Eurotopics.net

In the sixth month of its war of aggression against Ukraine, Russia has not abandoned any of its objectives. After the initial shock and the subsequent sanctions and promises of solidarity, the EU seems to be battening down for a protracted war. Commentators look at the impact of the war on Europe's societies.

Pope Francis has once again called for an end to the war and commemorated its victims. In his speech he also lamented the death of Russian ultra-nationalist activist Darya Dugina, who was killed by a car bomb on 20 August. Without mentioning her by name, Francis spoke of the "innocent" who are paying for the war.

British mobile phone giant Vodafone wants to sell its business operations in Hungary. It has agreed to sell its Hungarian unit to Hungarian holding company 4iG and the Hungarian state holding company Corvinus Zrt for just under 1.8 billion euros. This will give the state a 49 percent stake in the company. Commentators discuss the consequences for the country.

German publisher Ravensburger Verlag has announced it is withdrawing two books it had published to accompany the new children's film The Young Chief Winnetou from the market after facing accusations of racial stereotyping. The publisher said it wanted to acknowledge the oppression of Native Americans and avoid cultural appropriation with the move. Is it right to banish the popular children's fiction characters Winnetou and Old Shatterhand from the shelves?