In contrast to previous conferences of the Bratislava-based security think-tank, there was a feeling that the West is no longer on the back foot and that now is the time to press home its advantage.
Even companies without operations in Russia or Ukraine are affected by the supply chain disruptions and hikes in food and energy prices.
Konov is part of a group of executive innovators who have reformed post-Soviet private companies into high-performing players but who have found themselves sanctioned by the EU.
Russia’s intense focus on capturing cities in Eastern Ukraine, particularly the major assault on Severodonetsk, has left Russian troops vulnerable to Ukrainian counter-offensives in the Kherson region.
Bishkek is pinning its industrial hopes on a small Chinese company with no past. The opaque arrangement reflects how Kyrgyzstan’s government does business.
Moscow is now making steady progress in Donbas, bne IntelliNews’ correspondent reports from outside Bakhmut, the latest target of the Russian offensive.
Poland has long struggled with a huge undersupply of labour, but while the influx of 1.5mn Ukrainians will meet the needs of sectors, the impact will be uneven.
By the end of April the acute phase of the crisis induced by the start of the war in Ukraine was clearly coming to an end. The financial system had a shock but fast action by the CBR prevented a crisis.
Despite growing anti-LGBTI rhetoric from politicians across Europe, courts in Bosnia, Bulgaria and Croatia issued rulings reinforcing protection for the rights of LGBTI people.
Since mid-April, Russia has focused on capturing the Donbas. In the last week it seems as if Ukraine’s leadership is preparing the nation for a major defeat.
Austria’s foreign minister calls enlargement the EU’s biggest geopolitical instrument – but will member states use it to encourage candidates and would-be candidates at the upcoming EU Council?
Dushanbe wants obedience but treats the region as something to be exploited and ignored.
AFC Bournemouth won promotion to the Premier League this season. The club has seen remarkable success since it was bought by Russian petrochemicals trader Maxim Demin, but its owner is yet to give any interviews in English.
Russia’s ruble continued to rally strongly, dropping below the psychologically important RUB60 to dollar barrier again this week, its strongest level in four years. Russia’s national currency has been on a wild ride that will hurt the budget.
Lukashenko’s attempt to save face via mixed messages of peace and increased threats of war with the West and Ukraine haven’t got him very far and many Belarusians are more than eager to bring the fight to Lukashenko.
Rampant inflation has already eaten into household incomes, while more expensive credit will tighten wallets. The question is how deep the slowdown will be.
Whilst all eyes are on Donbas as Russia continues its devastating invasion of Ukraine, another war is being fought on our TVs, phones and computers: the culture war. From the start, Ukraine has been quick to establish the cultural narrative.
Belarus' prime minister said that Western sanctions had blocked almost all the country's exports to the EU and North America.
Ukrainian refugees seek shelter from heavy shelling in a school's basement as Russian troops grind ever closer.
Fresh prohibitions have crushed hopes that newly appointed 40-year-old president Serdar Berdimuhamedov would pursue a more enlightened path.