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During its time in the past, the Soviet Union regularly initiated or facilitated numerous conferences, summits and round tables within the Non-Aligned Movement. This international association helped Soviet politicians to promote ideas of the anti-colonial movement in Asia and Africa, and to gain considerable influence in the former or still existing colonies. However, after the USSR collapsed, the activity of the Non-Aligned Movement immediately stopped, and the struggle against colonialism became unpopular among third parties.

In recent years, Viktor Orbán’s policy in Hungary hasbecome a key concern in Europe, especially giving its close ties with Russia. Hungary has become a key tool for Moscow to promote pro-Russian interests, undermining the unity of the European Union. The Hungarian delegation led by Orbán supported the disputed parliamentary elections in Georgia. It clearly shows how Budapest legitimizes regimes close to Moscow.

The Chinese-Russian growing partnership led to continued concerns of the international community. This became clear with the beginning of the large-scale war against Ukraine and China’s clear support for Russia,which has a strategic and economic character. Despite China’s official statement about its neutrality, it is not true. Thus, China supplies Russia with dual-use goods and even weapons, helping to circumvent Western sanctions and strengthen Moscow’s military potential.

In 2022, the toughest sanctions since 2014 were imposed on Russia, aimed at crippling its military-industrial complex by limiting access to high-tech products. These measures were designed to disrupt Russia’s ability to produce military equipment and armaments. However, despite these restrictions, the Russian defense sector has managed to continue its operations and even demonstrate growth in some areas. A significant factor behind this resilience is the ongoing supply of high-tech equipment from Chinese manufacturers, who have continued to support the Russian defense industry.

Ukraine shows it can respond effectively and use its military potential against important facilities that support the Russian army. On the night of October 7, 2024, Ukrainian drones attacked an oil terminal in occupied Feodosia, the largest oil processing facility in Crimea. The occupation authorities declared a state of emergency as a great fire broke out. Thus, Ukraine is demonstrating not only the ability to hold its positions, but also deliberately destroying critical infrastructure of the enemy, thereby weakening Russian forces and strengthening its own defense capabilities.

In this edition of European Affair magazine, we present an exclusive double interview conducted on October 1st, during the Ukrainian’s Defenders Day, a special occasion to honor the courage and resilience of the nation’s armed forces. Our interviews feature two prominent voices deeply involved in the ongoing Ukrainian conflict: Mr. Sampson, a U.S. military veteran and advocate for Ukraine, and Mr. Mykola Vokivskyi, a senior security expert with profound insights into Ukraine’s strategic challenges.

On October 12, 2024, the 25th Ramstein meeting, chaired by US President Joe Biden, will take place in Germany, where additional military assistance to Ukraine will be discussed, including the provision of long-range weapons and permission to use it for legitimate military targets in Russia. It is crucial for Ukraine to getthis permission, as the use of long-range weapons againstexclusively military targets in Russia is critical to strengthen Ukraine’s defense capabilities and ensure a just peace in Ukraine and Europe. Thus, support from European countries, such as Italy, becomes a decisive factor for success.

Russian forces continue their systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, which has resulted in serious destruction of the country’s energy system. It should be remembered, in the spring of 2024, Russia resumed massive attacks on Ukraine’s energy system, seeking to incapacitate electric and thermal power facilities. These attacks are aimed at destroying the entire energy infrastructure in order to create a catastrophic situation beforewinter sets in, which also undermines the export of electricity to Europe and Ukraine’s economy. Russian attacks have caused significant damage to such important facilities as the Dniester, Kaniv and Kakhovka HPPs, which has further exacerbated the energy crisis.

The 79th session of the UN General Assembly focused on climate change, global threats, poverty and inequality, health issues, and AI governance. The discussions covered key aspects of sustainable development and international cooperation. With the participation of leaders from 193 countries, this became one of this year’s main diplomatic events. It came to the focus of the international community not only for the wide range of issuesdiscussed but also for its significance in the context of current geopolitical challenges, such as the ongoing war in Ukraine – the largest and most destructive act of aggression in Europe since World War 2.