The security forces of the Central African Republic (CAR) detained a French citizen this week and seized an impressive cache of weapons and intelligence equipment. According to the Ministry of the Interior, the suspect Mr. Quignolot had been in the CAR since 2013. He took part in the organisation of a coup in the CAR…
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) welcomes the proposed new package of EU cybersecurity measures but points to weaknesses in addressing Europe’s huge cyber skills gap. Critical entities also need streamlining, simplification and clearer application guidelines, in the EESC’s view. Overall, the EESC hails the new EU cybersecurity strategy as a positive step towards…
The dominant role of Russia in the post-Soviet space is an illusion and a delusion. Moscow is no longer seen by its neighbours as a centre of political, military and economic integration. Over the past 30 years, the Kremlin has not provided a viable ideological basis for unification. Russia considers the post-Soviet countries to be…
Today, the Czech Minister of Foreign Affairs briefed the North Atlantic Council on activities by Russian operatives inside the Czech Republic, which resulted in the explosions in 2014 of ammunition storage depots at Vrbetice. The explosion caused the deaths of two people who worked at the site as well as very substantial material damage. The…
Today, trust between the West and Russia is at its lowest level in recent history. Experts compare the current confrontation with the Cuban missile crisis. However, now the rhetoric and threats from the top leadership of the opposing sides have reached such an intensity that the timidly discussed possibility of a war between Russia and…
Russia must immediately stop building up troops on the border with Ukraine and withdraw from Eastern Ukraine. NATO chief Stoltenberg made this appeal after a meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Koeleba. The NATO chief has spoken of the largest Russian military presence on the border since the annexation of Crimea in 2014. According to Ukraine, the Kremlin…
The EPP Group has called for military assistance for Ukraine and new sanctions against Russia. “Russia amassing more than 40,000 troops near the Ukrainian border is an escalation and a serious threat to European stability and security as well as to Ukrainian sovereignty”, said EPP Group Vice-Chairwoman Sandra Kalniete MEP ahead of today’s debate on…
The intensification of hostilities in the east of Ukraine, the transfer of additional heavy equipment and thousands of servicemen to the Rostov region by Russia have raised the spectre of the start of a major war in the Donbass again. Moscow is trying to show that it still retains a pseudo-dominant role in the post-Soviet…
Brussels Airport and skeyes have tested the operational use of drones at and around the airport. In a secure environment, they deployed an innovative safety drone, which can be controlled from a large distance to find out how drones can increase the safety, security and efficiency of airport operations. In addition, they tested a drone…
The Communist Party (CCP) of China is quietly but steadily modernising its naval power for the political goal of expanding its influence in the far seas in Asia and Africa through penetrative power projection operations, according to a report compiled to help the American Defence establishment to better understand the balance of strategic competition between…
