Search

Marco Setaccioli challenged Marco Travaglio's calculations on European and Russian military spending, stating that Travaglio had indicated 450 billion euros for Europe and 150 for Russia and had argued that Russia had reason to fear Europe, which had invaded it four times in the last 200 years. According to Setaccioli, in the current year Russia would have spent around 17 trillion rubles on defense, equivalent to 181 billion euros, a figure indicated, according to him, by most analysts. He noted that the nominal comparison did not take purchasing power into account: applying indices developed by specialized research centers, Russian spending would rise to 574 billion international dollars, compared to about 700 billion for the entire EU. He added that the EU would have three and a half times the population of Russia and a GDP nine times greater. Setaccioli argued that the Russian federal budget did not show all military costs. He cited studies by economist Craig Kennedy, according to which part of the spending would be financed through subsidized loans and would thus remain on the banks' balance sheets. He also recalled an investigation by Dozhd', which, according to him, had documented pressures on private companies to hire people before signing contracts with the military and to supplement salaries with corporate funds. He added that at least three militias would be linked to Gazprom, which would cover part of the costs. For these reasons, he dismissed as false the claim that Russia spent less than the EU. Historically, Setaccioli criticized Travaglio's reconstruction, according to which the Napoleonic and Nazi invasions, along with interventions in Crimea and support for the Bolsheviks, would justify Russian fears toward Europe. Setaccioli listed Russian troop interventions in Poland in 1939, Finland in 1939-1940, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Romania in 1940, Bulgaria in 1944, Hungary in 1956, Czechoslovakia in 1968, Moldova in 1992, Georgia in 2008, and Ukraine in 2014 and 2022. He stated that there were no Russian regions occupied by European countries, while eight regions—one in Moldova, two in Georgia, and five in Ukraine—would be under Russian control. Finally, Setaccioli accused Travaglio of presenting a selective and misleading reconstruction to make Russia appear not dangerous, portray Europe as a threat, and argue that rearmament was unnecessary and risky. In his view, that reasoning could legitimize a potential Russian attack on Europe and constituted a form of collaborationism. #Russia #Europa #Difesa (translated)

Tens of thousands of families are left without electricity. Energy workers and repair teams are practically working around the clock to restore power supply. Overnight, Russians also struck residential buildings in our regions. So far, 12 people have been reported injured, including two children. Two people have been killed. Condolences to families and loved ones. This morning, there was a strike at an agricultural enterprise in Volyn. "Russia has deliberately attacked the energy infrastructure and the oil and gas sector of Ukraine 76 times in the week since American President Donald Trump announced an energy truce," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on X on Sunday. #Ucraina #rachete #Polonia (translated)

A group of European diplomats, including representatives from Belgium, France, and Poland, was attacked by Israeli settlers in the village of Taybeh in the West Bank, resulting in three injuries, while the Israel Defense Forces condemned the act as a severe act of violence. #Cisjordânia #Diplomacia #ConflitoIsraeloPalestino (translated)

Europe faces a critical election year that could tilt power to the right, with elections in Spain, France, Italy, and Poland that could bolster the radical right and disrupt the political balance in the European Union. #EleccionesEuropeas #DerechaRadical #UnióndeEuropa (translated)

The article from The Times appears after, in July, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the so-called "Coalition of the Willing" - a group of 40 countries established to coordinate aid and plan future security measures for Ukraine - will hold its first joint military exercises in Poland in the fall. #NATO #Polonia #Ucraina (translated)

NATO troops from the UK, France, and Germany will train in Poland next month to prepare the logistical operations necessary for a possible deployment of peacekeeping forces in Ukraine, in the context of a future ceasefire agreement between Kiev and Moscow. #NATO #Polonia #Ucraina (translated)

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked neighboring countries - Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Hungary - to allow the transit of Ukrainian grain transport through their territories due to the blockade in the Black Sea, the Hungarian Prime Minister said. #Zelenski #cereale #România (translated)

The author described the elections of November 29 as decisive and argued that a model of society was at stake. He pointed out that they were being held after those in Brazil, the United States, and Israel, and that the EU was also at stake, as there would be elections later in Italy, France, and Poland. He added that, in his opinion, the more disciplined social sectors would win. https://t.co/imaK2ZnU15 #Elecciones #Sociedad #UE #BR #US #IL #IT #FR #PL (translated)

Denmark, Poland, and Italy are pressuring the European Council to censure Spain's immigration regularization, arguing that it goes against the immigration policy supported by the majority in Europe and requesting greater regulation and control in immigration management. #Migración #UniónEuropea #España (translated)

Dan Pimpão questioned who would have funded the trip and stay of Metrópoles journalist Sam Pancher in Ukraine and what airplane he would have traveled on. He recalled that Pancher covered the war and interviewed the Ukrainian president, and stated that afterward, the journalist went to Poland and praised Warsaw. Pimpão also asked who would have facilitated the access of Pancher and Luciano Huck to the Ukrainian government. The author alleged that women, possibly minors, may have been recruited for a network of sexual exploitation promoted by Vorcaro and associates, and said that some would be from Ukraine and Poland. He raised the hypothesis that Pancher might have used an aircraft linked to Vorcaro and questioned who else would have traveled on it, in addition to possible conveniences offered by the Ukrainian and Polish governments. Pimpão stated that if the journalist had made these trips, he might contribute to the investigations. #Ucrânia #Jornalismo #ExploraçãoSexual (translated)