Ukraine has been a target of Russian infor­mation manip­u­lation and inter­ference for more than a decade – on a scale closely inter­twined with military force, cyber opera­tions and occupation gover­nance. The analysis shows which narra­tives, platforms and methods Russia uses to undermine trust, intensify war fatigue and weaken the resilience of Ukrainian society.

Armenia is seeking to reduce its foreign and security policy depen­dence on Russia while expanding its ties with the EU and other Western partners. Moscow is responding with political and economic pressure as well as targeted influence opera­tions. The analysis shows how Russia exploits existing fears, conflicts and depen­dencies to discredit Armenia’s Western orien­tation and preserve its influence over the country.

Germany is at the center of Russian influence opera­tions — not only because of its political and economic signif­i­cance, but also due to societal vulner­a­bil­ities that are being delib­er­ately exploited. The analysis examines the strategies Russia is using to desta­bilize German democracy and the resulting impli­ca­tions for European security.

Russia is using targeted infor­mation manip­u­lation in Moldova as part of a compre­hensive hybrid strategy to desta­bilize democ­ratic processes and undermine trust in state insti­tu­tions. However, the experience in Moldova shows that resilience, good gover­nance, and democ­ratic oversight are more effective responses to this than censorship alone.

Georgia’s infor­mation environment has undergone a funda­mental shift. Pro-Russian influence opera­tions are no longer driven primarily by external actors, such as Kremlin-controlled media, but increas­ingly by domestic actors, including the Georgian Dream government. As a result, anti-Western disin­for­mation has entered Georgia’s political mainstream.

The EU candidate country is facing one of its deepest political crises in recent years. For more than a year, people have been taking to the streets in peaceful protest. At the same time, the Russia-leaning ruling party, Georgian Dream, has been hardening its course: repression against civil society, independent media, and the opposition is visibly intensifying.

EU accession negoti­a­tions with Ukraine are hitting struc­tural and political limits in times of war—both in Kyiv and in Brussels. Techno­cratic proce­dures and exclu­sively positive EU rhetoric undermine the necessary incen­tives for reform, analyzes Liubov Akulenko and proposes a Germany-led “coalition of the willing” to delib­er­ately advance blocked reforms through confi­dential dialogue.

As the European Union adjusts its policies in prepa­ration for a new round of enlargement, relations between Moldova and the European Union (EU) have entered a new stage of devel­opment. Natalia Stercul (Foreign Policy Associ­ation of the Republic von Moldova) analyses the situation.

Georgia is on the path to author­i­tarian consol­i­dation of power. The systematic restriction of civil society, political compe­tition, and freedom of assembly goes hand in hand with a foreign policy shift away from the EU. An analysis by Nino Chachava and Saba Bachveli (both: Civil Society Foundation, Georgia).

The parlia­mentary elections on September 28 will be historic in Moldova, even if the outcome is still uncertain. Various scenarios are possible: Will Moldova succeed in pushing ahead with EU accession as protection against a perceived threat from Russia? Much depends on how the population reacts to frustration and fears, as Denis Cenusa analyzes for us.

Ukraine’s membership bid taken on real momentum since the country applied for EU membership in the early days of the full-scale invasion. Though Ukraine’s track record is generally positive, the devil is in the details. Difficult reforms, especially in the judiciary, require the attention and support of the EU and its member states.

Das EU-Beitrittsland Moldau steht weiterhin vor großen sicher­heit­spoli­tischen und wirtschaftlichen Heraus­forderungen. Unsere Expertin, Natalia Stercul, APE, analysiert die Hindernisse auf den europäischen Weg Moldaus, sowie die politische Lage nach dem Refer­endum und den Präsi­dentschaftswahlen. Ferner warnt sie vor der zunehmend steigenden Einflussnahme Russlands bei den kommenden Parla­mentswahlen in 2025, denn das Ergebnis der Parla­mentswahlen würde die EU-Integration des Landes maßge­blich mitbestimmen.

Our new project “Expert Network Russia” kicked on October 31 with an inaugural meeting in Vilnius. Network members will gather in the Lithuanian Seimas to discuss how the West should deal with an increas­ingly total­i­tarian and neo-imperial Russia.