Read more about the article Nord Stream 2, a Rift in the EU’s Response to Russia?
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Nord Stream 2, a Rift in the EU’s Response to Russia?

As tensions continue to build surrounding the possible invasion of Ukraine by the Russian military, one issue has stood out as a potential point of tension: the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. A significant part of the European Union (EU) still depends on imported natural gas as a source of energy. A sizeable part of that comes from the Russian Federation, the primary import of natural gas to the EU, amounting to 40% of imports (Euractiv, 2022). In that context, any tension with Russia has the potential of having serious consequences for the energy supply of the Union. Russia has been known to use this leverage in negotiations in the past, such as when it turned off all supplies to Ukraine in January 2006 over a dispute regarding payments (Parfitt, the Guardian, 2006). At the time, this has pushed the EU member states to realise the danger of depending on Russia for energy, and incited them to pursue other sources, as well as increase storage capacity in case the EU’s supply was ever cut.

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18 February 2022
Read more about the article The Ukraine-Russia Crisis: Current Developments and Prospects for European Security
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The Ukraine-Russia Crisis: Current Developments and Prospects for European Security

In recent months tensions between Russia and NATO have reached a critical point as Russia has mobilised more than one hundred thousand troops along Ukraine’s border. Russia wants to coerce NATO to meet its demands by mobilising these troops. One of these demands holds that NATO will not expand further and halt all new membership plans, including Ukraine. In addition, Russia wants NATO to reduce its military presence in countries close to Russia’s borders, essentially returning NATO forces to where they were stationed before 1997 (Roth, 2021). Moscow states they are not planning any invasion. However, they argue that if their security demands are not met, their next step might be a military one (Kirby, 2022). The U.S. government expects that a Russian incursion into Ukraine could lead to the deaths of roughly 50.000 civilians and cause a refugee crisis in Europe (Cooper and Sanger, 2022).

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15 February 2022
Read more about the article Russian assertions are causing concerns in Sweden and Finland again
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Russian assertions are causing concerns in Sweden and Finland again

Over the past few weeks, the discussion over the future of Ukraine has widely caught the attention, especially in Europe, where President Putin and Biden are meeting to re-draw the map of security priorities of the European continent. The increasing military activity of Moscow near the Ukrainian border and its demands can be interpreted as a return to the “Cold-War spheres of influence”.

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18 January 2022
Read more about the article Moscow’s military build-up over the Russia-Ukraine border: potential scenarios following the new incursion
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Moscow’s military build-up over the Russia-Ukraine border: potential scenarios following the new incursion

Russia has raised the alarm in Ukraine and throughout the international community in recent days by massing its armed forces close to the Ukrainian border. The military build-up has raised fears of a possible Russian offensive that could push beyond the areas of eastern Ukraine currently under Kremlin control and lead to a dramatic escalation in the violent seven-year conflict between the two countries.

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2 December 2021
Read more about the article Nuclearisation and Militarisation Saga: Russia is Testing a Nuclear Torpedo in the Arctic
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Nuclearisation and Militarisation Saga: Russia is Testing a Nuclear Torpedo in the Arctic

Russia is displaying an unprecedented military might in the Arctic region by testing its newest nuclear torpedo in a region currently freed from ice due to climate change. This is part of a chain of actions to secure its northern coast as the Arctic terrain is becoming a key issue for security, especially for Russia and the United States.

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15 April 2021