Russia’s aggression forces NATO states to streamline their defense sectors and arsenals. Romania’s security needs are great, but domestic manufacturers are unable to provide military technology in line with 21st-century standards.
Historical arguments and evidence regarding the Romanian Treasure are completely disregarded by Russia, which wouldn’t observe its international obligations. Romania must approach the issue of the Treasure through the lens of the war in Ukraine.
Eight months into the war, Israel has not achieved its goals in Gaza amidst growing international pressure. Prime Minister Netanyahu is risking his future political career whether he chooses peace or to continue the war. Opting for peace could eliminate the risk of Israel's isolation.
Romania has the potential of becoming an energy power in the EU. Political red tape, inbred corruption and Russia’s hybrid actions have exposed the vulnerabilities of the Romanian energy sector.
Estonia passed legislation allowing the confiscation and use of frozen Russian. Theoretically, the assets should go to Ukraine, but there are still some hurdles to be passed before that happens. Assets frozen in Estonia are just the tip of the iceberg; most of the Russian money and goods were frozen in other EU countries and the US.
The Baltic states have similar backgrounds and are mostly supportive to each other. There is, however, a friendly competition in terms of the speed of their development, and Latvia lags behind.
Xi Jinping visited Europe to project the image of a strong China and announce investments in Serbia and Hungary, both pro-Russian countries. Later, Xi welcomed Putin to Beijing and promised him the help of China, which shares with Russia the vision of a "multipolar" world. But the visit seems, at least for now, to have had fewer concrete results than Xi's visit to Europe.
Almost a year after Aleksandr Lukashenko announced that Russia has started to ship nuclear weapons to Belarus, it’s unclear whether they are there and who controls them.
As the development of trade routes between the West and the East is in full swing, Iran and Turkey risk being overlooked due to their own policies, despite their strategic position between the two regions.
Alarmele aeriene s-au activat de 4000 de ori în Zaporojie în ultimii doi ani. Orașul revendicat de ruși se confruntă și cu riscul unor inundații catastrofale și a unui dezastru nuclear. Alex Craiu scrie cum arată o zi „obișnuită” în Zaporojie.
Ukraine has been abandoned by the West and is being led by Zelensky to disaster, according to narratives about the Russian offensive in Kharkiv that are being promoted on Telegram. The offensive is presented as "unstoppable", and the purpose of the narratives is to strengthen Russian support for the war and demoralize the Ukrainians.
As a new Cold War gathers steam, Poland finds itself on the frontline. Russian intelligence is recruiting agents in the country and it’s even using some for attacks against Kremlin opponents.
Odesa, the main port-city of Ukraine, has been the target of Russian bombings since 2022. The attacks intensified after Russia withdrew from the grain agreement. Tatsiana Ashurkevich spent a few days in the city and found among its residents a mix of fatalism, fatigue, and determination against the Russians.
The war in Ukraine has turned drones into one of the most formidable weapons in the arsenal of both warring factions, while innovations in this field advanced at great speed.
Kharkiv has been a target for the Russian army ever since the war broke out. Its inhabitants refuse to leave their homes and carry on with their lives, trying to preserve some sense of normalcy despite the constant shelling.
Beyond Ukraine, Moscow is working on three fronts: strengthening the regime by "shaking up" its own elite, establishing governments-in-exile in former Soviet satellites, and promoting a pro-Russian discourse in the West.
Videos of opposition activists confessing trumped up crimes and praising Aleksandr Lukashenko have been increasingly used in Belarus.
From hardliner Dmitri Medvedev’s wine to raw materials for the arms industry, Russian imports are transiting Latvia in spite of the latter’s hawkish stance towards Moscow.
Political parties in Estonia are trying to deprive Russian speakers of the right to vote and to kick out of the country the Russian Orthodox Church, seen as a Kremlin mouthpiece.
Chiar sub privirea UE și după ani de potențiale reforme, democrația Bulgariei devine tot mai mult una de fațadă, dominată de partidul lui Boiko Borissov și de „sistem”.
The proposed amendments to Romania's National Defense Law gave rise to disinformation narratives fostered by Russian propaganda and pro-Russians in the Republic of Moldova.
The administration of the autonomous territorial unit of Găgăuzia in the south of the Republic of Moldova seems to be the latest instrument Russia will use to hinder the European accession of the Republic of Moldova.
Bosnia and Herzegovina will start EU accession negotiations 30 years after the end of the civil war. The country has made little progress since, and the Serbs – backed by the Russians – are threatening secession.
Georgia could restrict the rights of the LGBT community. The move would hinder the country’s European integration.
The decision to postpone the elections is used by Russian propaganda to question the legitimacy of Volodymyr Zelensky and divide Ukrainian society from within.
A 100-billion-euro fund for Ukraine means a precise, long-term commitment with more offensive connotations than the support offered so far by the West.
One of the most recently developed conspiracy theories is the one about the “Great Reset”, whereby the “World Government” is purportedly seeking to establish a totalitarian regime on a global scale.
Russian propaganda, alongside politicians, publicists and clerics from the Republic of Moldova, has been promoting for years narratives regarding the threats to the identity and even the existence of Moldova and Moldovans.
Russia is fighting a “holy war” against the evil embodied by a coalition of Nazis, Islamists, Westerners and the LGBT community, according to a narrative promoted, among others, by the Moscow Patriarchate. The thesis regarding a “fight between Good and Evil”, which includes this narrative as well, transpires also in disinformation narratives, fake news and conspiracy theories promoted by Russia in the West and in Romania.
Fewer and fewer Romanians are getting vaccinated, a trend that gained momentum during the Covid-19 pandemic. The phenomenon is related to conspiracy theories regarding the population being made sick intentionally.
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The Ukrainian borderlands close to the Russian border resemble a no man’s land, scarred by war, where death comes from above.
Isolated from Russia and marked by an economic crisis, Transnistria is forced to accept measures from Chisinau that it would have otherwise ignored. Tiraspol clings to an aggressive rhetoric, but doesn't really have many options at hand.
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