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Viktor Funk

Viktor Funk Published: October 24th, 2024

EU states announce reaction to North Korean soldiers in Russia

“Deeply concerned” and ready to react: The EU states have reacted with clear criticism to the reports of North Korean soldiers in Russia. Russia’s intensified cooperation with North Korea sends a clear message, according to a statement by the European Council on Thursday evening: “Despite its declared willingness to negotiate, Russia is not interested in […]

Viktor Funk Published: July 4th, 2024

Pushbacks in Finland: Why legalization is problematic

In the coming days, Finland could become another European country to allow the controversial pushbacks of refugees and migrants at the border – although this would not only violate the country’s constitution. The Finnish parliament is due to vote on a corresponding law shortly.The Finnish government wants to use the law to fend off people […]

Viktor Funk Published: June 16th, 2024

Urkaine peace summit: What expectations Zelenskiy raises

The most important result of the Ukraine peace summit in Switzerland was symbolized by the participants of the closing statement: representatives of Ghana, the EU, Chile, Canada and Switzerland stood by Ukraine on Sunday afternoon – the world is in solidarity with the victim of Russian aggression, the image should convey.There are two concrete results: […]

Viktor Funk Published: March 1st, 2024

New tone from Russia: Putin threatens to use weapons against targets in the West

In his speech on the State of the Nation and future policy, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed two audiences: the domestic market and foreign countries. Briefly summarized: While society in Russia can look forward to numerous support programs, development projects, an alleged increase in life expectancy and basically a better life, foreign countries, primarily the […]

Viktor Funk Published: February 23rd, 2024

Two years of war in Ukraine: Russia depletes own resources

Russia’s strength lies in Europe’s inaction – this summarizes the situation in Ukraine two years after the full invasion of the Russian army. After the government of Vladimir Putin realized shortly after Feb. 24, 2022, that a quick victory was not to be expected, the country was hastily put on a war footing. Since then, […]

Viktor Funk Published: February 22nd, 2024

Diplomacy: Embassies fear Russia’s care

Moscow aims to further restrict the scope of Western diplomatic missions in Russia, employing an old Soviet model: Local staff could soon only be recruited through a Russian authority subordinate to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to sources at the Foreign Office speaking to Table.Media, the announcement by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is […]

Viktor Funk Published: February 13th, 2024

How Putin keeps finding new holes in the EU sanctions regime

Two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and after twelve packages of sanctions imposed on Russia by Western countries, Moscow is still able to fill its state budget and finance the war. Oil and gas sales play a central role in this. Although revenues are below the government’s plans, they still show that Russia […]

Stephan Israel Viktor Funk Published: January 8th, 2024

The West or Russia – who will last longer?

Who has more staying power in the conflict over Ukraine: the Western helpers or Moscow? The case should actually be clear in the relationship between the world’s most powerful economies and Russia. But while Russian President Vladimir Putin has single-handedly put his country on a war footing, Kyiv’s Western allies are finding it difficult to […]

Viktor Funk Published: December 15th, 2023

Putin: ‘Peace only when we have achieved our goals’

Russian President Vladimir Putin is sticking to his goals in Ukraine. “There will only be peace when we have achieved our goals, and the goals do not change: denazification, demilitarization. Neutrality”, he said on Thursday in a four-hour interview with press representatives and citizens. Putin claimed that the technology provided to Ukraine by the West […]

Viktor Funk Published: October 10th, 2023

Lost Earth: Russia’s war destroys Ukrainian agricultural land

In the Kyiv office of Alex Lissitsa hangs a picture of a cutting board and a knife. The picture has text that reads, “When you share a lot, there’s nothing left to govern.” It may be an allusion to the war between Russia and Ukraine; after all, Russian troops had occupied a good 20 percent […]