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Czechia
05/10/2025 Czech billionaire Andrej Babiš outperformed pre-election polls to secure 35% of the vote - the second-best result of a winning party in the Czech Republic since the fall of communism. Babiš said talks were already underway with far-right and populist forces that have denounced European Union policies on migration and climate. Echoing Trump, the 71-year-old former premier canvassed the eastern European nation with pledges to put Czechs first, bring an end to fiscal austerity measures and curb military aid to Ukraine. Babiš made clear that he would spurn values advanced by the European Union bloc in favour of a more transactional approach. The two smaller groups with whom Babiš is pursuing an agreement - the populist Motorists, committed to a wholesale rejection of the EU’s climate agenda and the anti-migration Freedom and Direct Democracy, or SPD, which has advocate leaving the bloc - would give him a path to a parliamentary majority, with the three holding a projected 108 seats in the 200-seat lower house of parliament. Babiš said on yesterday he would seek to govern alone, with parliamentary support from the two factions. The billionaire has rejected holding a referendum on EU membership, having called the UK’s experience with Brexit a disaster. After the vote Babis lamented what he called the over-regulation and soaring prices in the bloc, saying that ’Europe is suffering - Europe is not competitive anymore.’ “We want to save Europe - we are clearly pro-European and pro-NATO,” he said at party headquarters. In contrast with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovakia’s Robert Fico, Babiš has never aligned himself with Russian President Putin, but has vowed to buck the EU trend on defense spending and migration. Babiš has taken aim at the flagship Czech aid initiative for Ukraine, a program to source and deliver ammunition to Kyiv. He reiterated his position that the initiative serves only to enrich weapons producers - but said he would discuss the issue with Zelenskiy and handle it transparently. Orbán celebrated the candidate’s victory, saying that “Truth has prevailed!” in the region. Babiš said he wants to boost infrastructure and other investments to get the economy grow as much as 4% a year and pledged to bring CEZ AS, the country’s biggest power producer, fully into state hands. One of Babiš’s ambitions is to reassert the Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary - a group known as the Visegrad Four - as a regional force, uniting the voices of 65 million citizens to have greater voice in the 27-member bloc. (Source: Luxembourg Times / Bloomberg - U.S.)
(Sunday) 05.10.2025 'Populist' billionaire Babis' ANO Party wins Czech elections with 35.5% of vote. Around 8 million voters cast their ballots on Friday and Saturday, with 26 parties and groupings competing for seats in the 200-member lower house, four more than in the last elections in 2021. Polling stations closed at 2 pm (1200GMT) local time on Saturday. (Source: Anadolu Agency - Turkey)
05/10/2025 The ANO party, lead by billionaire former prime minister Andrej Babis won this weekend's parliamentary elections in the Czech Republic. With nearly all ballots counted by Saturday night, Babis and his ANO ("Yes") party had around 35 percent of the vote. His victory was based partly on campaign promises to halt aid to Ukraine. The centre-right, ’pro-western’ coalition led by the outgoing prime minister, Petr Fiala, had 23 percent. A total of six parties will make up the new parliament. Babis said he would seek backing from both the anti-immigration, eurosceptic Freedom and Direct Democracy (SPD) party which got just short of 8 percent and a right-wing group calling itself the Motorists which won around 7 percent for an ANO government. An admirer of US President Trump and ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in the European Parliament, on good terms with Slovakia's Robert Fico, Babis nonetheless stressed that his party was pro-European and pro-NATO. Describing himself as a "peacemonger" calling for a truce in the war with Russia, Babis has vowed a "Czechs first" approach. The Czech Republic has donated arms to the Ukrainian military and has also taken in some 500,000 Ukrainian refugees, 300,000 of whom are still living there. Babis is on good terms with Hungary's Orbán. In 2024 they co-founded the ’far-right’ Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament, which includes France's National Rally among other parties. (Source: rfi - France)
Finland
October 3, 2025 Finland, the European Union, and the United States have recently raised concerns about Beijing's links to data cables, citing worries about national security, data integrity, and geopolitical stability over this vital infrastructure for NATO countries. Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat has reported growing security concerns in the country over the Chinese state-owned firm Citic Telecom CPC, through its subsidiaries, owning and operating the three underwater telecommunications cables linking Finland, Estonia, and Sweden. The head of Finland's National Cyber Security Centre told the paper that Beijing’s link was of concern because whoever controlled the cable had access to its data traffic. The network comprises three separate routes: one between Finland and Estonia, a second between Finland and Sweden, and a third between Estonia and Sweden. (Source: Miami Herald / Newsweek = U.S.)
