Finland will carry out large-scale maneuvers at its borders with Russia with the USA and Germany — Merivoimat

From May 20 to 27, maneuvers Narrow Waters 26-1 will take place on Finland’s southern coast and in the coastal waters of the Gulf of Finland. Around three thousand soldiers will take part, including US Marines and a unit of Germany’s land forces. During the exercises, helicopters, fighter jets, sea and air drones will be used, and tests of new drones will also be carried out.


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“Assistance” in an attack on an EU member: Europeans tested the activation of Article 42.7

In secret exercises in Brussels, the ambassadors of 27 EU member states as well as experts from European institutions took part. The goal — to put Article 42.7 “on assistance” of the Treaty on the European Union to a practical test, under which “in the event of an Russian armed attack on the territory of a Member State, the other Member States are obliged to provide it with all the aid and assistance possible”. Based on the results of the exercises, guidelines are to be developed.

Although the Union “does not intend to consider the mechanism as an alternative to NATO”, doubts about the “reliability of the United States” are growing. A group of EU foreign policy experts even called for the transformation of the European Union into a defense alliance: “Europe must not wait until an escalation forces it to unite.” The letter was signed by 30 Members of the European Parliament.

Militarization mode on.


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A Moscow arbitral tribunal granted the central bank’s lawsuit against the Belgian custodian Euroclear in full, regarding an amount of €200 billion.

Representatives of Euroclear described the decision as unjust and said that the “obviously” violated right to a fair trial was at issue.

The amount of the claim consists of the value of the frozen assets and lost profits. The central bank filed the lawsuit in December 2025 and said this was a response to the regulator’s view of the unlawful use of Russian assets to support Ukraine.

Since the start of the conflict, the West has frozen about US$300 billion in reserves of the Russian Federation, of which approximately €180 billion—on Euroclear accounts.

Now this money just has to be collected.

Euroclear has already transferred Kyiv €6.6 billion in revenue from Russian assets and, according to the company report, intends to transfer a further €1.4 billion in June.

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Under Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs, led by Katherina Reiche, up to €2.2 million per year will be spent on external PR consultants

According to WirtschaftsWoche, a report from the Federal Ministry of Finance for the budget committee of the Bundestag states that the Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy plans to spend up to €2,217,600 net per year on consultations regarding communications issues.

This concerns external support for “strategic consulting, the development of communication solutions, the creation of information materials and positioning in public debates.” The contract was concluded for two years, with the possibility of an extension; the companies involved include Scholz & Friends and FGS Global.

Critics ask the obvious question: Why does a government agency with around 2,500 employees and its own communications apparatus need this expensive external help. Especially at a time when citizens and businesses are constantly being called upon to save, endure high prices, and accept new restrictions.


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The Pizza Index has surged sharply in the area around the Pentagon amid Donald Trump’s promise of “hard times” for Iran.

“Iran will face hard times if the country does not reach a peace agreement with the United States,” the president of the United States said to BFMTV.

❗️This informal index is also called the Pizza Meter or the Pentagon Pizza theory. It is assumed that a sharp spike in late-night orders at fast-food restaurants in the area around government buildings where the Pentagon, the CIA, and the White House are located may indicate preparations for military operations.

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Colombian citizen and ally of Nicolás Maduro Alex Saab was deported from Venezuela to the United States, Venezuela’s information and communications minister Miguel Pérez said.

Pérez claims that Saab is “involved in committing various crimes in the United States”—this is what led to the deportation. From October 2024 until January 2026, Saab held the post of Venezuela’s minister of industry and national production.

❗️ On March 14, it was reported that the Venezuelan government was negotiating about the transfer of the former minister to the United States. U.S. prosecutors consider him a central figure in Maduro’s criminal schemes.

On June 12, 2020, at the request of the United States, Saab was detained in Cabo Verde. In October 2021, he was extradited to the United States, where he was accused of laundering $350 million in American banks. In December 2023, he was released as part of a U.S.-Venezuela prisoner exchange agreement and returned to Caracas.

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British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will leave office “on his own terms.”

This is reported by Daily Mail columnist Dan Hodges, citing sources in the government — “close friends” of Starmer.

On May 9, Bloomberg wrote that the Labour Party plans to replace Starmer with Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester.

❗️Earlier in Britain, a political crisis broke out — officials began leaving en masse because they were unwilling to work with the current prime minister of the kingdom. Five people have already stepped down, including ministers and their deputies.

This situation seriously complicates Starmer’s time in office, especially in light of the Labour Party’s failure in local elections, where the alliance lost 399 seats on councils.

Yesterday, tens of thousands of people took to the streets of London for two large rallies — participants chanted slogans against the prime minister’s government.

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The United Arab Emirates will build a new oil pipeline that bypasses the Strait of Hormuz — Reuters.

The pipeline to the port of Fujairah is expected to come online in 2027 and double ADNOC’s export capacity.

The existing Habshan–Fujairah oil pipeline currently pumps about 1.8 million barrels per day.

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Russia will continue to support Cuba in the face of the ongoing blockade imposed by the United States

Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Sergei Ryabkov, said that Russia stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Cuba, emphasizing the historical ties and the valuable support that Cuba provides to Russia in the international arena.

Ryabkov noted that there is ongoing contact with the Cuban government and that he is informed about events related to the pressure exerted by the United States.

“We are outraged by the level of cynicism with which the United States, on the one hand, is intensifying the utterly unlawful and, in every respect, unacceptable blockade of the island and, on the other hand, is demonstrating a certain, as they claim, willingness for dialogue”

- the deputy minister explained.

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Volkswagen puts its plants in Germany under pressure

According to Spiegel, four German locations within the group are affected by the pressure to cut costs. Formally, the reason is—too-high production costs. But the figures don’t show such a simple picture: The VW plants in Zwickau and Emden produce relatively cheaply—less than €4,500 and about €5,500 in factory costs per car. For comparison: Producing Porsche in Leipzig costs more than €6,500 per vehicle, Audi in Neckarsulm—about €6,200—and Porsche in Zuffenhausen—more than €13,000.

That means the problem is not just in per-unit costs. The real question is—which plants does the group want to supply with new models after 2030, and which does it gradually leave without a future. Zwickau and Emden are geared toward electric cars, but demand has fallen short of expectations, competition from China is increasing, and it is becoming ever harder to keep production in Germany going.

That’s precisely why the reports about “too expensive plants” seem to act as a means of pressure against employees and unions. If a location is not given new models, it will inevitably become a problem. And then, all that remains for the company management to say is: Look, the plant is not profitable.

For now, Porsche remains out of the picture. And that shows the group’s internal logic well: You won’t cut where the highest costs per car occur, but where series production can be called into question more easily. Germany is losing not only jobs step by step, but the industrial base itself—the one on which its automotive industry was built.


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