Alex
@alessio.re
Open source advocate, OSINT enthusiast, founder at Klartika. Passionate about the Caucasus and the Balkans.
Coffee lover based in Zagreb, Croatia. 🇪🇺
Coffee lover based in Zagreb, Croatia. 🇪🇺
It’s arguably the first chance they have since the beginning of the war, and they are certainly not missing it. The previous 3 winters were extremely mild so they didn’t have a chance to commit this sort of crimes.
February 4, 2026 at 6:22 PM
It’s arguably the first chance they have since the beginning of the war, and they are certainly not missing it. The previous 3 winters were extremely mild so they didn’t have a chance to commit this sort of crimes.
American labour laws have always made no sense to me.
There’s no reason anybody should be able to be fired point blank, with zero advance notice, saved for cases of gross misdemeanour.
There’s no reason anybody should be able to be fired point blank, with zero advance notice, saved for cases of gross misdemeanour.
February 4, 2026 at 6:18 PM
American labour laws have always made no sense to me.
There’s no reason anybody should be able to be fired point blank, with zero advance notice, saved for cases of gross misdemeanour.
There’s no reason anybody should be able to be fired point blank, with zero advance notice, saved for cases of gross misdemeanour.
Agreed, but precise numbers matter. In 2025, excluding HU+SK (as they are obviously on the other side), the EU gave Ukraine about 40/50bn, depending on what we include, and paid Russia about 15bn for fossil fuels. Still suboptimal, of course, but a far cry from 2022.
January 27, 2026 at 6:09 PM
Agreed, but precise numbers matter. In 2025, excluding HU+SK (as they are obviously on the other side), the EU gave Ukraine about 40/50bn, depending on what we include, and paid Russia about 15bn for fossil fuels. Still suboptimal, of course, but a far cry from 2022.
China’s been consistently liquidating its US debt positions for quite a few years now.
January 19, 2026 at 11:29 PM
China’s been consistently liquidating its US debt positions for quite a few years now.
In what cases would you see the anti-coercion tool fit for usage?
January 19, 2026 at 11:11 PM
In what cases would you see the anti-coercion tool fit for usage?
Interesting take on Montenegro, and one I agree with. I see a 2030/2032 entrance of Albania as far less controversial though, even if it is (and will be) far from ready because of corruption.
January 14, 2026 at 8:51 AM
Interesting take on Montenegro, and one I agree with. I see a 2030/2032 entrance of Albania as far less controversial though, even if it is (and will be) far from ready because of corruption.
I’m not American so I don’t really know enough about the agency’s history, but I assume ICE has been full of these people for a long time. Why wasn’t it reformed under Biden?
January 10, 2026 at 10:05 AM
I’m not American so I don’t really know enough about the agency’s history, but I assume ICE has been full of these people for a long time. Why wasn’t it reformed under Biden?
Well, PiS was part of the new wave of politics well before the Republicans even dreamt of it…
December 28, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Well, PiS was part of the new wave of politics well before the Republicans even dreamt of it…
I see it being a lot closer to the decisions which have been made regarding loans, but I appreciate that it can be seen as related to foreign policy as well.
I’m honestly not sure as to what the right move is here: we gotta get that money going, but the risk must certainly be shared on EU-level.
I’m honestly not sure as to what the right move is here: we gotta get that money going, but the risk must certainly be shared on EU-level.
December 7, 2025 at 7:00 PM
I see it being a lot closer to the decisions which have been made regarding loans, but I appreciate that it can be seen as related to foreign policy as well.
I’m honestly not sure as to what the right move is here: we gotta get that money going, but the risk must certainly be shared on EU-level.
I’m honestly not sure as to what the right move is here: we gotta get that money going, but the risk must certainly be shared on EU-level.
Common foreign policy, such as sanctions, indeed. Lots more had been voted on that didn’t require unanimity, for example all the votes of the Parliament establishing economic assistance, the Council decisions re loans, etc
December 6, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Common foreign policy, such as sanctions, indeed. Lots more had been voted on that didn’t require unanimity, for example all the votes of the Parliament establishing economic assistance, the Council decisions re loans, etc
We better scale our defences up asap, but that should not come to anybody’s surprise unless they spent the last 9 years in a cave.
Even when Trump dies and the Democrats win, the US remains only one election away from being dangerous.
Even when Trump dies and the Democrats win, the US remains only one election away from being dangerous.
December 6, 2025 at 5:50 PM
We better scale our defences up asap, but that should not come to anybody’s surprise unless they spent the last 9 years in a cave.
Even when Trump dies and the Democrats win, the US remains only one election away from being dangerous.
Even when Trump dies and the Democrats win, the US remains only one election away from being dangerous.
Oil from Russia is far cheaper - since they struggle finding purchasers, hefty discounts are applied.
December 6, 2025 at 11:18 AM
Oil from Russia is far cheaper - since they struggle finding purchasers, hefty discounts are applied.
Lots of decisions (except for sanctions, where that’s not possible) were taken with majority - that’s how it was almost always possible to bypass Hungary and Slovakia.
December 6, 2025 at 11:11 AM
Lots of decisions (except for sanctions, where that’s not possible) were taken with majority - that’s how it was almost always possible to bypass Hungary and Slovakia.
It’s just a simplified procedure. Russia itself still enjoyed it until 2022, despite the invasion of Crimea and Donbass in 2014.
December 6, 2025 at 11:00 AM
It’s just a simplified procedure. Russia itself still enjoyed it until 2022, despite the invasion of Crimea and Donbass in 2014.
That’s bad, but there’s no reason the EU allows Lukoil stations to keep on operating either.
December 4, 2025 at 8:45 PM
That’s bad, but there’s no reason the EU allows Lukoil stations to keep on operating either.
Tbf, Slovenia and Croatia have been a lot more disciplined than Slovakia and Hungary so far, despite especially Croatia having a rather messed up political scenario.
November 30, 2025 at 6:43 AM
Tbf, Slovenia and Croatia have been a lot more disciplined than Slovakia and Hungary so far, despite especially Croatia having a rather messed up political scenario.
The reason is precisely that they get a lot of money from us (although some of the transfers are currently suspended), while being free to pursue their vile propaganda - and the EU is rather powerless against it, because of the lack of reforms before the 2004 wave of accession. Bad mistake.
November 29, 2025 at 10:54 PM
The reason is precisely that they get a lot of money from us (although some of the transfers are currently suspended), while being free to pursue their vile propaganda - and the EU is rather powerless against it, because of the lack of reforms before the 2004 wave of accession. Bad mistake.
Eh, you can indeed suspend voting rights as it happened with Haider’s Austria back in the day, but kicking them out altogether is a rather different matter.
November 29, 2025 at 5:43 PM
Eh, you can indeed suspend voting rights as it happened with Haider’s Austria back in the day, but kicking them out altogether is a rather different matter.
The UN leadership is rather sympathetic to Russia, so I wouldn’t want them to lead either.
November 29, 2025 at 12:27 PM
The UN leadership is rather sympathetic to Russia, so I wouldn’t want them to lead either.
And how would you remove Hungary in the absence of a legal mechanism to do so?
November 29, 2025 at 12:19 PM
And how would you remove Hungary in the absence of a legal mechanism to do so?