According to Serbian Economist, organized crime groups from the Western Balkans have ties in Venezuela and are involved in investigations related to cocaine smuggling, Radio Free Europe (RFE) reports.
According to RSE, networks from the Balkans are considered by international organizations, including Europol and Interpol, to be key players in the supply of cocaine from Latin America to Europe, with Venezuela seen as one of the links in this logistics chain.
Sasha Djordjevic, an expert at the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime (GI-TOC), told RSE that Venezuela is important for cocaine flows as a “strategic outlet” to the Atlantic, although it is not the only and main point of support in the region for Balkan groups.
RSE notes that interest in Venezuela’s role in drug trafficking has intensified following the early January arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, who has been charged in the US and pleaded not guilty in a New York court on January 5.
As one example, RSE cites the case of the detention of the Aressa off the coast of Aruba in February 2020, when, according to the publication, about five tons of cocaine were seized and 11 Montenegrin crew members were detained. In March 2021, an Aruban court sentenced them to prison terms ranging from nine to 15 years. In addition, according to RSE, Europol linked Serbian citizen Miroslav Starčević, who was detained in May 2023 along with other suspects, to this case, and the proceedings in Serbia are currently under judicial review, according to the publication.
RSE also notes that Europol reported no direct cooperation with Venezuela, so information about the possible involvement of Balkan groups is obtained indirectly – through the law enforcement agencies of the countries in the region, while the Interior Ministries of Serbia and Montenegro, according to RSE, did not respond to requests prior to the publication of the material.
In Numbeo’s European sample (Europe: Current Crime Index by City), the highest Crime Index is recorded in Marseille (France) – 66.7. It is followed by Birmingham (UK) – 63.8, Grenoble (France) – 62.6, Naples (Italy) – 62.3, and Coventry (UK) – 61.7.
At the bottom of the European list, i.e., among the most peaceful cities according to the ranking, are The Hague (Netherlands) – 19.9, Tampere (Finland) – 20.4, Eindhoven (Netherlands) – 20.9, as well as Trondheim (Norway) and Utrecht (Netherlands) – 21.0 each.
Numbeo publishes crime/safety indices based on user surveys. The current version is continuously updated and is based on data from the last five years. The project has been running since 2009 and is widely cited in the media and city comparison services, but the indicators reflect subjective perceptions of safety and are not a substitute for official statistics.
European digital-first banking group Iute Group plans to enter the Ukrainian market by launching a bank under the IuteBank brand with a focus on digital banking services for everyday financial needs, the company said on its website on Tuesday.
“This step is aimed at supporting our long-term goal of expanding digital banking services in a disciplined and responsible manner,” said Iute Group CEO Tarmo Sild.
According to the announcement, the market entry involves an agreement with the Deposit Guarantee Fund (DGF) after approval by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
Under the agreement, Iute Group plans to acquire PJSC “Transitional Bank ”Iute Bank” with a banking license, to which a selective portfolio of low-risk assets and corresponding retail deposit liabilities totaling approximately EUR4 million were transferred from the insolvent RVS Bank.
The expected price of the transaction will be EUR120 thousand, with financing planned from the group’s available liquidity. Iute Group also reported that it expects the net loss of Ukrainian banking operations in 2026 not to exceed EUR3 million.
Upon completion of the transaction, the Ukrainian banking structure is to become the successor to the selected assets and deposit liabilities of RVS Bank. The assets to be transferred mainly include government bonds and cash, while the loan portfolio and related credit risks are not planned to be transferred.
The company expects that around 13,000 retail customers will be transferred as part of the deal, along with their accounts and deposits, but without the branch network.
The bank’s CEO will be Artur Muravitsky, who has over 22 years of experience in the financial sector and previously held the position of deputy chairman of the board of TAScombank and management positions at Ukrposhta, Finance Bank, and VTB Bank in Ukraine.
According to Iute Group, the initial steps after the deal is done will include capitalizing the bank, putting together a key team, and getting ready to launch digital banking services.
As reported, in December, the Deposit Guarantee Fund announced a competition for the best proposal to settle RVS Bank, which the National Bank had declared insolvent. As part of this procedure, the transitional bank Iute Bank was created, headed by Muravitsky.
According to the NBU, as of November 1, 2025, RVS Bank ranked 53rd (UAH 819.8 million) among 60 solvent banks in terms of assets.
According to information on the Iute Group website, it was founded in 2008 by Sild and Allar Niinepuu and is currently a technology-oriented financial services provider serving over 970,000 customers in the Balkans, as well as being present in the Moldovan market since 2008. The group is headquartered in Tallinn, has over 800 employees and more than 50 branches.
Iute Group expanded through several non-bank financial institutions to Albania in April 2015, North Macedonia in September 2017, and Bulgaria in February 2019, and in 2022 acquired a 95% controlling stake in Moldova’s Energbank.
Iute Group provides lending, payment, currency exchange, and insurance brokerage services.
In the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine, perceptions of the EU and the US are formed not through their own experience, but through the prism of Russian propaganda and information isolation. This was stated by sociologist, director of the Active Group research company Oleksandr Poznyi during his speech at the Forum on Countering Russian Propaganda and Disinformation, held on December 17-18, 2025 in Brussels.
