Europe is morally decadent because it remains indifferent to the victims of the attack on Iran and supports Ukraine, while Putin remains the sole leader devoted to moral principles, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda, which conveniently overlooks the fact that Vladimir Putin is indicted for war crimes.
Ukraine will collapse within a few days, losses on the front will cause Russians to revolt against Putin, Russia and NATO will end up in a nuclear war—these are some of the scenarios that have been considered in the four years since the launch of the large-scale invasion. These "prophecies," even if they have not come true, have marked the conflict and the behavior of the various players directly or indirectly involved in it and can provide benchmarks for understanding the present and clues for future developments.
Volodymyr Zelensky is desperate to hold on to power and wants Russia to recognize his legitimacy so he can remain president, claims a false narrative promoted by pro-Russians in the West and amplified by the pro-Kremlin press.
Russia suffered a geopolitical setback following Maduro’s fall. More than that, there are lessons to be drawn from Venezuela shake-up: oil (and gas) cannot save an economy, and the regime can survive without its top man.
Russia is a peaceful country, and people are being killed in Ukraine because of Kyiv and the West, which started the war, Vladimir Putin cynically stated, widely quoted by propaganda media.
Why have neither the weight of sanctions nor the scale of losses on the battlefield pushed the Kremlin toward compromise.
Behind the façade of resilience lies a system increasingly driven by asset seizures, political loyalty, and the enrichment of a new elite.
Any agreements with Moscow would be temporary: the aggressor would use a ceasefire to rebuild military strength in order to continue its expansionist actions — and not necessarily only in Ukraine.
President Trump's peace plan, which was communicated more in terms of a "diktat," has little to do with Ukraine. In fact, in an attempt to save Putin and give Trumpism a fresh start, the strange American president seems willing to sacrifice Ukraine and, with it, European security.
The Ukrainian president is being forced by the West to go to Russia and accept the Kremlin's peace terms, according to a false narrative carried by the pro-Kremlin media.
The Budapest Memorandum, to which Russia is a signatory, guaranteed Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Yet Russian propaganda now claims that the invasion is legitimate because Kyiv has “grossly violated” the principles of the OSCE.
The EU wants to prevent a possible diplomatic solution to the Russian-Ukrainian war and provoke new stages of escalation, according to pro-Kremlin propaganda.
After the brutal crackdown in 2020 and the repressions only constantly increasing, Russian organisations started to widen their influence and to involve more actively in the field of children and youth activities.
The war in Ukraine was caused by the forced expansion of NATO, which the ousted president Viktor Yanukovych had opposed, pro-Kremlin propaganda claims.
The Transnistrian secessionist conflict was caused by the Romanianization promoted by Chișinău, and Romanian volunteers participated in the 1992 war, according to an alleged analysis published in the Russian press, which also claims that the Moldovan authorities want to annex Transnistria to Romania.
n September, Belarus and Russia will stage another round of military drills. In an interview with political analyst Alexander Friedman, we assess the stated goals versus the real purpose, the scenarios Moscow may test using Belarusian territory, the pressure tools available to the Kremlin, and the implications for NATO and EU planning - from border incidents and drones to migration and cyber pressure.
Speaking ahead of the planned Trump-Putin meeting in Alaska, Oleksiy Goncharenko outlines Kyiv’s red lines, warns against decisions made without Ukraine, and stresses the need for a united Western position to end the war.
For many years, political loyalty to Putin bought access to wealth, security, and impunity. The war shed these privileges, and those who have fallen from grace can no longer even flee into exile.
Kyiv rejects a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, proposed by Russia, which could lead to a prolongation of the war, pro-Kremlin media writes.
A good relationship with Russia would help the US isolate China. But Putin's decision to continue the war in Ukraine could convince Washington that Europe remains its most important partner.
Despite being antagonistic to the US, the Kremlin craves Washington’s attention, just as the Soviets and the Tsars did in their time. And Putin suddenly finds common grounds between his regime and Trumpism.
Putin believed that by invading Ukraine and engaging in wars in the East, he was restoring Russia's great power status. The result was Moscow's long-term loss of influence.
China is the main threat to the US, which would benefit from the weakening of the Beijing-Moscow axis. A Trump-Putin deal may entail, however, sacrificing Ukraine and problems for the EU.
The president of Russia attacked Ukraine because he was suffering from the Havana syndrome, energetically induced by the HAARP system on that territory, claims Cozmin Gușa.
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The Belarusian opposition holds no hope for the coming presidential elections, due on January 26, to be fair. Strongman Alexander Lukashenko, in power for 30 years, will likely extend his rule, which means that the country will remain at odds with the West and in Russia’s grip.
For the gerontocratic Russia’s leadership, the vision of the future is derived from a mythical “golden past”, but manifesting as escalating corruption, growth in alcohol consumption, resource scarcity, and rising crime.
The Ukrainian president rejects peace initiatives because the war is profitable for him, pro-Kremlin propaganda claims, ignoring the fact that by “peace”, the Russians understand Ukraine’s surrender.
As talks about peace in Ukraine along the current frontline intensify, some of Kyiv’s partners, including Latvia, feel this would be a dangerous outcome.
Those that denounced the crimes of communism were defeated in Putin's Russia and must now find the resources to start over, according to a Russian historian from the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Memorial human rights organization.
At home, Donald Trump could adopt certain illiberal measures. At international level, we could see new policies towards Russia and Ukraine, a trade war with China, tensions with Europe and an escalation in the Middle East.
Russia has also co-opted North Korea in the war against Ukraine and is stepping up its operations in Moldova and Georgia. Moscow seems to be preparing for a final showdown against the West.
