,

EU announced the establishment of the European Democracy Shield . The Shield, developed jointly by the European Commission and the European External Action Service, has a robust external dimension and will help empower strong and resilient democracies. Under its first pillar on safeguarding the integrity of the information space, the Joint Communication formulates the EU’s necessary response to the threat of foreign information manipulation and interference (FIMI). With this

The Kremlin has a vision for the future. It should make everyone very worried. By Gabrielė Klimaitė-Želvienė  A palm reader examines a woman’s hand and shakes her head. Something terrible and dark lurks in her future. The client sees the palmist’s frowns and becomes frightened.   “Will I get sick?”  “No,” says the palm reader.   “Will I die then?”   The old woman again shakes her head.   “So what will happen?”  “Nothing at all,” the palm reader says. “Nothing will ever change

Communications systems are being targeted by NATO’s enemies. New technology is needed to ensure decision-makers are not blinded by attacks. A critical fiber optic cable next to a Swedish highway of significant strategic military importance was found cut in several places in October. Such attacks are becoming commonplace — police have investigated around 30 acts of sabotage attacks, mostly along the same road, according to a June report.  The implications are profoundly worry

When many US taxpayers hear about Ukraine, they ask: what’s in it for us? The story of Ukraine's largest oil company shows why helping Kyiv can put America first. Source: FREEDOM In November 2022, nine months after Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine seized Ukrnafta from oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky. The once-mighty petrochemical behemoth was near collapse — with just $10m in the bank, billion-dollar tax debts , and a $14m payroll it could barely meet.   Yet under reformist man

The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine is among the most technologically advanced wars the world has ever seen. But while the rapid developments taking place in drone warfare tend to attract most attention, the cyber front of the conflict also offers important lessons for international audiences. The Russian state and affiliated groups have been refining their cyber warfare tactics in Ukraine ever since the initial onset of Russian aggression in 2014. In January 2022, Ukrain

With COP30 underway, the consequences of ongoing climate change are all around us . This summer in Spain, in the midst of an unprecedented heatwave , some 380,000 hectares burned in wildfires. This area was the fifth largest on record , despite decades of work to improve prevention measures and give harsher sentences to those who start fires. Portugal also suffered, with fires destroying 260,000 hectares – proportionately, the largest burn area in Europe. Even in Paris, autho

Estonia responds to Russian trolling with ridicule. By Edward Lucas Source: Estonian MFA Russia’s Wagner Group mercenaries are not the kind of people you want to see on your doorstep. So it was unwelcome news in Estonia when border guards spotted  the group’s distinctive flag (skull and lightning bolts on black) on a Russian patrol boat on the Narva river. All the more so because Estonia is battling lazy journalism  that depicts its eastern border city as a likely Russian tar

The pro-Kremlin disinformation machine is seeking to undermine the EU’s sanctions policy by attacking its Green Deal. In its quest for the tiniest bit of news that could be twisted to undermine liberal democracy around the world, the Kremlin’s disinformation machine occasionally seizes on an issue that it otherwise treats with disinterest or disdain. So it is with climate change. The pro-Kremlin disinformation ecosystem tends to ignore it: The COP30 climate conference, schedu

Missiles are not a panacea for air defense. Europe needs a return to guns – they’re cheaper and more practical. Photo: 115 separate mechanized brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine For decades, defense departments and the defense industry have pushed missiles as the solution to target destruction. The tank? Use a missile. The helicopter? Use a missile. And the low-flying MiG-29 or cruise missile? Don’t worry, we have missiles for that.  But this reliance ignores the lessons