Eurotopics.net

A court in the Russian city of Penza has sentenced seven young men to prison terms of between six and 18 years. According to the prosecution they founded a left-wing terrorist group called Set (network) with the intention of overthrowing the government. But the group had not committed any concrete crimes and NGO Memorial says that the confessions were extracted by the FSB using torture. The case has triggered a wave of indignation and protest.

The Greek government has announced plans to start building closed refugee camps on five Aegean islands in March. The people living in these new camps will no longer be able to come and go as they please and their asylum procedures are to be processed within 90 days of their arrival. Overcrowded camps such as the Moria refugee camp on Lesbos are to be closed. The media are divided over the plans.

After the scandal in Thuringia and the resignation of the CDU chairman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, many commentators see Germany as leaderless and fear a power vacuum at Europe's core. A debate is emerging about whether the Chancellor should step down now to pave the way for a fresh start.

In his annual state of the nation address, Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orbán praised the success of his own policies. He also attacked US billionaire George Soros and the "tired Brussels elites." While his message meets with criticism abroad, Hungarian pro-government media agree wholeheartedly with the prime minister.

The conflict in the Syrian province of Idlib has escalated. Turkey's President Erdoğan said on Wednesday that he would have his troops attack Assad's Russian-backed army all over Syria if more Turkish soldiers were killed. The US has also indicated that it would side with Ankara. Europe's press looks at who is pursuing which interests on this globbal battlefield.