Three stories frame the day: a Middle East war stuck in stalemate, an Eastern European consensus cracking, and Europe shifting from calling out hybrid attacks to arresting the people behind them.

Middle East

  • A Houthi missile or drone strike damaged an aircraft and suspended flights at Riyadh's international airport, the same day Washington sanctioned 27 companies and 22 vessels for shipping Iranian oil — both moves reflect a war neither side can win outright more.

Eastern Europe

  • Polish backing for fast-tracking Ukraine's EU membership has fallen to 9%, down from 60% before Russia's 2022 invasion, threatening the unanimous approval enlargement requires from all 27 member states more.

Hybrid warfare

  • Montenegro arrested the founder of Kremlin-linked propaganda outlet Rybar, the first such arrest since Europe began publicly blaming Russia for sabotage more.
  • Ukrainian specialists playing the attacker in a NATO drill in Riga nearly beat the alliance's defenders, exposing gaps in handling AI-driven disruption more.
  • EU ambassadors opened closed-door talks on responding to a hybrid attack that kills civilians, after a drone was found at Leipzig airport and a ship was sunk in the Black Sea more.