Germany
3 October 2025 The rape of Europe - both metaphorical and literal - continues because we lack the civilisational confidence to defend what previous generations built. The majority’s misguided legislation is driven by fashionable ideology, our legal institutions stand helpless before a phenomenon they were never designed to address. The acquittal of ten suspects in a Vienna sexual abuse case involving a twelve-year-old girl represents far more than a judicial failure. Similarly, the Hamburg park case, where nine men gang-raped a fifteen-year-old girl over several hours, resulted in suspended sentences for all but one perpetrator. In Germany alone, we now witness between 600 and 800 gang rapes annually. This represents a crime category that scarcely existed in European consciousness until recently, but now should be dealt with on a daily basis. It is the descent back into barbarism. Judges bend over backwards to excuse the inexcusable: 'She appeared older than twelve'; 'The sexual acts were completely consensual'. The Christian moral assumptions that permeate even our secular society, created a social contract where women could walk safely at night, trusting in men’s self-imposed restraint. This social contract requires reciprocal recognition. When mass migration introduces populations operating under fundamentally different moral systems - where women are categorised as either 'good girls' (veiled, sequestered, controlled) or 'ungodly girls' (available for exploitation) - the entire framework collapses. Our legal system, built on assumptions of shared moral understanding, finds itself 'paralyzed'. In Hamburg, a twenty-year-old woman received a harsher sentence for calling a gang rapist a disgraceful rapist pig than the rapist himself received for his crime. This inversion of justice - where defending the innocent becomes more punishable than destroying them - reveals a system that has lost all moral bearings. The judicial activism transforms perpetrators into victims through sociological alchemy: Poverty, marginalisation, and 'structural exclusion' become excuses for the most heinous crimes. We face a choice that cannot be postponed much longer. Either we restore the domain of obedience to the unenforceable by ensuring that only those who accept our civilisational premises remain among us, or we surrender that domain entirely and accept the authoritarian consequences. The first option requires acknowledging uncomfortable truths about cultural compatibility and implementing deportation policies for those unwilling to internalise European moral standards. The second leads to a surveillance state that would make Orwell blanc. (Source: Brussels Signal - Belgium)
Sweden
Oct 03, 2025 In late September, Sweden held its annual Preparedness Week, where authorities seek to raise awareness as part of the country's total defence strategy. The country revived the strategy in 2015 following Russia's annexation of Crimea, and more measures were introduced - including the appointment of a Minister for Civil Defence - after Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Everyone is encouraged to stockpile enough food to live independently for at least seven days without external aid in the event of a crisis. Food transportation would be a real challenge 'in the event of an armed conflict': A large part of food production is concentrated in the south and the majority of imports also primarily arrive in these regions. The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) has published a list of recommended foods that are high in fat and protein, and easy to store. It includes pesto, dried meat or fish, jam, chocolate, mashed potatoes, powdered milk and biscuits. In a war scenario, Qvarfort, emergency planning officer at the Swedish Food Agency told, that on average the increased need for people 'will be' about 100 calories. The agency has twice sent out a brochure to all Swedish households informing them of how to act in a crisis, once in 2018 and then in 2024. According to an MSB survey of 2,000 people, 86 percent of Swedes believe the country is worth defending 'in the event of a military attack', and 76 percent would be willing to defend it as part of Swedish civil defence. Its survey, published in March, showed that 39 percent of people felt worried when receiving the 2024 edition, compared to 24 percent in 2018. (Source: Barron's - U.S. / Agence France-Presse)
Georgia
Sunday, 05/10/2025 The governing Georgian Dream party said yesterday it won local elections in every municipality. The two largest ’pro-Western’ opposition blocs boycotted election in the country of 3.7 million people. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said that up to 7,000 people attended a rally today, in a failed ’attempt to overthrow the constitutional order.’ He vowed opposition arrests, first and foremost the organisers of the attempted overthrow, adding that they, the country's main opposition force, will no longer be allowed to be active in Georgian politics. Georgian riot police used pepper spray and water cannons to drive demonstrators away from the presidential palace. Kobakhidze alleged that protesters who sought to force entry to the presidential palace had been trying to topple the government and were supported by the European Union. He accused EU Ambassador Herczynski of meddling in Georgian politics and urged him to condemn the protests. (Source: France 24 with Reuters - United Kingdom, and AFP - France)
Russia
