Georgia’s democracy is under siege. Anna Rennéus Guthrie speaks with Eka Gigauri, Executive Director of Transparency International Georgia, about how the ruling Georgian Dream party is dismantling democratic institutions, silencing civil society, and edging the country toward autocracy.

Most Georgians still want a European, democratic future — and tens of thousands are protesting to defend it. Their struggle against Russian influence is one Europe cannot afford to ignore.

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Marek Kohv, head of the Security and Resilience Programme at the International Center for Defence and Security, outlines the scope of Russian hybrid operations targeting Estonia. Acts of sabotage, border violations, and other gray-zone activities may appear minor in isolation, but together they serve a larger purpose: to erode trust in the Estonian state’s ability to protect itself. Each response from Tallinn is closely monitored by Moscow, with every incident providing the Kremlin new lessons and insights for its next move.

To purchase the book Russia's Hybrid War: The Northern Front, to which Marek Kohv is a contributing author visit our website.

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In this episode, Patrik Oksanen and Anna Rennéus Guthrie speak with Aleksander Olech, head of international cooperation at the Polish think-tank Defence24 and contributor to Frivärld’s new book Russia’s Hybrid War: The Northern Front. The book gathers case studies from countries around the Baltic Sea, and Olekh shares Poland’s perspective from the frontline.

Moscow is not only pressuring Poland – it is laying siege through a full spectrum of hybrid threats: sabotage, disinformation, cyberattacks, weaponized migration, and most recently, drones. We discuss these threats and dilemmas, from how to respond to drone incursions to how history is being weaponized to sow division and undermine Polish support for Ukraine. 

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As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, serious questions arise: How robust is Europe’s support, and what implications does the new U.S. administration have for Ukraine’s future? In this episode, Anna Rennéus Guthrie sits down with Ukrainian journalist and author Nataliya Gumenyuk to discuss strategic communication, internal polarization, and growing transatlantic divides. Together, they examine what a just peace might look like — and whether a flawed agreement could be more damaging than no agreement at all. How should Europe act — and what does Ukraine’s ongoing struggle demand from the West?

Nataliya Gumenyuk is an award-winning Ukrainian journalist and author, specializing in international affairs and conflict reporting. She is the founder and CEO of the Public Interest Journalism Lab and co-founder of the independent media outlet Hromadske. Having reported from over 50 countries, Gumenyuk is also a leading voice in documenting war crimes through The Reckoning Project.

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Angela Gui is an activist and historian who is embarking on a research career focusing on the history of public health and nationalism in China. Angela is the daughter of Gui Minhai, a Swedish citizen who since 2015 is unrightfully imprisoned in China. She discusses the relationship between China and Sweden as well as the western world at large. What has happened to her father and what she thinks of the way the case has been handled by the authorities. Angela provides a chilling account of what it is like to be at the receiving end of Chinese threats and influence operations.

The discussion is led by Anna Rennéus Guthrie, director of the Stockholm Free World Forum and Patrik Oksanen, resident senior fellow.

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