Oct 26, 2026, 08:30 PM UTC

Political science scholar Alpo Rusi has published new details regarding Soviet intelligence operations aimed at Finnish political leaders during the late Cold War. Writing in a column for Iltalehti, Rusi highlighted covert tactics used against Keijo Liinamaa, who served as Finland's national conciliator and prime minister prior to his death in December 1980.

According to Rusi, KGB operatives attempted to manipulate industrial labor market negotiations overseen by Liinamaa to create domestic political instability. These operations aimed to shape Finland's political landscape during the final years of President Urho Kekkonen's presidency. Before his death, Liinamaa reported receiving direct threats and pressure from Soviet agents to diplomatic contacts, offering further insight into foreign interference in Finnish domestic affairs.

Sources: Iltalehti

At least five people were killed and 16 others injured following a series of Russian strikes across Ukraine's Dnipropetrovsk region over a 24-hour period. Emergency services reported nearly 60 individual attacks targeting five separate districts across the region.

The heaviest casualties occurred in the Kamianske district, where shelling resulted in three fatalities and five injuries. In Pavlohrad, two residents were killed and seven were wounded, while strikes in the Nikopol area caused additional casualties and infrastructure damage. Local emergency crews deployed across the affected zones to clear rubble, fight fires, and treat survivors.

Sources: Ziarul de Gardă.

Former Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov has called on officials to initiate technical and legislative preparations for future national elections, even as military operations continue. Fedorov, who was dismissed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in July, stressed that early planning is vital to overcome substantial logistical hurdles. Key challenges include enabling voting for millions of internally displaced persons, overseas refugees, and active-duty soldiers on the front lines.

While Ukrainian martial law currently bans elections during wartime, Fedorov argued that establishing an operational framework in advance will allow the country to conduct swift elections once martial law is eventually lifted. The presidential office has not yet specified a timeline for ending martial law.

Sources: Le Monde.

France's Constitutional Council ruled on Friday to validate the nation's new assisted dying law, subject to three specific reservations, while concurrently rejecting a proposed ban on social media access for minors under 15.

The council determined that the proposed social media ban constituted a restriction of general scope on personal freedoms, effectively invalidating the core provision of the digital safety legislation backed by President Emmanuel Macron. However, the magistrates upheld the assisted dying reform, incorporating an explicit conscience clause permitting private and religious healthcare facilities to opt out of performing the procedures. Macron welcomed the court's validation of the end-of-life legislation, describing the outcome as the conclusion of an "exemplary democratic debate."

Additionally, the Constitutional Council cleared an emergency agricultural bill submitted for review.

Sources: La Tribune, Le Figaro, Le Monde, Libération, Politico Europe (Defense)

US President Donald Trump hosted Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the White House for bilateral talks during Xi’s first state visit to the United States in over a decade. According to statements from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and official briefings, the discussions addressed major international security matters, including the war in Ukraine, Middle East tensions, and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

The high-level summit followed discussions between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who asked Washington to press Beijing into using its diplomatic leverage over Moscow to achieve de-escalation. Political analysts highlighted that Beijing could potentially leverage any assistance regarding Russia to seek trade or economic concessions from Washington. Trump personally greeted Xi upon his arrival at the airport to launch the three-day diplomatic visit.

Sources: Liga net, NV, Radio Svoboda, Ukrainska Pravda.