Sun, October 5, 2025 at 12:00 PM GMT+2 In 2024, Russian President Putin decreed foreign nationals fighting in the army’s ranks would receive passports for themselves and their families. Since then, travel agencies and brokers have drawn people from all over the world to join what they call Russia’s elite international battalion, dangling a raft of benefits to attract would-be recruits. Estimates are ’putting the number of foreign fighters in Russian army ranks in the tens of thousands’. Many come from disadvantaged countries in the Middle East, Africa and South and East Asia. Some 2,000 Iraqis are thought to have enlisted, but press reports indicate thousands joining from Egypt, Algeria, Yemen and Jordan. Fighters from Nepal, Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Cuba and Syria, who in the past came in significant numbers, are no longer allowed to join, according to the Russian defense ministry. Foreigners have also served on the opposing side, ’with Ukrainian officials stating in the past that roughly 20,000 fighters from 50 countries joined Ukraine’s International Legion, including around 3,000 Iraqis’. In the Russian military, many of the enlisted foreigners came to Russia first as students, but their visas lapsed and they do not want to return home. A significant number also travel to Moscow on tourist visas after they are approved by the military and are met by a broker and a Russian officer at the airport. Once in Russia, they sign a contract with the Russian ministry of defense. Offers vary, but recruits can receive a signing bonus of 1.5 million rubles (around $17,000), and depending on where they fight, get a monthly salary ranging between $2,500 to $3,500 - a life-changing amount in countries like Egypt, where the average salary barely exceeds $300. Training lasts four to six weeks and includes language instruction so foreigners can follow basic commands in Russian. They receive citizenship soon after they join, and are given a two-week paid vacation six months into their one-year deployment. If they are killed or wounded, their families can claim the money and citizenship. Among the recruitment ads, which appear in Arabic and other languages, some keep up a steady rhythm of posts extolling the Russian army’s victories in Ukraine. Several photos depict foreign soldiers after they receive their citizenship, smiling to the camera and proudly showing off their passports. In one post is saying that they add to the victory against the neo-Nazis from Ukraine. Members of a thousands-strong Telegram community group run by an Iraqi with the nickname Abbass the Supporter - who served in the Russian military for three years but now works as a broker and answers questions about deployments on his TikTok channel - participate in chats asking how quickly they can get their visa and travel. The E-visa form inquires about military experience. A channel, run by an Iraqi man who calls himself Bahjat, has almost 30,000 subscribers. Bahjat said those coming to the Russian army from abroad should expect to go into combat, and that breaking the contract risks imprisonment. What, you think a country is going to give you money and citizenship so you come and cook? he said in a WhatsApp chat. “I’ll give it to you straight. Everyone coming here is going to the frontline and to the war. Anyone saying otherwise is speaking nonsense.” (Source: Yahoo / Los Angeles Times = U.S.)
(Saturday), 04/10/2025 - 22:33 Ukraine's railway network is essential for military transport. Today, a Russian drone attack hit two passenger trains in quick succession at a Ukrainian railway station in northern Sumy region, first targeting a local service and then one bound for Kyiv. About 30 people were injured. No fatalities were reported in the immediate aftermath. (Source: France 24 with Reuters - United Kingdom, AP - U.S.)
4 October 2025 - 14:07 In August this year, Ukraine revealed ’its’ new FP-5 Flamingo, a cruise missile that allegedly has a range of up to 3,000 kilometres. Google Earth has recently updated satellite images for the archipelago Novaya Zemlya, making it possible to study details on the ground. The images from Severny, taken on August 14 this year show how the three rows of fuel tanks supplying the settlement now are covered with blueish metal nets. The nets - known as cope cages - are aimed at stopping drones from exploding on the tanks, and by that means preventing the fuel itself from igniting. The fuel tanks close to the port store gasoline for the vehicles used at the nuclear test site. Severny is one of Russia's most secret military towns. The main activity today is taking place in a shaft complex 3 km south of the settlement. There is also one tunnel in the valley ready and one more under construction, if Moscow one day should decide to resume nuclear testing. All activities at Severny are supervised by the Defence Ministry's 12th Main Directorate, responsible for safe-keeping, technical maintenance, transportation and delivery of nuclear warheads. The directorate is one of Russia’s most secretive military structures. On Novaya Zemlya, the 12th directorate cooperates with the nuclear weapon designers of Rosatom, the state corporation that produces Russia's plutonium and highly enriched weapons-grade uranium. Russia knows that there are people in Ukraine with first-hand knowledge about the nuclear test site on the shores of the Matochkin Strait. The blue-coloured metal nets are similar to what is seen covering fuel tanks at other military facilities in Russia, like at the Olenya air base south of Murmansk on the Kola Peninsula. (Source: The Barents Observer - Norway)
