French political scientist Jacques Rupnik says the economic illiteracy of Marine Le Pen and Mélenchon is astonishing. He anticipates that in the first round of France’s presidential election, most voters will back a candidate they believe can stop Le Pen. A Mamdani moment could happen, since people feel that politics has exhausted itself.
In Poland, student status has become a sought-after commodity that employment agencies exploit for gains. Many foreign workers were unaware they were enrolled in fake schools associated with pro-Kremlin figures.
Where Russian maps place the occupiers, and where they really are — an overview of parts of the front (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,679)Ukraine is losing the battle in the skies but holding strong on the battleground. And Russian media highlight “liberated” villages, but in reality they are still under Ukrainian control.
Scientists flee burning building in Kyiv’s mini-9/11, as Russian drone also explodes 200m from EU embassy (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,678)Despite global audiences being numbed to daily Kyiv airstrikes and casualties, Russia’s 9/11-type attack on a scientific institute, in a botched assassination attempt, still grabbed world attention.
Ukrainians captured 250 Russian soldiers during Operation Vivaldi (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,677)Telegram channels and satellite images reveal a quieter truth behind official statements: Russian lines north of Sloviansk are buckling, logistics hubs are burning, and both sides are scrambling to adapt to a war increasingly fought by drones.
Lithuania’s parliament this week backed a proposal to lift the constitutional ban on the deployment of nuclear weapons and foreign military bases, opening the way for future deployment of nuclear weapons in the country.
Over the last decade, Berlin rent has spiked 75 percent to €15.78 per square metre. Economist Alexander Kritikos breaks down the bureaucratic nightmare of building housing in the German capital and warned how the Left’s plans to purchase flats from corporate landlords may not yield the desired results.
First blind the Russians, then catch them with robots: Ukraine’s Operation Vivaldi shows cutting edge of modern warfare (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,674)By driving Russian forces back to their 2022 lines and crippling refineries deep in Samara, Operation Vivaldi shows how a tech-heavy Ukrainian corps can threaten not just a single sector near Lyman, but Russia’s wider ability to wage war.
Russians dream of encircling Dobropillia, as Ukraine’s Azov force pushes back (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,673)While Kyiv suffers the highest number of Russian attacks since March 2022, Russian Z bloggers have exaggerated claims of trapping Ukrainian soldiers in “cauldrons” in Dobropillia.
With ex-ministers facing bribery charges and a motorway concession worth €65bn under fire, the Tisza government’s push for accountability is starting to hit the wallets and freedom of the Orbán-era elite.
In Italy’s schools, Meloni makes migrant kids pay the price for her culture warItaly’s far-right has taken its war on migration into the classroom, where children from foreign backgrounds are expected to have their numbers capped so as to not marginalise white Italian children, according to PM Giorgia Meloni. Taking cultural battles to the playground is below even the far-right, but beyond being childish, it’s lacking a leg to stand on.
A Russian tank survived 40 drone strikes, suggesting mechanised warfare could make a comeback (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,672)New videos and expert accounts reveal how Russia’s upgraded “tsar tent” tanks, Arena-M defences, and drone-hunting tactics are being tested in real combat long before Moscow admits what is really working.
The EU Commission proposes to unfreeze billions of euros for Hungary, as changes in the few months since the April election of Peter Magyar become visible.
Ukraine shows how it shoots down jet-powered Russian drones, as Moscow seeks to expand production (Ukraine Battlefield update, day 1,671)Ukraine has finally found ways to hunt Russia’s fastest drones in mid-air, as new satellite images and documents suggest the Kremlin is preparing to flood the battlefield with tens of thousands more.
The Danish yard is repairing one of its own Nato warships while continuing to service LNG carriers from Russia reportedly linked to Russia’s FSB security service.
What Ukraine fired at Moscow on Sunday, in its largest air-raid since the war began (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,670)The mass drone raid shows Ukraine can now reach deep into Russia’s most defended airspace. Moscow has to rethink how it protects its energy and logistics hubs before winter.
Mainstream parties might assume that this new age of insecurity will work in their favour. But If Europe’s security environment continues to deteriorate as voters head to the polls in 2027, mainstream leaders should not assume that geopolitics will do the political work of containing the far-right for them.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz spoke to press just minutes after polls revealed massive CDU losses. In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the party failed to make the five-percent threshold. In Berlin, where the party had held power, it was thrashed by the Left.
Polish leader Tusk exposes classified figures on sky-high Ukrainian casualties (Ukraine Battlefield update, Day 1,667)With tens of thousands of Ukrainians reportedly killed or wounded each month, the coming autumn and winter campaign could stretch Ukraine’s manpower, air defences, and battered cities to breaking point.
While Estonia has prison cells to spare, Sweden’s prisons are full. Stockholm will pay €30.6m annually for the first 300 prisoners it sends to a Tartu prison. The deal has been criticised by both countries.