Cognitive war

If anyone thought that the UN would manage to convince Putin of even a temporary ceasefire, they were dead wrong. Though it's also true: if there's still anyone on Earth who believes the Russian president, diplomacy or the press, they truly deserve the disappointment.

On September 22, the European Union extended for another three years the sanctions affecting nearly three thousand Russian individuals and entities, but two very well-known billionaires disappeared from the list in the process: Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman. Vitalie Cojocari draws attention to the fact that a peculiar diplomatic deal lies behind both removals.

The United States considers the defense of its own territory, the Western Hemisphere and the Indo-Pacific region more important than Europe, US NATO Ambassador Matthew Whitaker stated. According to the diplomat, this does not mean abandoning Europe, but Washington expects its European allies to take on a greater share of defending their own continent.

According to Gennady Zyuganov, chairman of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation (KPRF), Russia will ultimately lose if the political course does not change and the war continues. The statement was made at the party's Sunday evening press conference, after the conclusion of the three-day parliamentary elections.

Russia is not preparing to conquer Europe, but to temporarily seize a piece of NATO's eastern flank and use it as a political bargaining chip with the United States, retired Major General Adrian Ciolponea said in an interview with the Romanian outlet Libertatea. Ciolponea previously served as the European representative to NATO's Allied Command Transformation and also commanded the Romanian Army's

Ukraine is bringing the case of Oleshky, in the occupied Kherson region, before the UN General Assembly, where, according to the government in Kyiv, some two thousand civilians — including roughly fifty children — have been living for months without food, drinking water, medicine or any way to escape. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Monday that Russia is "deliberately causing a hu

The member states of the European Union on Tuesday extended for three years the individual sanctions affecting nearly three thousand Russian citizens and entities, though two billionaires considered close to Moscow — Uzbek-Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov and Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman — were removed from the list. The agreement was reached only at the last moment, after Latvia vetoed the

Romanian authorities last week detained Moldovan citizen Iurie Manic at the Moldova–Romania border. He is accused by French prosecutors of being one of the leaders of a series of vandalism actions in Paris directed by Russia. The case was first reported by Ziarul de Iaşi.

Anyone reminded by this news of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact is drawing an understandable historical parallel. Today's situation is different, but the question is familiar: what happens to Europe if a German political force starts negotiating with Moscow while Russia is waging war on the continent?

Labeling Russian attacks as "hybrid" can become a political Xanax, argues Cristian Soare on DefenseRomania, citing a Polish analysis. According to the author, European governments acknowledge the Russian threat, but consistently treat drone incidents and sabotage against rail and energy infrastructure as separate national matters. This way, Moscow only ever has to reckon with the response of the i

Thales thermal cameras for the Russian army from Paris, via a Hungarian shell company? Why not – Ostrovskiy must have thought, since that is precisely the point: he has absolutely nothing to fear from the Hungarian authorities. Based on a 2023 investigation by TalkFinance and source materials published by Lenta.ua, another "procurement" by the smuggling network built by Alexander Ostrovskiy involves thermal cameras manufactured by the French defense company Thales, designed for armored vehicles and military vehicles. These devices appeared on the Ukrainian battlefield – their use was detected at Bakhmut!

We would also like to draw your attention to the fact that a few years ago you provided the Orbán government with one billion euros to enable steps toward diversification. Yet since 2022, Hungary has only increased its dependence on Russian gas and oil—presumably to ensure that more money flows into the Kremlin’s coffers, which in turn finance the drones and missiles killing Ukrainian children. In light of the above, the Ugar Gesta blog calls on you not to yield to Viktor Orbán’s blackmail under any circumstances, and—if necessary—to take the strongest possible measures, including the removal of Hungary’s veto rights.