Europe Watch

Zelensky’s Political Storm Starts to Clear warontherocks.com
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Welcome to The Ukraine Compass, a weekly digest of Ukrainian commentary and analysis from across the political spectrum only for War on the Rocks members. Each Monday, we bring you a curated selection of articles from Ukrainian media offering insight into how Ukrainians themselves debate the issues shaping their country.American coverage often narrows the view to the battlefield — these pieces widen it, revealing the texture of daily life, politics, and public argument in a nation at war.

Six Muslims Arrested in Foiled Islamic Terror Plot Against Paris Synagogue—Media Blackout Ensues gellerreport.com
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Six Muslims in Paris were arrested over a planned Islamic terrorist attack on a synagogue in a Paris suburb. Guns and knives were found in a nearby car.

This does not even make the mainstream news outlets.

Three hundred people were evacuatedfrom a neighbourhood in Sarcelles north of Paris following reports of a suspicious vehicle which was found to contain guns, including “a military-grade weapon”, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said. An investigation has been launched by French anti-terrorist prosecutors.(France24)

France Detains Six Over Suspected Plot Targeting Synagogue

By Reuters, July 25, 2026:

PARIS, July ⁠25 (Reuters) – ⁠Six people ⁠have been held ​in custody and ‌are expected to ‌face ⁠charges ⁠over a foiled attack earlier this month ​that targeted a synagogue ​in the Paris suburb ⁠of Sarcelles, ⁠the ⁠French anti-terrorism ​prosecutor said on Saturday.

The six ​suspects, ⁠whose identities were not disclosed, were ⁠arrested after about 300 people were evacuated ⁠from Sarcelles on July 12 when a suspicious vehicle was found near the synagogue.

The prosecutor said that ⁠the plot was linked to Islamic extremism.

EU will require companies to label AI-generated content starting Sunday www.techspot.com
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The takeaway: Companies operating in the European Union are now subject to a new requirement: clearly label content created or altered by artificial intelligence. Beginning Sunday, the EU’s latest transparency rules take effect, covering everything from chatbot responses to AI-generated images, audio, and video. The aim is simple: users should be able to tell, without guessing, whether what they are seeing or hearing is real or machine-generated.

The rule is part of the EU’s broader artificial intelligence law, which is being rolled out in phases. This first step focuses on disclosure. If content is generated by AI or significantly manipulated by it, companies must make that clear. That includes adding visible labels as well as technical markers, such as watermarks or embedded metadata, that help identify synthetic material.

The push comes as deepfakes and other AI-generated media become more convincing and easier to produce. Regulators are particularly concerned about how quickly this content can spread and how difficult it has become to determine what is real.

The requirements apply mainly to content created in professional contexts. Material designed to inform the public about matters of general interest must carry a label if it is produced by AI without human editorial oversight. At the same time, the EU has carved out exceptions. Individuals using AI for personal purposes are not covered, and exemptions exist for “artistic, creative, satirical, fictional” works.

Ukraine Calls Out Russia, Urges India To Act After Attacks On Sailors www.ndtv.com
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Ukraine has publicly urged India to take a tougher stand against Russia, accusing Moscow of repeatedly putting Indian seafarers in danger through attacks on civilian ships and port infrastructure in the Black Sea.

In a strongly worded statement issued on Wednesday, the Ukrainian Embassy in India questioned whether New Delhi would once again summon Russia’s representative, as it had after an earlier deadly attack involving Indian sailors.

13 Indian Crew Members Still Trapped

According to Kyiv, 13 Indian crew members remain stranded aboard the cargo vessel MV AMIR 1 at the Port of Chornomorsk, where the threat of Russian missile and drone strikes continues.

Starting this Sunday, the EU’s new AI Act begins to take effect, which includes key provisions empowering the EU to regulate AI models and apply fines to companies that fall out of compliance. The law also gives the EU investigatory powers to penalize non-cooperating companies and individuals.

The Act itself presents a challenge to AI geopolitical realities of power as nations and associations like the EU attempt to use domestic laws to affect foreign AI powers. For instance, the fines countries give to foreign companies doing business in their territory due to non-compliance with their AI rules could become weapons of war in the AI geopolitical reality of power.

