Karol Luczka

After years of illegal screenings, Russians may soon lose access to major foreign films in their cinemas. Since 2022, "pre-screening entertainment" — as the practice is known locally — has allowed Russian cinema-goers to watch Hollywood blockbusters, even as these cannot be legally distributed due to international sanctions imposed after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. "Essentially, people buy tickets for a domestic film, but are shown an American blockbuster, technically f

No longer a minor player, Pyongyang has become an essential cog in Russia's war machine. Now, Kyiv warns that its role may grow further still — but not overnight. Ukrainian intelligence in August issued alarming warnings hinting that Russia could soon ask North Korea to contribute up to 50,000 more of its troops for its war against Ukraine, with missiles, drone operators, and technical brigades to follow. This influx of additional troops and materiel would come on top of the soldiers, shells,

For days, Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party has been consumed by a crisis of its own making. The party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, has now split into two ahead of next year's parliamentary elections. After months of internal tensions, the more moderate faction led by former Prime Minister  was forced out by Przemysław Czarnek, the party's newly nominated prime ministerial candidate and leader of its more radical wing. The split weakens an opposition that had hoped to challenge

Ukraine's long-range drone campaign has acquired a new target in recent days — Wildberries, Russia's online retailer, an equivalent of Amazon. The e-commerce behemoth accounts for almost 50% of Russia’s online retail market but its operations have been severely dented by drone strikes on several warehouses belonging to the company. Dramatic videos of huge fires engulfing the logistics centers in several parts of Russia have emerged all week, with seven warehouses hit since the weekend, two of

In late June, Russian soldier Alexander Lunin took to Instagram an emotional appeal addressed to Russian President Vladimir Putin in which he threatened to organize a military coup. "The army will turn its weapons against the Kremlin," he said. In the video, which was watched 10 million times, the soldier turned blogger demanded a meeting with the Russian president to discuss what he claimed was systemic mistreatment of soldiers in the Russian army. Unsurprisingly, Lunin was detained soon aft

In Russia, where elections offer little real uncertainty, the Kremlin still stages the ritual of competition — a carefully managed exercise designed not to choose leaders but to reinforce President Vladimir Putin's claim to legitimacy. With the upcoming parliamentary elections set for Sept. 20, the first since the start of the all-out war against Ukraine, the Kremlin's political wing is tasked with a risky endeavour — mustering up high numbers for Putin's United Russia party in a country stuck

Once billed as a rival to Davos, the forum now draws far-right influencers and conspiracy theorists.

Armenia will hold parliamentary elections on June 7, a vote most observers describe as crucial. Eight years after the country's Velvet Revolution, Armenia's pro-European Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is seeking reelection for a third term, amid tensions with Russia and seemingly full support from the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump took to social media on May 27 to offer his "COMPLETE and TOTAL endorsement" for Armenia's leader. At the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin t

On May 19-20, Russian President Vladimir Putin traveled to Beijing to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping, just days after Donald Trump did the same. Although Putin's visit had been scheduled well in advance, the timing alongside U.S.-China talks has heightened the significance of the trip. Russia analysts expect progress toward expanding the Power of Siberia pipeline, a deal the Kremlin has long pushed for. Despite that, not much had come out of the talks. Putin and Xi signed a joint declaration,

On May 9, Moscow will stage its annual Victory Day parade marking the end of World War II in Europe — but this year, the spectacle is notable not for its grandeur, but for what's missing. For the first time in Vladimir Putin's Russia, no missiles, tanks, or armored vehicles are expected to appear in Saturday's Red Square parade. Although the Kremlin offered no explanation for the dramatic scale-back, recent Ukrainian strikes deep inside Russian territory have suggested that even Putin's militar

While the human toll of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine remains its most devastating consequence, another aspect of Russia’s onslaught is often overlooked: Moscow’s war on ecology. Responding to Russia's growing air attacks against Ukraine, over the past 10 days, Ukrainian forces carried out a multitude of drone strikes targeting an oil refinery in Russia's port city of Tuapse. Tuapse, on the Black Sea, has served as a primary point for Russia's oil exports, the proceeds of which are then

Russian authorities say a cattle epidemic that swept parts of Siberia since February is now under control and caused by a relatively minor bacterial infection, pasteurellosis. But veterinarians and independent journalists question that account, pointing to containment measures — mass animal slaughter, village lockdowns, and secrecy — that more closely resemble a response to foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), a far more serious and economically damaging outbreak. The discrepancy has fueled resistanc

Poland, one of the largest countries on the EU’s eastern flank, has sharply ramped up its military spending since 2022, with defense expenses reaching 4.5% of GDP in 2025 — among the highest in the European Union. Investment in the military is also exceptionally popular: 67% of Poles support further increases in defense budgets, according to recent local polls. Yet despite this strong backing, a political clash has put the funding strategy in the spotlight. President Karol Nawrocki recently v

“Why do you block the internet?” reads one of the comments under the latest post on Roskomnadzor’s official VKontakte social media page — a bland Women’s Day greeting from the very censorship agency leading Russia’s harshest crackdown on online communication in years. Russian authorities have set April as the target for finally blocking Telegram, one of the last popular international messenger apps still accessible in the country, and force users toward the Kremlin’s glitchy “national messenger

The United States has granted New Delhi a temporary waiver allowing it to purchase fuel from Moscow, pausing prior attempts to cut India off Russian energy. "To enable oil to keep flowing into the global market, the Treasury Department is issuing a temporary 30-day waiver to allow Indian refiners to purchase Russian oil," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a social media post on March 5. Bessent said other exemptions may follow, as oil prices briefly climbed over the $100 mark 10 da