New drone strikes on two ships in the Black Sea pose questions for the future of Russian and Ukrainian food exports to already struggling world markets.
Western spymasters may finally be testing Kremlin-style information tricks on Russian soil to rattle Putin’s war regime.
Drone attacks on commercial ships in the Black Sea point to a 360-degree threat of Russian hybrid attacks, covering also the EU’s southern and eastern flanks.
Warnings about Russia’s escalation against Nato have prompted fear in Europe, but the Baltic states’ risk assessments remain unchanged.
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.
The wave of Russian state terrorism now breaking over Europe is quite different from the leftwing Baader-Meinhof group of the 1970s. It is part of a big plan to break Nato, yet Germany (and Spain, France, and Belgium) is not taking this seriously. This sends a clear message to the Kremlin: keep attacking us, writes Edward Lucas.
Europe’s challenge is not only to protect critical infrastructure and deter Russian aggression, but also to maintain credibility by clearly establishing what Russia has actually done.
What should Europeans really fear from Russia? European intelligence services see no evidence that Russia is preparing to attack an EU country, but warn of growing hybrid threats, including drones, cyberattacks and disinformation.
On Thursday (27 August), Moldova marks 35 years of independence, and for the first time in its history, the day will be marked with a military parade through Chișinău.That single fact says more about European security than any communiqué.
!['We maintain anonymity ... [but] It's feeding this rumour mill that maybe we're Russian agents', say the activists from 'Crush the War Machine'](https://static.euobserver.com/2026/08/2160-2160-max.jpg)
Chemring Nobel, one of Europe’s largest arms manufacturers, is hoping to build the continent’s largest explosives factory near Oslo’s fjord. Besides environmental destruction, the project will fuel Europe’s escalating militarisation. EUobserver talks to the activists occupying the site.
The Irish government is forecasted to spend up to €400m on its EU Presidency, potentially four times that of the recent Danish and Cypriot presidencies. While much of this money will be allocated to policing and security of high-level events, such an eye-watering sum raises the question: is Ireland simply attempting to dazzle the rest of the EU with a glorified PR exercise to sanitise its image in light of growing misdeeds?
“Putin Always Chickens Out”, so far, but his humiliations in Ukraine, as well as Chinese pressure, could push him to test Nato resolve like never before.
Romania must defend itself against repeating drone incursions from Russia, even without a proper government and with its public finances in shambles.
The US has formally launched a review of its military presence in Europe, aiming to push allies to take greater responsibility for defence. While the move could accelerate Nato’s Europeanisation, it could also create a dangerous “transition gap” before the continent’s capabilities are ready.
The alliance avoided disaster in the Turkish capital – but it is becoming increasingly irrelevant, writes Edward Lucas.
Nato pledged billions more for Ukraine and vowed to contain Russia and Iran. Although Donald Trump’s musings about quitting Europe militarily and strong‑arming allies over Greenland underlined how dependent the continent’s security still is on a single, volatile, leader.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s pivot back toward Nato has brought drones, missiles and Black Sea leverage to the West. For this price, Europe is quietly tolerating rigged party leaderships and pre‑summit mass arrests at home.
The same Czech government that vowed “not a single crown” for Ukrainian weapons is now moving budget lines into the US-led Nato Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List fund, as leaders head into a high-stakes Ankara summit.
Russia is too weak militarily to invade any Nato country. It is building some military infrastructure, notably on the border with Finland, but it has no soldiers to put there. Whatever Russia is planning is in a different domain, a war of nerves, aimed at our brains, not our territory.
An attack on Poland would be Putin’s last failThe US has warned Poland that Russia was plotting to attack it in a “few months” time, which would be the fastest way to end the Ukraine war, in president Vladimir Putin’s ultimate fail. The Russian emperor would go home from Poland not just naked, but also with a broken nose.