EU to begin enforcing AI Act from Sunday with hefty fines for rule breakers – Firstpost news.google.com
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The European Union will begin enforcing key provisions of its AI Act from Sunday, empowering regulators to oversee AI models and fine companies that violate the bloc’s rules.

The European Union will take a major step in regulating artificial intelligence from Sunday, when authorities gain the power to enforce key provisions of the bloc’s landmark AI Act. The move allows regulators to oversee advanced AI systems, order corrective measures and impose significant financial penalties on companies that fail to comply with the law.

The AI Act, adopted by the European Union in 2024, is being rolled out in phases and follows a risk-based framework.

Under the legislation, AI systems considered to pose greater risks to people’s rights or health face stricter obligations designed to safeguard individuals.

The law also prohibits the use of AI for predictive policing, emotion recognition systems in workplaces or schools, and technologies that manipulate human behaviour.

 

Huge blow for Putin as Ukraine’s Zelensky hails major breakthrough | World | News www.express.co.uk
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Volodymyr Zelensky has said Donald Trump agreed to grant Ukraine licences to produce Patriot air-defence interceptors after what he described as a “good meeting” at the White House on Tuesday.

The Ukrainian President also argued that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has lost the initiative on the battlefield because of heavy losses, as Kyiv continues to press for stronger Western military support.

The leaders spent just over an hour in talks amid an escalation in long-range strikes by both Ukraine and Russia, while US-led diplomatic efforts to bring the war to an end remain stalled.

Speaking to Fox News host Sean Hannity after the meeting, Zelensky said: “Today we had good meeting with President Trump.

“He accepted that he will give us (Patriot) licenses, and then I had meeting with representatives of production, very strong military companies of the United States. I hope that we will do co-production.”

Following the talks, Trump also struck an optimistic tone, posting photographs from the meeting on social media alongside the message: “Many things were discussed. The meeting went very well!”

EU crisis chief urges tougher climate action amid France, Spain wildfires | Climate Crisis News www.aljazeera.com
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The European Union’s crisis management commissioner says the bloc needs to invest more in tackling climate change and accelerate its response, as France and Spain prepare for another crippling heatwave that could ignite new wildfires and intensify blazes already burning.

Hadja Lahbib said the EU must ensure its climate strategy remains in lockstep with realities on the ground, as global warming advances faster than scientists previously projected. She has called for increased funding, better education on fire risk and a renewed focus on forest management.

“Climate change is accelerating. So our response must evolve just as quickly,” Lahbib told Reuters.

“We must prepare for risks before disasters strike and not simply react afterwards.”

Lahbib’s comments come as devastating wildfires continue to burn across parts of France and Spain, forcing the evacuation of 330,000 people.

Spain installs floating barrier in Ceuta after migration influx www.france24.com
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Spain said migrant crossings into its North African enclave of Ceuta stopped overnight, as police began installing a 500-metre (1,640-foot) floating barrier on Saturday off its border with Morocco following a mass rush that killed at least 67 people.

According to Spanish authorities, about 60,000 people had crossed ​into Ceuta by land ‌and sea from Thursday in an unprecedented surge at one of the European Union‘s only land borders with Africa. More than ⁠48,000 of them returned to Morocco within 48 hours, Spain said.

Reuters video on Saturday showed Spanish soldiers and police patrolling a mostly empty Tarajal beach shrouded in fog.

Seven killed as drone hits packed Russian beach and tourists run for their lives www.mirror.co.uk
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Drone dive-bombs beach in southern Russia killing tourists

At least seven people have been killed, including three children, as a “downed” Ukrainian drone crashed and exploded onto sunbathers on a Russian beach.

Forty people were also injured, with 21 of them taken to hospital, as the unmanned device exploded in Arkhipo-Osipovka. The drone was seen dive-bombing onto tourists at the popular beach as temperatures reached 29C.

Beachgoers have claimed no warning sirens were heard before the incident as some sheltered under sun loungers.

Zelensky says Russia seeks 30,000 extra North Korean troops for Ukraine war www.channelnewsasia.com
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KYIV: Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia has sought an extra 30,000 troops and missile launchers from North Korea to fight his country.

Preparations for the extra troops are being made in Russia’s Voronezh region near the frontier with Ukraine, Zelensky said in a social media post late Saturday (Jul 25).

