Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine has laid bare Moscow’s neo-imperial ambitions and the direct threat it poses to its so-called near-abroad. For NATO frontline states such as Latvia, the security landscape has fundamentally changed over the past three years. While Russian forces are currently taking staggering losses in Ukraine, necessitating a period of force reconstitution, […]

Ukraine’s resistance to Russian aggression has demonstrated an important lesson about national defense: it requires all levels of society, not just the military. It’s also not enough simply to respond in a crisis. It’s necessary to be prepared ahead of one. Applying these lessons, Latvia has in recent years pursued a comprehensive approach to defense based on […]

For more than a decade, Russia has carried out information-manipulation campaigns aimed at polarizing society and undermining democracy among its neighbors and other countries in Europe. These manipulation efforts have only intensified following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. For targets of these campaigns, such as Latvia, the resilience of the country’s information space […]

Elīna Vrobļevska, Researcher at the Centre for East European policy studies Potential peace talks between Russia and Ukraine have been at the centre of public debate for several months. While Ukraine is seen in the Western media as the initiator of peace, the opposite picture is being painted on the Russian side. Russian information manipulation […]

Māris Cepurītis, Director and researcher at the Centre for East European policy studies Since Russia’s open and massive invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the subsequent sanctions against Russia, the question of what to do with Russian properties abroad and whether they can be used to support Ukraine has become a pressing issue. Calls for […]

Mārcis Balodis, Researcher at the Centre for East European policy studies This year marks the 79th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, which means that once again attention will be paid to how the Second World War began, unfolded, ended, and what its long-term consequences were. While the dominant Western narrative is […]

Armands Astukevičs, Researcher at the Centre for East European policy studies The invasion of Kursk region by Ukrainian forces caught analysts in the West and the Russian elite off-guard. After Ukraine’s unsuccessful counter-offensive last summer and the prolonged difficult situation on the front, the Kursk operation marked a major breakthrough and a stopping point in […]

Elīna Vrobļevska, Researcher at the Centre for East European policy studies The Ukraine Peace Summit and NATO’s Washington Summit were the central events of this summer in transatlantic security and defence policy, demonstrating the Alliance’s commitment to developing its support for Ukraine and strengthening the defence capabilities of European countries. The Kremlin has also used this […]

Māris Cepurītis, Director and researcher at the Centre for East European policy studies The USA hosted a historic NATO Summit in Washington DC on the 10th and 11th of July, marking 75 years since the Alliance’s creation. While the world has changed significantly since 1949, ironically the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s primary opponent today is almost […]