The opening of the 2026 Connecting EU Seminar in Bulgaria served as a poignant reminder that in our rapidly evolving digital age, the most powerful tool for defending democracy is a well-educated public. Zornitsa Roussinova, President of the Economic and Social Council of Bulgaria, set a stirring tone for the event, reminding attendees that knowledge is the ultimate antidote to the poisons of manipulation and disinformation. By focusing on the theme “In Defense of European Values: The Power of Civil Society,” the conference underscored that truth is not merely a political necessity but a fundamental pillar of our shared humanity.…

The brutal reality of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine is perhaps most clearly seen in the recent, logic-defying ballistic missile strikes against civilian centers like Kyiv. Andriy Kovalenko, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, notes that these attacks serve no discernable military purpose. Instead, they appear to be a desperate performance—an attempt by the Kremlin to craft a narrative of strength for a domestic audience back in Russia. As Russian citizens grapple with rising inflation, fuel shortages, and the daily indignities of a teetering economy, the state pivots to the optics of war. By targeting apartment buildings and…