Europe
Russia: Navalny’s widow steps into the spotlight
There has been a chorus of international condemnation after the Russian authorities announced the death of Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison on 16 February. His widow Yuli Navalnaya has deliberately stepped into…
Germany / France / Belgium: people-smuggling operation dismantled
On 21 February, In a coordinated effort across four German states, with cooperation from France and Belgium, law enforcement agencies launched a targeted operation against a suspected human-smuggling gang at dawn. This response…
Ukraine: Avdiivka close to being surrounded by Russian forces
In a makeshift field hospital near Avdiivka, a surgeon is treating soldiers for frostbite and shrapnel wounds as the war with Russia nears its two-year anniversary. With exhaustion and frustration mounting among defenders…
Russia: new law targets critics of the military
On 14 February Vladimir Putin signed a law enabling authorities to seize assets from individuals convicted of spreading false information about the military. The law, approved swiftly by parliament, targets those discrediting the…
Ukraine: drones touted as key to future success
Ukrainian commander-in-chief Valerii Zaluzhny has highlighted the use of drones as a way of countering Russia's military advantage and altering the course of the war. Russia has also continued to attack Ukraine with…
France: farmers’ protest continues
Dozens of farmers were arrested on 31 January after breaking into the huge Rungis wholesale food market south of Paris, during their ongoing protests. Emmanuel Macron’s government had warned farmers not to approach…
Ukraine / Russia: another prisoner exchange, ICJ ruling
On 31 January, Russia and Ukraine conducted a prisoner exchange. Russia claimed that each side received 195 soldiers, but Volodymyr Zelensky said that 207 Ukrainian soldiers had been returned. This was the 50th…
Ukraine / Russia: war of words over downed aircraft
Russia has accused Ukraine of shooting down a military transport plane carrying 74 people, including 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war, on a flight to Belgorod in southern Russia, where a prisoner exchange was…
EU: alliance with ports to combat drug smuggling
The EU, along with European port authorities, has launched a new public-private alliance aimed at combating drug smuggling and organised crime. This initiative comes as the EU faces record levels of cocaine seizures,…
Poland: struggle to control state media
Poland's main evening news studio is under heavy police protection amid a fierce battle for control of the country's media landscape. This struggle emerged following elections that ended eight years of populist rule,…
