Russia’s Shadow Fleet Finds a Safe Harbor
As Europe steps up boardings of Russia’s shadow fleet, Moscow is moving its tankers under the Russian flag, the one registration Europe cannot challenge at sea without confronting Russia itself.
Securing Arctic Connectivity Amid Great Power Competition
The European Union needs to define an Arctic Strategy that takes into account both EU digital sovereignty and security issues in the region.
A Framework for Reparations-Backed Lending, Applied to Russia’s Frozen Assets
In December 2025, the EU considered using €210 billion in frozen Russian assets to finance Ukraine but stepped back from the plan. Not because the legal case collapsed, but because nobody had priced what the instrument would actually cost and who would carry that cost if it went wrong.
That question has not gone away. It has been deferred to a debate several Member States are already working to reopen.
Addressing the Growing Threat of Crypto-Asset Circumvention to EU Sanctions
Sanction circumvention is an adaptation game, and crypto has dealt Russia a new hand. To prevent the erosion of sanctions effectiveness, the EU must adapt to new evasion practices and tools to better target entry points into the formal economy.
Europe’s Improvised Autonomy on Ransomware, Without Washington
In July 2026, the EU and Britain sanctioned Russian hackers without waiting for Washington to act first, proving that the Union can already impose costs on its adversaries. The next step is turning that proven capability into a lasting, repeatable policy.
How Russia’s NATO Grievance Became a Grievance Against Europe
For twenty years, Russia cast NATO as an existential threat to justify its aggression. Now, as Washington pulls back, that same grievance is being pointed at Europe itself.
Ireland’s Balancing Act on Russia, Big Tech, and the Limits of EU Neutrality
The rotating presidency of the Council of the EU is designed to serve the collective interest of the Union. Ireland’s six months in the chair may prove the design leaves room to defect.
Resilience Building Against Hybrid Threats: A Baltic Self-Help Guide
With NATO losing reliability, and in spite of Europe’s promises to step up security, should we be concerned about Baltic hybrid resilience, or should we learn from it? Here is what we know so far.
The Human Faces Behind Russia’s War
Five years into Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the world has grown accustomed to a relentless stream of headlines: another missile strike, another apartment building destroyed, another death toll announced before the next story takes its place.
The EU Is Ceding Influence and Running Out of Time in the South Caucasus
How can the EU project real influence in a region where China, Russia, and Turkey move faster? Can Brussels balance its need for Azerbaijani gas with its own democratic principles? And what will it take for Europe to secure Armenia’s pivot to the West while preventing Georgia’s descent into authoritarian isolation?
How Ukraine Could Deal the Kremlin a Losing Hand in Crimea
For the past few weeks, Ukraine has relentlessly pounded Crimea’s critical infrastructure with drone and artillery strikes, creating mounting headaches for both the Russian military and the peninsula’s civilian population. Ukraine may be dealing Russia a losing hand by turning Crimea into “an island” via a two-fold strategy: raising the costs of occupation and cultivating fear about losing Crimea through the Russian ranks and political class apparatus.
Big Brother is Watching: Orwell’s 1984 in Russian Reality
How Russia cut itself off from the world’s informational space — and what it built in the void.