North Korea sent thousands of troops to help Russia fight off a Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kursk region in 2024. It has also provided arms to help Russia’s invasion since 2022.

According to South Korea, some 2,000 North Korean troops have been killed in the war.

“Russia wants to receive another 30,000 troops from North Korea. Since June, preparations have been underway in Russia’s Voronezh region to receive them,” Zelensky said on X.

“North Korea is also preparing to transfer additional launchers for ballistic missiles to Russia. This is a threat not only to Ukraine. Russia is helping North Korea learn how to wage war, improve its weapons, and gain real combat experience in using them,” he added.

Romania summons Russian envoy as it shoots down third intruding drone | Russia-Ukraine war News www.aljazeera.com
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Romania has summoned Russia’s ambassador as it has reported that it shot down three drones in as many days.

A Romanian plane shot down a drone after an incursion into the country’s airspace on Sunday morning, the Ministry of Defence reported. The incident followed similar interceptions on Friday and Saturday.

Concern that Moscow’s war on Ukraine risks entangling neighbouring NATO states is on the rise. Romania is one of several alliance members to confront repeated stray drones recently, as Russia and Ukraine launch hundreds of the unmanned aircraft daily.

Following Sunday’s incident, Bucharest summoned Russia’s ambassador to complain about the “repeated violations”, Foreign Minister Oana Toiu wrote on social media.

Romania intercepted a Russian drone for the first time on Friday. That followed a similar incident on Saturday. An F-16 fighter jet then shot down an unmanned aircraft over the Black Sea on Sunday.

President Nicusor Dan reported that an investigation had found that Friday’s drone was a “Shahed model, used by the Russian Federation in its war of aggression against Ukraine”.

Burnham to Host Zelenskyy in Signal of Continued UK Support financialpost.com
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In his first week in office, Burnham has focused on domestic issues, announcing a raft of cost-of-living measures, from capping bus fares to helping households with energy bills. His relationship with Zelenskyy will be a test of how decisively he is prepared to step onto the international stage.

Two killed as Ukrainian troops launch 30 attacks against settlements in DPR over past day – Military & Defense tass.com
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DONETSK, July 27. /TASS/. Over the past day, Ukraine’s armed forces delivered 30 attacks on settlements in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), killing two people and injuring 14 others, the DPR government’s department for documenting Ukrainian war crimes said.

“Thirty armed attacks by Ukrainian military formations were registered, with two civilians reported killed and 14 injured. Overall, 30 various munitions were fired,” the department said in a statement.

According to it, 24 attacks targeted the Gorlovka area, two more the Volnovakha direction, and one each four other areas. A shuttle bus, a passenger car, trucks, special vehicles, and three civilian infrastructure facilities were damaged in the attacks.

 

Berlin Pride suspect shot dead by police after man ‘rams van into crowd with 1 killed and 16 injured’ www.mirror.co.uk
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German police have shot dead the man suspected of driving a van into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride festival, killing a woman and injuring at least 29 people.

Alleged terrorist Abdul Ballout, 21, rushed at police with a weapon before being shot by cops, officials said. The suspect was tracked down to an allotment garden in Spandau, West Berlin.

Authorities had previously issued a wanted notice and warned people against approaching Ballout, a German citizen with Lebanese roots, saying he may be armed and dangerous.

Polizei Berlin said last night: “At around 6pm, the suspect in yesterday’s attack in the Grosser Tiergarten was located in an allotment garden in Spandau.

“He is said to have rushed toward our emergency forces with a stabbing weapon, after which police firearms were used.

Russia and Ukraine trade attacks, killing 10, including child in Chernihiv | Russia-Ukraine war News www.aljazeera.com
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Russian forces have killed at least six people in Ukraine, according to officials, after launching ballistic missile attacks on the capital, Kyiv, and strikes on other regions, including a supermarket in the northern city of Chernihiv.

The attacks on Sunday came as Russian officials said that Moscow-occupied areas of Ukraine had also come under fire, with four people killed in a Ukrainian drone strike on the occupied city of Horlivka.

Ukraine’s air ⁠force said Russia had launched seven ballistic missiles and 136 drones at Ukraine overnight. Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv cities were all hit.

