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© Denis Vėjas / NARA

A crushing opposition chant – ‘Putin’s dogs, go home!’ – drowned out sixteen years of ‘Fidesz Forever!’ at the polls. On April 12, Hungarians brought Viktor Orbán’s autocratic era to an end. NARA journalists travelled across Hungarian cities, capturing the pre-election mood.

• Author: Austėja Pūraitė, Denis Vėjas
• Medium: NARA
• Original title: „Putino šunys“ neamžini. Vengrai savuosius išbalsavo lauk
• Pillars of Democracy

© Kapitál / Layla Bartheldi

The text describes Israel’s April 8 attacks on Lebanon, portraying them as a massacre largely ignored by Western governments and media. It highlights civilian suffering, fear, displacement, and trauma in Beirut, while criticizing selective empathy and double standards in how violence in the Middle East is reported and politically condemned.

• Author: Layla Bartheldi
• Medium: Kapitál
• Original title: Odsuzuješ osmý duben? O izraelském terorismu v Libanonu, který nikoho nezajímá
• Safety and Security

© Kapitál

The article critiques conspiracy-driven interpretations of the Iran war and argues capitalism and imperialism can be explained without occult narratives or antisemitic tropes. Using the example of Chinese influencer Jiang Xueqin, it shows how “left” economic critique can slide into far-right ideology. It highlights petrodollar politics, oil interests, and profit motives behind war.

• Author: Matúš Lupták
• Medium: Kapitál
• Original title: Vojna v Iráne ako výsledok sprisahania?
• Pillars of Democracy

© Kapitál

The article analyzes Donald Trump’s AI-generated image portraying himself as a saint-like “American Jesus” and interprets it as more than narcissism: a symptom of US civil religion and political mythmaking. Drawing on Bellah and Niebuhr, it warns how sacralized nationalism turns power into divine authority, with real consequences for global conflicts.

• Author: Jan Motal
• Medium: Kapitál
• Original title: Americký Ježíš je zpět a vládne umělou inteligencí
• Pillars of Democracy

Alina Otzemko by the cenotaph of her husband, fot. Y. Surkova

A reported feature on how Russia’s war against Ukraine has disrupted traditional burial and mourning practices. Through cases such as empty graves (cenotaphs), destroyed cemeteries, missing bodies, improvised memorial rituals, and the emergence of “death doulas, ” the article shows how Ukrainians are creating new forms of remembrance under conditions of occupation, displacement, and mass loss. It combines personal testimony, social observation, and reflections on memory, grief, religion, and public commemoration.

• Author: Yulia Surkova
• Medium: Kultura Liberalna
• Original title: Jak wojna zmieniła rytuały żałobne w Ukrainie
• Global Social Transformations

© Sára Činčurová

Across Ukraine, children are facing things that children should never have to face.

• Author: Sára Činčurová
• Medium: JÁDU
• Original title: Detstvo bez detstva
• Safety and Security

© Collage: Kamil Czudej

This personal essay by a Ukrainian author living in Poland explores experiences of migration, identity, and belonging in the context of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The author recounts her journey from Lviv to Warsaw, her initial hesitation about settling abroad, and the circumstances that forced her to leave Ukraine in February 2022. The text reflects on Polish-Ukrainian relations, everyday solidarity, cultural proximity, and challenges of integration. It highlights both emotional and practical aspects of displacement, including language barriers, bureaucratic hurdles, and evolving perceptions of Ukrainians in Polish society.

• Author: Nataliya Parshchyk
• Kultura Liberalna
• Original title: Pytają mnie, czy Polacy jeszcze lubią Ukraińców. Ja tu mam drugi dom
• Culture and Identity

© Alena Kolesniková

Pavel Talankin is an ordinary man who had the opportunity to document the military indoctrination of elementary schools in Russia mandated by the state. A teacher whose former students went to war against Ukraine. A Russian who decided to take action and secretly smuggle his recordings into Europe. Interview with "Mr nobody against Putin".

• Author: Ella Katrovasová
• Medium: Jádu
• Original title: Ruská opozice, propaganda a kolektivní zodpovědnost
• Pillars of Democracy