Marc Vos

‼️ This is important. Russia is moving toward the militarization of maritime trade. In recent weeks, Putin’s aide Nikolai Patrushev has been consistently advancing the same logic: Moscow is using the risk of detentions and blockades as a pretext to bring the navy into play, legitimize convoys, armed escorts, and tighter control over vessels. ‼️ This effectively pulls commercial shipping into the sphere of force and imposes the practice of military cover for trade routes. In recent months, European countries have more frequently stopped sanctioned vessels for inspection. The UK has already authorized its military to board and detain such ships in its waters, while France seized the tanker Deyna in the western Mediterranean. Russia is using this as justification to expand its military presence around commercial shipping and promote a model of armed escort. ‼️ If Russian mobile fire groups or naval vessels escort ships in a way that threatens a coastal state, interferes with its lawful control in territorial waters, facilitates sanctions evasion, or if a commercial vessel is effectively used for military purposes, this would constitute a violation of UNCLOS by Russia. This is a deliberate blurring of the line between civilian shipping and military force - and a push toward escalation. Where clashes are most likely: 1. The Great Belt (Denmark) - one of the main Baltic chokepoints. 2. Øresund - a narrow strait between two NATO states (Denmark/Sweden). 3. Skagerrak and Kattegat (Denmark) - the most dangerous transit zone between the Baltic and the North Sea. In 2025, 292 sanctioned tankers passed through here. 4. UK waters on the approaches to the English Channel and the Dover Strait - currently the most likely flashpoint, given new political authorization for boarding and detention. 5. The western Mediterranean - a confirmed zone of enforcement actions. France’s seizure of Deyna shows that the risk extends beyond the Baltic straits. The vessel was sailing from Murmansk under a Mozambican flag and was intercepted over suspected links to the shadow fleet and irregularities with its flag and documentation. The most likely confrontation will not resemble a large naval battle, but rather a series of "dirty" incidents: an attempt to stop a tanker, a Russian claim of "protection," an armed escort or naval vessel nearby, dangerous maneuvering, electronic warfare, warning shots - followed by accusations of "piracy" and a new round of pressure. If inspections become systematic, Russia will shift high-risk voyages into a "vessel plus escort" format and deliberately turn each inspection into a political and security crisis. Russia is bringing the war to the sea and covering commercial shipping with military force. It is deliberately erasing the line between civilian vessels and military instruments so that any lawful inspection appears as an attack on a "protected" shipment. This is not the protection of shipping, but the militarization of trade: Russia is turning the sea into yet another grey zone of coercion, where law is expected to yield to the threat of force.

Time to replace Mark Rutte as the head of NATO for someone who actually represents the alliance. I fully support Kaja Kallas 🫡 Who is with me🙌

Conspiracy theories aren’t new – but their scale and impact have changed. In today’s digital space, they’re a powerful part of the disinformation ecosystem. Our latest paper explores what drives them, how they spread, and their real-world impact. 🔗link.europa.eu/Wcw73j

FUN FACT: Melania Trump entered the U.S. on an “Einstein visa” for people with extraordinary ability. Fast-forward 15 years… and this is the English we got.

An official EU account just posted this edit about Europe as a powerhouse of innovation. It showcases games made in Europe.

You cannot make this up: JD Vance flew to Hungary to directly interfere in their election and campaign for Viktor Orbán. While doing this, he gave a speech complaining about foreign election interference from Brussels. The man is a shameless hypocrite

Kaja Kallas: "If you think about Russia now helping Iran, if you think about some of the Gulf countries that have been helping to circumvent the sanctions we have against Iran, that they are now able to attack these countries... If we were in it together as our adversaries clearly are, then we would be much stronger."

Mark Rutte spent three years as NATO Secretary General telling Europe to spend more, do more, and stand on its own two feet. Now he’s publicly acknowledging that Europe is unhealthily dependent on the US and that Trump is disappointed. Congratulations, Mark. You’ve diagnosed the patient after the ambulance left. The man who was supposed to be NATO’s bridge between Washington and Brussels has managed to alienate both. Europe doesn’t trust him to push back on Trump, and Trump is still disappointed anyway. That’s quite an achievement. MAGA media is absolutely loving this, naturally. Every time Rutte opens his mouth to placate Washington, he hands them another headline about spineless Europeans. He came in promising to be the adult in the room. He’s been the designated apologist instead. Stay connected, Follow Gandalv @Microinteracti1

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says Europe cannot expand its role in the Strait of Hormuz while dealing with Russia’s war against Ukraine. She notes Gulf states have not supported efforts against Moscow and stresses cooperation cannot be a one-way street. #EU

MAGA thinks Europe can't defend itself without America. Here's what they don't know. 1. France and Britain have 515 nuclear warheads and 8 nuclear missile submarines. 2. European defence spending hit €481 billion this year. That's more than Russia and China spend combined. The EU's ReArm Europe plan is mobilising another €800 billion. 3. European countries have over 1.7 million active troops. Russia has 1.3 million. 4. EU and UK air forces fly over 1,400 combat aircraft. Their navies have five aircraft carriers, over 60 submarines, more than 120 frigates and destroyers. 5. Europe has over 6,000 artillery pieces and that's before the biggest rearmament wave since the Cold War. Poland alone is adding 212 new howitzers. 6. The British SAS invented modern special forces. The US copied them to build Delta Force. From France's Foreign Legion to Poland's GROM, Europe's elite units are among the deadliest on earth. 7. Europe already has joint military commands ready to fight. The UK leads a 10-nation rapid reaction force across Northern Europe and the Arctic. Finland alone can mobilise 900,000 trained reservists all prepared to fight in arctic conditions. 8. Europe has its own satellite navigation (Galileo), its own defence programme (75 active projects) and is building its own rapid deployment force. The "helpless Europe" story was never about defence. It was about keeping Europe dependent and buying American weapons, relying on American intelligence, following American foreign policy. Thanks to Trump, that now ends.

