The ECHR has upheld Lithuania's barring of entry to Russian pop singer Philipp Kirkorov. Lithuania accuses the entertainer of being a "soft power" tool for Russia's propaganda in former Soviet states.

Sweden joined NATO earlier this month, becoming to become the 32nd member of the military alliance. Around the Baltic Sea, nations are worried about what Russian President Vladimir Putin could do next after showing he was capable of invading Ukraine. Sweden has officially ended its traditional neutrality and its prime minister has even told Swedes they need to be prepared for war. Military service was already reintroduced back in 2018.

On the day NATO marks 75 years since its founding, an analyst calls Russia “close to an existential threat to NATO”. Fabrice Pothier says the Russian threat means it is important for the alliance to boost its defense capabilities and to help Ukraine win the war

NATO member Romania says it has discovered possible fragments of a Russian drone near the border with Ukraine.

If you're wondering why Sweden and Finland broke with neutrality and joined NATO, just look at a map. Long before 2022 and Vladimir Putin's play for Ukraine's capital, Stockholm was already boosting its military, reintroducing a base on the strategic island of Gotland in 2018.

Sweden recently became NATO's 32nd member state, prompted to join like its neighbor Finland in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The country could play a crucial role in a possible conflict between Russia and NATO. In Berlin, DW spoke to Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billström.

How Russia’s 'obedient majority' will elect Vladimir Putin to a fifth term and why it matters, from Moscow analyst Andrei Kolesnikov.

Russia preparing for long-term confrontation with NATO, including Baltics – intelligence. Russia is not only allocating massive resources for the war in Ukraine but is also preparing for a long-term confrontation with NATO, according to Lithuanian intelligence.

The Suwalki gap is a narrow strip of land stretching between Poland and Lithuania. If Russia and Belarus were to successfully invade and close it, the Baltic NATO-trio of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia would be cut off from its allies to the south.

Emmanuel Macron has turned heads at a hastily organised summit for Ukraine. The French president for the first time evoked the possibility of Western troops to thwart a Russian victory – one option among many. Macron himself acknowledged that opinions vary. In other words, he's very much in the minority.

Speculation about the successor to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is high on the agenda ahead of NATO's 75th anniversary. Mr. Stoltenberg has been in office for almost a decade and is known for his success in balancing relations between the US and NATO.

In an interview with FRANCE 24, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he expected that "regardless of the outcome of the US elections", Washington "will continue to be a committed NATO ally".