May, 2022

• 5 May

  Conflict Risk Alerts

  Ukraine Month saw relative calm in Kyiv region as Russian forces withdrew to launch new offensive in east, where fighting could worsen as it edges closer to urban areas. Russian troops by 2 April had vacated stretch of land between Kyiv’s north-western suburbs and Belarusian border, as well as Chernihiv …

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• 3 May

  Prague pressures Budapest to change its Russia stance

  

  Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala wants to convince his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orbán to change his stance on Russia as Hungary is among the countries willing to pay for natural gas imports in roubles – a move unacceptable for Czechia despite its heavy Russian gas dependency. The Czech prime minister …

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• 3 May

  Greece to raise Turkey’s stance on Russia with EU states

  

  The Greek government is expected to raise with its EU partners Ankara’s decision not to join western sanctions against Russia, questioning Turkey’s narrative of being a neutral broker, EURACTIV has learned. “It’s inconceivable that Turkey has managed to escape western sanctions against Russia,” a source close to the matter told …

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• 3 May

  Most Finns would accept permanent NATO presence

  

  Most Finns would accept permanent NATO presence. Most Finns would allow permanent NATO military bases on their soil ahead of the country’s possible application for NATO membership, a survey conducted by media house Uutissuomalainen found. According to the survey, 61% of Finns would allow NATO to establish permanent military bases …

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• 3 May

  French left and ecologists join forces on Labour Day

  

  Thousands gathered across several French cities to participate in Labour Day demonstrations on 1 May, just a week after French President Emmanuel Macron was re-elected and as parties gear up for legislative elections in June. In a symbolic move, the same day Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s La France insoumise (LFI) reached a …

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• 3 May

  Putin “Begins Gas Blackmail of Europe”: The US Must Give Ukraine Warplanes to Defeat Russia

  

  Now, following Russia’s dramatic decision this week to cut gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria, the West and its allies must give serious consideration to upgrading the level of military support they provide to Ukraine. The real reason, though, [that Russia cut gas supplies] is that Russia is trying to …

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• 3 May

  ISIL attacks warn of a re-emergence in northeast Syria

  

  An attack on a Ramadan iftar on Wednesday was the latest to be blamed on ISIL in Syria’s northeast. ISIL (ISIS) is believed to have carried out a spate of attacks in the past week in northeastern Syria, an indication, experts and monitors have said, that the group is potentially …

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• 3 May

  Ukraine’s Digital Fight Goes Global

  

  The Risks of a Self-Directed, Volunteer Army of Hackers Asomewhat conventional war is underway in Ukraine, featuring organized and professional soldiers, a chain of command, advanced weapons such as drones and tanks, and state-crafted tactics and strategy. But a parallel war is also taking place, mostly in cyberspace, fueled by …

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• 3 May

  Can Kazakhstan Shed Its Kleptocratic Past?

  

  Fighting Graft in Almaty Will Also Test Western Anticorruption Commitments In January, Kazakhstan was in chaos: mass protests against corruption were spreading across the country, prompting its president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, to appeal to Russia to send peacekeepers from the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization to help restore order. Today, however, …

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• 3 May

  China’s Ukraine Conundrum

  

  Why the War Necessitates a Balancing Act Russia’s war in Ukraine has produced a strategic predicament for China. On the one hand, the conflict has disrupted billions of dollars’ worth of Chinese trade, heightened tensions in East Asia, and deepened political polarization within China by dividing people into pro- and …

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