While Orban continues to get shouted off stage with "Russians go home", opposition leader Magyar's crowds only grow anywhere he goes. We still have no doubt that Orban will refuse to leave no matter the result, then it'll be crowds like this that matter

The people acting surprised that the US, especially Trump, would betray NATO and Europe are not serious people. Again, Trump is a Russian-Israeli asset, his interests and that of the regime and oligarchs he serves are not aligned with the West, democracy or international law.

Trump is demanding European allies deploy warships to the Strait of Hormuz. Within days, apparently. Because that’s how alliance management works now: you spend years insulting your partners, undermining NATO, cosying up to the man trying to dismantle the European security order, and then you pick up the phone and expect a naval coalition by Thursday. Europe found the large middle finger. This was entirely predictable to anyone who has been paying attention, which excludes most of the people currently surprised by it. You don’t get to treat allies like freeloaders for years and then expect them to sail their ships into a conflict zone on your timeline for your war that they didn’t ask for and don’t want. That’s not how alliances work. That’s not how anything works. The Europeans have their own threat environment to manage. Russia is still parked on the eastern edge of the continent. Defence budgets are being rebuilt from scratch. And the ask is to detach naval assets and send them to the Persian Gulf to provide cover for a military operation that Washington launched without consulting anyone, against a country that poses no direct threat to Europe, in service of objectives that shift depending on what mood Trump is in that morning. France just repatriated its gold. Germany has been quietly rearming. The message from Brussels to Washington has been consistent for months now, delivered in the polite diplomatic language that means exactly what you think it means. They’re not coming.

ZELENSKYY’S response to JD VANCE: Vice President, with all due respect, isn't taking part in negotiations between US, Ukraine, and Russia. Otherwise he would understand the difference between 'scrap of land' and sovereign territory of Ukraine. This important territory is priority from security perspective with strong defensive structures, fortifications, and where about 200,000 people currently live. He would understand that Russia's goal is occupation of Eastern Ukraine in order to prepare a bridgehead for subsequent offensive actions. So, before doing anything, we need to have detailed security guarantees. For now, Ukraine simply does not have security guarantees necessary to talk about other steps. And of course, every square meter of our land is Ukrainian land and, with all due respect to any of our partners, it is definitely not theirs.

❗️Russian submarines conducted a "covert" operation over underwater infrastructure in waters north of the UK, Defence Secretary John Healey said. "To President Putin, I say - we see you, we see your activity over our cables and our pipelines, and you should know that any attempt to damage them will not be tolerated and will have serious consequences," he added. British forces had tracked a Russian Akula-class attack submarine, "deployed as a distraction," and two specialist submarines belonging to Russia's Main Directorate of Deep-Sea Research (GUGI). The two vessels have been directed by Russia to "conduct hybrid warfare activities against the UK and our allies, specifically around critical undersea infrastructure," the British defence secretary added. Healey said British forces and allies tracked and deterred malign activity by the Russian vessels, adding ​that the submarines had now left the area. The UK operation lasted for a month and involved more than 500 people.

Orban’s security have tried to stop people filming his massive country estate. The police showed up when I was reporting in his village. That’s because he lives like a corrupt oligarch whilst claiming to be a man of the people.

❗️Japanese company Terra Drone, together with the Ukrainian startup Amazing Drones, will begin selling the Terra A1 interceptor drone (priced at $2,500) to countries in the Persian Gulf (Saudi Arabia and the UAE) to combat Iranian “Shahed” drones. The drone is significantly cheaper than Patriot missiles ($4 million). In the near future, it will be handed over to the Ukrainian Armed Forces (ZSU) for combat testing. The Russian Foreign Ministry has already summoned the Japanese ambassador over this deal.

It is unfortunate that the UN Security Council has once again failed to demonstrate effectiveness and act decisively in the face of such a global threat as the Iranian regime's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz. No one should be allowed to block such globally significant sea lanes or undermine the security of dozens of nations through terrorist attacks against the freedom of navigation. We faced a similar challenge in the Black Sea when the Russians attempted to block our ports and civilian shipping—Russia was trying to suffocate our economy. And we found a way to solve that problem through decisive action, not inaction. Now, we see a similar problem on a global scale. The Strait of Hormuz must remain open to all vessels that sustain vital economy lifelines and maintain normal international trade. Countries in the region have spoken clearly on this, and we support the aspirations of the people of the Middle East and the Gulf for peace. Peace and security in this region directly impact stability, market predictability, and the cost of living in every single country. Such problems and this war must not be prolonged. The world needs a functional UNSC that acts more decisively to resolve acute security challenges of global magnitude.

Polling 20 points ahead of the Russian-backed kleptocrat Victor Orban for an election that's only 4 days away, opposition candidate Peter Magyar tells both the Americans and Russians to get the hell out of Hungary's politics.

Who started this mess, you idiot?