After the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, energy security became a particularly sensitive issue for Europe and seeking ways to abandon Russian energy resources became a priority. Events such as the bombing of the Nord Stream gas pipeline in September 2022 continued to increase attention to this topic in Europe. Such actions in times of war especially attract the attention of Western governments and associations.

Two years into the Russian full-scale war against Ukraine and 10 years after the occupation of Crimea and aggression in Donbas, it is important to keep following the opinions of Ukrainian experts. This paper provides an overview of gathered written, spoken, or just empirically observable opinions among Ukrainian professionals, of how they perceive the current vector of the war, international and domestic Ukrainian politics.

Russian attacks and advances in Ukraine make it increasingly uncomfortable for NATO to stand passively on the sideline. NATO remains unlikely to take steps toward Ukraine’s accession but is now considering taking over the coordination of weapons supplies and training and creating a dedicated fund to sustain them long-term.

The presidential and parliamentary (Legislative Yuan, 立法院) elections of the Republic of China (Taiwan) took place on 13 January without any major intrigue. Out of three candidates, Lai Ching-te (賴清德), the vice-president of outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), was elected President of Taiwan.

Lithuania is internationally recognised as a frontrunner in combating Russian information attacks. This is due to the country’s extensive experience of navigating complex relations with Russia – an authoritarian neighbour known for leveraging propaganda and disinformation to achieve its political objectives. The evolution of the sophisticated countermeasures in Lithuania is therefore informed by a history of direct engagement and the necessity to create innovative and effective response strategies.

Control of the information domain has become a crucial element of a country’s national security and strategic strength, particularly in an era characterised by geopolitical uncertainties. In this global context, the manipulation of information to interfere in the internal affairs of other nations and to achieve specific strategic objectives has become increasingly prominent, especially when analysing autocratic regimes. These regimes often employ disinformation as a key non-kinetic activity conducted against Western liberal democracies.

On its 75th anniversary, NATO has seized the opportunity to update its policy on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), a commitment that was made during the Vilnius Summit in 2023. A greater focus on deterrence and collective defence is a necessary update as the last iteration of the policy, released in 2018, did not fully articulate how WPS principles would be integrated into this core NATO task.