10/04/2025, 08.59 On 1 October, Russia began its new military conscription drive. By 31 December, another 135,000 young Russians between the ages of 18 and 30 will be called up for military service. Starting in Moscow and spreading to other regions, only electronic notices will be sent, instead of the traditional postcard. In addition to compulsory conscription, many young people have been sent directly to the front in Ukraine, drawing on the Junarmija movement, the youth army, from which 11,000 young people have been taken for the war. In the nine years since its foundation, almost two million young people have joined the Junarmija. It is increasingly praised in propaganda for its contribution to the war. The commander-in-chief of the youth military organisation, Golovin reports that five young representatives of the movement have already been awarded the title of Heroes of Russia, and over 700 have been awarded medals for bravery. The Duma has passed a law abolishing seasonal restrictions on conscription from next year and introducing perpetual call-up every day of the year. Exemptions from service are still possible on health grounds for category B illnesses, which about a third of potential conscripts claim. The search for those evading service is equated with that of bandits and criminals of all kinds, using telephone surveillance, CCTV cameras in the underground and on the streets, and in cities it is almost impossible to avoid being caught. Accessing alternative civilian service, still permitted by law, is becoming increasingly problematic. Today's call to arms serves to project Russian society towards a multipolar and tradition-defending future. “Military service” is the true identity of citizenship in Putin's Russia, experiencing war as the main content of one's personal, social and religious identity. It is a form of education and inner training. The figure of the president is increasingly sacred and superior to all political, economic and military perspectives. Putin does not need to win battles on the field, but only the great battle of the spirit, and, by extension, on the whole world, a feeling of willingness to renounce oneself in order to found a new world. This is the path to the definitive affirmation of the cult of personality, on the anonymity of common identification in the masses of those who are ready to die for their country. /Source: Asia News - an official press agency of the Catholic Church's Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions (PIME)/
October 3, 2025 10:31 AM GMT+2 Russia launched a massive overnight drone and missile assault. The attack included 381 drones and 35 missiles that targeted energy infrastructure in Kharkiv, and in Poltava region, where the country's main gas production facilities are located. Top private energy provider DTEK said it had suspended operations at several gas facilities in the Poltava region. (Source: Reuters - United Kingdom)
Ukraine
(4 October 2025) At least 30 people have been injured following a Russian drone strike on a railway station in the city of Shostka, in the Sumy region, some 50km from the Russian border. There were two strikes which hit two passenger trains. The second strike hit at a time when evacuations from the area were already under way, a statement from the railways body said. (Source: BBC - United Kingdom)
Europe
October 5, 2025 Patriots for Europe group rejoices over the big win by Babiš and his ANO party in Czech elections. Babiš, the hot candidate to become prime minister after ANO’s strong showing co-founded the Patriots group, along with Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Austria’s Kickl, in the summer of 2024. Soon joined by Le Pen’s National Rally, the Patriots surged to become the third-largest group in the European Parliament. Hungarian prime minister Orbán was one of the first European leaders to congratulate Babiš. “A big step for the Czech Republic, good news for Europe.” he said in a post on social platform X. Italy’s League leader Salvini said that Babiš, „an ally of the League in the EU”, had “crushed the left in the Czech vote. He „is preparing to lead a government that will focus on fighting illegal immigration, saying no to war, and stopping Brussels’ crazy policies,” Salvini said on X. “The Patriots are advancing all across Europe!” Salvini also congratulated the right-wing Motorists party, also a member of the Patriots, which entered Czechia’s parliament for the first time and is likely to become part of the government. „Together we win!” he added. French National Rally also hailed ANO’s victory. „All across Europe, patriotic parties are being called to power by the people, who long to reclaim their freedom and prosperity!” Le Pen said in a post on X. Bardella was describing the result as “a landslide in favor of free enterprise, ending punitive environmental policies, and opposing uncontrolled immigration.” Others from the European Parliament’s Patriots, like Denmark’s Vistisen, the Netherlands’ Wilders, Austria’s Vilimsky and Hungary’s Gál, also expressed joy over the result. Tsikhanouskaya, the Belarusian opposition leader did offer congratulations. “The Czech Republic has always been among the most loyal allies of Belarusian civil society and democratic forces. I am grateful for the concrete support that a free Belarus has received. I trust that the new Czech government, emerging from this election, will maintain a strong course of solidarity and continue to support our fight for freedom and the rule of law, she said in a post on X. “Congrats to Andrej Babiš, the Czech people & Patriots for Europe!”, Dmitriev, a close adviser to Russian President Putin and head of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, said. “Europe is waking up”- enough of uncontrolled immigration, war fever, censorship and economic decline. The Right choice is winning across Europe,” Dmitriev wrote in a post on X. (Source: Politico - U.S.)
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