Hungary’s deepening ties with Russia, capped by a sweeping 12-point cooperation plan, are exposing widening fractures inside NATO and the EU just as the country heads into a pivotal election. With Western actors accusing one another of interference and Moscow quietly expanding its influence, the outcome in Budapest could shape both Hungary’s direction and the
Russia’s war in Ukraine has entered a grinding, manpower-hungry phase. Evidence from independent Russian outlets, European reporting, and official assessments points to a clear pattern: men who should have been medically exempt, including those with physical illnesses, mental health conditions, and even intellectual disabilities, are being sent into the war. History shows that armies under
Russia Still Sending Disabled Recruits to War as Manpower Strain Persists Read More »
Ukraine’s drone strike on Russia’s Primorsk and Ust-Luga oil terminals has pushed the war into the narrow waters of the Gulf of Finland, less than 50 kilometres from NATO territory, and exposed a critical vulnerability in Moscow’s Baltic export system. One drone already crossed from Russian airspace and struck a chimney at the Auvere power
Bringing the War to NATO’s Northern Edge: Ukraine strikes Russia’s Baltic Oil Hub Read More »
If we want lasting peace, we cannot reward aggression. Because if aggression pays off, then aggression will continue, reminded, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas in Zurich. Historically, empires change only when they lose their final colonial war, she said. In an interview in Zurich, discussing Russia’s negotiating tactics and
Kaja Kallas: Russia Has to Lose Its Last Colonial War Read More »
President Trump’s bold bid to acquire Greenland has sent shockwaves through Europe and raised dire questions about NATO’s future. Danish PM Mette Frederiksen warned that a U.S. attack on a fellow NATO member “would be the end of everything – that includes NATO”. Even EU defence chief Andrius Kubilius agreed: a US military takeover of
Greenland Crisis: NATO at the Brink? Read More »
Major powers are behaving as if enforcement is optional. The US operation in Venezuela is the most dramatic illustration so far this year. China’s Taiwan drills are the most consequential rehearsal. Russia’s Ukraine campaign is the costliest grind. Together, they create a world where risk is not a forecast. Risk is a policy choice. Analysts
Global Crisis Hotspots in 2026: Escalations from Venezuela to Taiwan Read More »
In response to intensified Russian and Chinese hybrid warfare, Western governments have started to expand the remit of their intelligence agencies. France and the UK have tightened their sabotage legislation, and Finland aims to give more powers to its intelligence service. In Germany, the Merz government is drafting a new BND Act to let the
Western Intelligence Goes on the Offensive Read More »
The presidents of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia have agreed in principle that if one Baltic state removes its railway connections to Russia and Belarus, the others will follow suit in unison. Meeting in Riga on December 4, 2025, the three leaders discussed dismantling the old 1,520 mm “Russian gauge” tracks that cross their eastern borders. Unprecedented
Breaking with the Russian Gauge – Baltic States Set to Remove Old Rails to the East Read More »
Russian influence operations against the United States are not a relic of the 2016 election cycle, nor a closed chapter in the history of hybrid warfare. They are active, adaptive and, in the view of Finnish investigative journalist Jessikka Aro, increasingly enabled by political decisions inside Washington itself. Speaking at her book launch of her
Jessikka Aro: Russia’s Influence War Is Still Running Inside the United States Read More »
The Baltic Sea has quietly become a submarine battleground. Sweden’s recent entry into NATO and Poland’s Orka programme are shaking up undersea balances. In November 2025, Warsaw chose Sweden’s Saab to supply three A26 Blekinge-class submarines, a deal worth about 10 billion zloty, 2.4 billion euros. Poland’s sole existing diesel-electric sub is an ageing Soviet-built
Baltic Sea: A Submarine Chessboard Read More »