In his speech, the expert relied on the results of sociological studies conducted in 2023-2025 and emphasized that residents of the temporarily occupied territories are virtually deprived of direct communication with Europe and the United States. In such circumstances, the perception of the West is formed mainly through narratives imposed by the occupation authorities. “For many people in the TOT, Europe and the United States are not partners or allies of Ukraine, but abstract, distant actors whose image is almost entirely shaped by the Russian media,” said Poznyi.
According to the sociologist, Russian propaganda systematically forms two dominant images of the West. The first one is aggressive and hostile, which allegedly “controls Ukraine”, “provokes war” and “uses Ukrainians in its own interests”. The second is cynical and indifferent, “tired of Ukraine” and ready to sacrifice its territories for the sake of stability. “These narratives contradict each other but coexist perfectly. They are not about logic, they are about emotion and fear,” explained Poznyi.
As a result, a part of the population has a distorted view of the role of the EU and the US, which has nothing to do with the real policy of supporting Ukraine, but directly affects public sentiment and expectations for the future. One of the key reasons for this perception is complete information isolation. Ukrainian and Western sources of information are blocked or criminalized, and any alternative viewpoints are viewed as “extremism” or “espionage.”
“People cannot verify information. They are forced to live inside an information bubble where the West is an image, not a reality,” the sociologist emphasized. According to him, even those TOT residents who support Ukraine internally often avoid talking about Europe or the United States, as these topics are considered “dangerous” and may arouse suspicion on the part of the occupation structures.
During the forum in Brussels, these observations were presented as a serious challenge for European policy. According to Poznyi, the perception of the EU and the US in the occupied territories will directly affect the processes of de-occupation and reintegration in the future. “If people have been hearing for years that Europe is an enemy or a traitor, these perceptions do not automatically disappear after de-occupation,” he emphasized.
The Forum on Countering Russian Propaganda and Disinformation, held on December 17-18, 2025 in Brussels at the European Parliament and the European Economic and Social Committee, was dedicated to strengthening Europe’s cognitive and information resilience in the face of hybrid threats.
The event brought together representatives of European institutions, think tanks, media and civil society from Ukraine and the EU. The event was aimed at outlining the scope and mechanisms of Russian propaganda, showing its destructive impact on public consciousness, and discussing ways to counter it.
By 2035, Europe may face street protests and conflicts between people and service robots amid mass robotization of the service sector and the displacement of some workers from the labor market, according to a new Europol analytical report, The Unmanned Future(s): The Impact of Robotics and Unmanned Systems on Law Enforcement.
According to the British newspaper The Daily Telegraph, citing the document, Europol estimates that by the mid-2030s, robots and unmanned systems will be widely used in areas such as delivery and cleaning, which could lead to job losses among low-skilled workers from disadvantaged areas and cause protests accompanied by attacks on robots and infrastructure, including medical devices and service machines.
The report emphasizes that the widespread introduction of robotic systems could change not only the labor market, but also the landscape of crime and law enforcement in the EU, including new threats ranging from attacks on service robots to the use of drones for criminal purposes.
At the same time, a number of experts interviewed by the media express doubts about the realism of a “war between humans and robots” scenario in the next ten years, pointing out that the development of regulation and retraining programs could mitigate the social risks of robotization.
Participants in the panel discussion “The Strategic Role of the Danube in Logistics and Connectivity” at the international forum in Bucharest concluded that the Danube has become one of the key logistical and strategic corridors in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine, the growth of hybrid threats, and the need to strengthen NATO and EU military mobility. In their opinion, improving the resilience and security of the Danube infrastructure should be considered a priority not only for coastal states but also for the entire Euro-Atlantic community.
The panel was moderated by Stefan Hofmann, head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation’s offices in Romania. The discussion was joined by Andriy Kashuba, Deputy Minister of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine (via videoconference), George Scutaru, Director General of the New Strategy Center, Wilfried Jilge, Associate Expert at the German Council on Foreign Relations, and Rear Admiral (ret.), Senior Associate Expert at the New Strategy Center, former commander of the Romanian Navy’s Maritime Component Liviu Coman.
The speakers emphasized that after the start of the war in 2022, traditional transport routes in the region became overloaded or vulnerable to military and hybrid attacks. This accelerated the development and more intensive use of the Danube infrastructure as an alternative corridor. Ukraine, they said, relies critically on Danube ports to maintain grain exports and support broader supply chains, while repeated Russian strikes on port infrastructure have exposed its vulnerability.
Participants emphasized that attacks on port facilities on the Danube have demonstrated the need for accelerated modernization of transport, transshipment, and surveillance systems, as well as enhanced protection of maritime and river infrastructure. This included expanding port capacity, upgrading the fleet, digitizing logistics processes, and improving coordination between military and civilian structures.
Following the discussion, the panel concluded that the Danube is a strategic hub for the entire Euro-Atlantic security architecture—a corridor for military mobility, a vector for economic integration, and a platform for regional cooperation. Participants emphasized the need for closer coordination between Romania, Ukraine, and the Republic of Moldova, including Ukraine’s full integration into European military mobility programs, strengthening port infrastructure, removing administrative barriers, and creating joint mechanisms to counter hybrid threats. According to experts, strengthening the stability and security of the Danube corridor is not just a regional task, but a strategic condition for the stability of Europe as a whole.
