Analytics by IESS
IESS Statement: Weaponizing the Atom
The weaponization of civilian infrastructure has become a defining characteristic of Russian military strategy.
The Shadow of the Shahed over NATO: Europe Must Act, Not Observe
On the night of May 29, 2026, the war in Ukraine breached NATO territory once again, this time with devastating clarity.
The Cognitive Battlespace: Russia’s mental warfare against Europe
During the Kyiv Stratcom Forum 2026, Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, articulated a stark warning regarding the scale and sophistication of Russian Cognitive Battlespace, filled with PSYOPs. Backed by colossal historical experience in the distortion of meaning and reality, the Kremlin's current cognitive warfare in Ukraine is not a localized issue. Rather, it serves as a live testing ground for psychological tactics designed to subvert democratic institutions, fracture societal unity, and threaten the broader security architecture of Europe.
The Nuclear Shield of Aggression: real intent behind Russian-Belarusian nuclear exercises
It can only be countered through tighter sanctions enforcement, unwavering support for Ukraine, and the robust fortification of NATO’s eastern flank.
Migration as a weapon of managed chaos
Migration in Central Europe is no longer only a humanitarian or border-management issue, but a growing instrument of hybrid warfare used by Russia to exploit public fatigue, fuel anti-Ukrainian sentiment, and weaken regional resilience. This article examines how migration-related fears are being politicized and amplified in Poland, Czechia, and Slovakia — turning the consequences of Russian aggression into a tool of destabilization against Ukraine and its European partners.
Anatomy of "Victory"
May 9, 2026, fixed the institutional paralysis and cognitive defeat of the Kremlin
IESS Statement: Flowers for the aggressor
Why Slovakia’s PM is flying to Moscow and why this is once again dividing the EU
IESS Statement: Tuapse, Perm, and the Chornobyl Syndrome
How technological fires in Russia’s rear are destroying the myth of an unbreakable empire.
Fedorov at the Ministry of Defense: an attempt to turn war into a system of speed
The appointment of Mykhailo Fedorov as Minister of Defense was not merely a personnel rotation, but a signal of a change in the very logic of managing the war.
IESS Statement: Not concern, but sanctions
What the story of Ukrainian grain from occupied territories actually means.
After Orbán: a lesson for Slovakia and all “beginner autocrats”
The fall of Viktor Orbán is not a story about how “external forces” broke yet another sovereign leader.
Juraj Blanár’s personal contacts with Russia are a systemic vulnerability bordering on treason
Any contacts with the Russian ambassador under the current circumstances cannot be regarded as a neutral diplomatic gesture.
IESS Statement: city names aren't just a matter of spelling because they are a matter of freedom
Yes, this is indeed a catastrophe. But not the one Lukáš Machala is talking about.
The War Began on 20 February 2014
In our explainer, we trace how Russia’s war against Ukraine unfolded long before the full-scale invasion of 24 February 2022. It follows the trajectory from the Revolution of Dignity and the occupation of Crimea through the hybrid war in Donbas, the evolution of Kremlin propaganda, and the escalation into Europe’s largest war since World War II. Along the way, it shows how narratives about “coups,” “Nazis,” elections, the church, and demonization of Ukrainian leaders were weaponized to justify aggression and later evolved into modern influence operations powered by digital networks, FIMI techniques, and AI-driven manipulation. This is not simply a campaign against Ukrainian statehood and agency, but an act of war against Europe. As Russia finalized its wartime mobilization model and prepares the capacity for further escalation, the war is unlikely to end quickly and will likely expand beyond its current form.