In northern Chernihiv, officials said a Russian drone hit a supermarket, killing two people, including a nine-year-old girl, and wounding 25 others.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the attack as a “deeply cynical drone strike on an ordinary supermarket”.

In the eastern city of Kharkiv, one person was killed and 16 others required medical attention after a daytime drone attack, the local mayor said.

“This is deliberate Russian terror with absolutely no military justification,” Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has chosen Major General Ihor Skybyuk to become the new chief of the General Staff of the Armed Force. The move follows numerous shake-ups in military leadership that are leading to street protests from Ukrainians.

Zelensky said of the appointment, “We determined the order of further steps. Today, decisions regarding the replacement of the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be formalized — the relevant decrees are being prepared. Together with Mykhailo Drapatyi and Yevhenii Khmara, we determined that the new chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Major General Ihor Skybyuk — a very experienced military officer, with whom the new commander-in-chief defended Ukraine side by side.”

Zelensky names new armed forces chief in sweeping Ukraine military shake-up, following days of street protests rmx.news
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has appointed Major General Ihor Skybyuk as chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces as part of a major overhaul of the country’s military leadership.

The decision follows the appointment of Mykhailo Drapatyi, 43, as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, replacing Oleksandr Syrskyi.

“We determined the order of further steps,” Zelensky said after the announcement. “Today, decisions regarding the replacement of the leadership of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be formalized — the relevant decrees are being prepared.”

“Together with Mykhailo Drapatyi and Yevhenii Khmara, we determined that the new chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine will be Major General Ihor Skybyuk — a very experienced military officer, with whom the new commander-in-chief defended Ukraine side by side.”

Zelensky said the new command structure must ensure that every part of the military continues to operate as a unified force. “It is important that all components of our army continue to function absolutely cohesively,” he said.

The president added that decisions had also been made on how Syrskyi would continue serving Ukraine’s defense, although he did not disclose his future position.

Zelensky said discussions with the new leadership covered the development of Ukraine’s cyber forces, troop training, military mobilization, strengthening frontline units, and expanding the corps system.

“The priority for the real ability of the Armed Forces of Ukraine to carry out defense tasks is a practical, effective mobilization process,” he said.

Russian AI-assisted Geran UAV swarms manage to overload Ukrainian air defenses by 400% – Military & Defense tass.com
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MOSCOW, July 22. /TASS/. Swarms of Russian-made Geran attack unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) outfitted with artificial Intelligence algorithms managed to ‘overload’ Ukrainian air defenses by 400%, according to an article published in the Russian Defense Ministry’s magazine Military Thought and obtained by TASS.

“Geran-2 autonomous swarm groups with AI algorithms for role distribution (reconnaissance, decoy targets, strike). In February 2026, cases were registered when a swarm of 20-30 UAVs overloaded Ukrainian air defenses by 300-400%,” says the article titled: ‘Ways of Increasing the Effectiveness of Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles Through the Use of Artificial Intelligence.’

Today the technical implementation of artificial intelligence technologies in UAV control systems “has reached a level allowing for their mass use, which boosts the effectiveness of operations by 40-60% while considerably reducing losses among personnel,” the authors of the article say.

Further development is linked with swarm technologies – “the highest form of implementing AI in UAVs,” they say.

German Nuclear Fuel Plant Cleared to Work With Russia’s Rosatom www.themoscowtimes.com
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Germany on Wednesday approved an application by French firm Framatome to produce nuclear fuel rods under a licensing agreement with state-backed Russian firms despite political concerns, arguing it lacked the legal basis for a rejection.

A Framatome subsidiary had applied to produce at its plant in northern Germany fuel elements to supply nuclear plants in the eastern European market using Russian licenses and technology in a joint venture with Russian firms TVEL/Rosatom.

Despite political concerns due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the environment ministry in the state of Lower Saxony with guidance from the federal environment ministry granted the necessary approval subject to certain conditions.

A spokesperson for the federal ministry said that while the government in Berlin has a critical view of the cooperation with a Russian state-owned company, the decision was made in accordance with the relevant nuclear laws of Germany.

“The appropriate instrument to address this, however, is not nuclear law, but rather EU-wide sanctions, including those in the nuclear sector,” the ministry said in a statement.

