Context

Over the last week, leaders and leaders-to-be around the world have appeared in public and some of their words about others deserve scrutiny.

Kremlin disinformation peddlers spare no effort to gush about the BRICS Summit in Kazan, singing praises to Putin as the chief architect of a new world order.

In international politics and diplomacy, clearly signalling one’s positions, or so-called ‘red lines’, has a real practical value – to avoid miscalculations or inadvertent escalation, particularly when tensions already run high.

Moldovans went to the polls on 20 October to elect their next president and to enshrine in the country’s constitution their desire to join the European Union.

Georgia’s ruling party has adopted increasingly hostile rhetoric against the EU and the West as it seeks to clamp down on the opposition.

Winter is approaching and with it a new focus on those familiar Kremlin disinformation narratives about the EU’s energy supply and the folly of ‘anti-Russian’ sanctions.

Peace and ceasefire negotiations that the West is more and more intensively trying to force on Ukraine, may have negative consequences for Central Europe.

On Sunday 20 October Moldovans headed to the polls to pick their next president and to decide whether they want to introduce the objective of European integration in the country’s Constitution.

According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the Russian president does not consider his birthday a reason for paying special attention to him personally and does not really like increased interest in his family.

BANNER: Screencaps from a fake video featuring President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that was shared on July 1, 2024 by Kim Kataguiri, then a pre-candidate for mayor of São Paulo.