Russia

We are pleased to present the nineteenth issue of 4liberty.eu Review, titled “Learning from the Past and Present: Impacts of the Russian War in Ukraine on CEE”. This time, our primary focus is on the response to the Russian aggression in the region, as well as various related phenomena and challenges.

In this episode, we talk about German strategy towards the war in Ukraine, a shift in the defense policy, the future of EU enlargement and strategic autonomy, and how Germans perceive Zeitenwende.

The most recent poll conducted by the Levada Center, Russia\'s foremost independent polling institution, following Yevgeny Prigozhin\'s incursion into Moscow, leaves no room for doubt: 82 percent of Russians continue to express support for Putin. While not questioning the absolute precision of these surveys or their methodologies, it becomes challenging not to ponder their proportionality and, consequently, their credibility.

According to media reports, the Ukrainian offensive is progressing slower than expected. However, there are many indications that the main phase of the offensive is still ahead of us, and the actions taken so far have only been rehearsals. The attacks are advancing towards the Sea of Azov in order to cut off Russian access to Crimea and divide the occupation zone into two parts.

The Sejm passed the Act on the establishment of the State Commission for the Study of Russian Influences on the Internal Security of the Republic of Poland in the years 2007-2022. The Commission is proposed to be a public administration body and will be tasked with disclosing alleged cases of widely understood acts of espionage or actions made to the detriment of the Republic of Poland committed by public officials under the influence of Russia.

We are slowly but surely approaching the mark of a year and a half since Russia launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. During this time the necessity to track direct and indirect damage caused by it has become both a priority and an enormous challenge for numerous Ukrainian and international organizations. One thing is already clear - we will be doing the math long after the war is over.

Throughout recent days, public discourse in Poland has been dominated by multiple instances of violations of the Polish airspace. Balloons crossing the Polish-Belarussian border, drones disturbing passenger planes approaching their airports and a Russian missile, discovered in a forest 250 kilometers from the nearest frontier are just few examples of what appeared in the latest news.

It is no surprise that the annual address of President Vladimir Putin to the Russian people featured a call for self-sufficiency, the closing of the national economy, and catering to all needs only with internal resources. Even though the statements of foreign leaders are not directly linked to the Bulgarian context, such ideas can find their ground at home too, especially in the context of election campaigns.

In this episode, we talk about controversies sparked by President Emmanuel Macron with his comments on China, Taiwan, and the United States, about French position on China and transatlantic relations, and about the future of strategic autonomy and different perspectives within the EU.

Accepting Russia\'s presidency of the UN Security Council is the worst thing the international community can do. This situation should be treated as an opportunity to start a serious discussion on the reform of this institution, which apparently no longer fulfills its role. To put it bluntly, it\'s time to kick Russia out of the UN Security Council.