#Ukraine’s controversial top general replaced amid mass #protests www.france24.com
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President Donald Trump announced a 5,000 troop cut in Germany, adding more is to come. He said, “We’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000.”

Trump Announces Deeper U.S. Troop Cuts in Germany as Tensions With Allies Grow › American Greatness amgreatness.com
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President Donald Trump said the United States will reduce its military presence in Germany beyond an already announced withdrawal, indicating a broader shift in U.S. defense posture in Europe.

Speaking to reporters Saturday evening, Trump said the planned reduction of roughly 5,000 troops is only the beginning. “We’re going to cut way down. And we’re cutting a lot further than 5,000,” he said.

The Pentagon confirmed Friday that thousands of U.S. personnel will be pulled from bases in Germany over the next year. The move revisits a policy first pursued during Trump’s earlier term, when his administration proposed withdrawing about 9,500 troops before the plan was halted by Joe Biden after he took office.

The United States currently maintains about 36,000 troops in Germany and approximately 80,000 across Europe, making it one of the largest overseas deployments of American forces.

The decision comes amid rising friction between Washington and European allies over defense commitments and strategy. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has publicly criticized the White House’s handling of the Iran conflict, saying the United States had been “humiliated,” a remark that drew attention in Washington.

Trump has repeatedly argued that the U.S. bears an unfair share of the financial burden for Europe’s defense, particularly in Germany, while also pointing to Berlin’s economic ties with countries such as Russia and China.

Shortly after being selected, the new PM had to survive a no-confidence vote, which he was able to do. Hope of replacing the current dominant political parties were dimmed when a court ruled that Marine Le Pen, the leading opposition figure, cannot stand for election at all. The decision is sure to further destabilize France as the global oligarchs desperately hold on to power.

Blurb:

France may be teetering on the verge of national snap elections, but the poll-topping sovereigntist leader Marine Le Pen is banned from even standing, a Paris court has confirmed, over a conviction her supporters say is a case of politically targeted lawfare.

The French Council of State, the body of top lawyers which provides legal advice to the government and supreme court, has rejected an appeal by National Rally leader Marine Le Pen to have her “ineligibility” order overturned, reports Le Figaro. The order that was imposed on the politician in March by a judge is considered unusual and controversial because unlike normal criminal punishments, it is being imposed immediately, despite the appeals process to have the conviction itself overturned not having been exhausted.

France’s Macron to appoint new prime minister within 48 hours

from www.aljazeera.com

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The announcement came after last-ditch talks by outgoing premier Sebastien Lecornu failed to find a solution to crisis.

French President Emmanuel Macron will name a new prime minister within the next 48 hours, his office has said, in the latest effort to chart a path out of the worst political crisis of his presidency.

The announcement on Wednesday followed two days of last-ditch talks with party leaders by outgoing Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu in a bid to break the country’s political deadlock, after his cabinet lineup, unveiled on Sunday, was rejected by allies and rivals alike.

The Elysee presidential office said in a statement that Lecornu’s discussions with various parties had concluded that a majority of lawmakers were not in favour of parliament being dissolved for early elections, and that there was “a platform for stability” that could make it possible for a budget to be passed by the year’s end.

“On this basis, the President of the Republic will appoint a Prime Minister within the next 48 hours,” said the statement.

 

Czechia - Operation World

Babis’ win in Czechia is a huge victory for European conservatives– rmx.news
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After four long years in the political wilderness, Andrej Babiš returns to presumably lead the Czech Republic after his blowout victory. In neighboring Hungary, Viktor Orbán was jubilant, celebrating the victory of his ally, while in Slovakia, Robert Fico also toasted to Babis’ huge win.

Orbán and Fico are grizzled veterans of the political wars within their own countries, and now Babis is being welcomed back into the fold. One cannot help but think back to the famous “Hangover” scene.
Orbán, long in the driver’s seat in Hungary, with a tired Fico smiling warily from the backseat, still recovering from an assassination attempt that nearly killed him last year, and Babis fist-pumping from the passenger seat. At least that is one way to imagine Babis’ comeback victory.

Hungarian media is also doing the victory rounds, with Magyar Nemzet writing that Babis’ “return will further strengthen the influence of patriotic leaders in the European Union.” The paper further wrote that “his result could create another opportunity to increase the influence of the V4 and Patriots in Europe.”