Russia is rapidly expanding its digital surveillance infrastructure, intensifying control over its citizens’ physical and online lives. This pervasive system, often justified under the guise of security, is seen by many as establishing a “digital Gulag” – a mechanism for total societal control. Key Developments in Surveillance:
Category: Europe
Europol: Bosnians Among Mercenaries Wanted for Ukraine War Crimes
Bosnian citizens are among 654 alleged members of Russian mercenary companies Wagner and Redut suspected of committing war crimes in Ukraine, said the European police agency Europol. On October 31, 2025, the European police agency Europol said that an unnamed number of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina who allegedly fought with Russian ‘private military companies’…
International Special Operation “Avengers-2”: Ukrainian Police Exposed 654 Militants of PMCs “Wagner” and “Redut”
More than 70 simultaneous searches are currently underway across Ukraine and Moldova, targeting the residences of suspects and their relatives. The operation aims to identify, document, and prosecute Russian-funded militants who fought against Ukraine. Investigation Progress Ukrainian police have successfully identified key elements of the mercenary network, including: Investigators have amassed substantial evidence, including documents,…
Sweden Plans to Establish Prisons for Young People Aged 13 and Above
In Sweden, offenders as young as 13 will be placed in youth prisons starting next summer. Some time ago, the government commissioned the National Prison and Probation Service to create sections in prisons for 15- to 17-year-olds who have committed serious crimes. This task is now being expanded to include 13- and 14-year-olds, according to…
France: Two Men Arrested Over Theft of Jewels at Louvre Museum
Two suspects have been arrested over the theft of precious crown jewels from Paris’s Louvre museum.The Paris prosecutor’s office said one of the men had been taken into custody as he was preparing to take a flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport. Items worth €88m (£76m; $102m) were taken from the world’s most-visited museum last…
Georgia: Police Detained Around 20 Protesters
The solidarity rally for jailed journalists was held amid steady stream of detentions in recent days, and turned tense when demonstrators again blocked Rustaveli Avenue, the city’s main thoroughfare. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the detainees were arrested under administrative law for attempting to obstruct traffic illegally. A young woman who reportedly climbed…
Germany to Allow Police to Shoot Down Drones
Police in Germany will soon be allowed to shoot down drones that are violating German airspace. The cabinet agreed the law after disruptions to airports across Europe — including Germany — by rogue drones. The legislation still requires parliamentary approval. Germany is facing a growing threat from unauthorized drones, after sightings near Munich Airport stranded…
Rita Haverkamp, Frederik Kohler: Who Accepts What During the Crisis? Results From an Online Survey on the Acceptance of COVID-19 Protective Measures (in German)
During the COVID-19 pandemic, government emergency measures restricted fundamental rights to an unprecedented extent. Containing coronavirus infections depended entirely on the willingness of the population to comply with these rules. The acceptance of emergency measures among the population fluctuated. This raises the question of who accepts and complies with such emergency rules and under what…
Matt Clement: Metropolitan Policing in Crisis
Ever since the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, there has been a growth in social movements resisting aspects of policing in the US and the UK. In the UK it has evolved in particular directions in response to various controversies in policing and a growing mood to resist increasingly authoritarian legislation emerging from…