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strikeAug 6, 2026

Why is Russia in favour of maintaining Swiss neutrality?

Summary

Switzerland has been neutral since 1815, having stayed out of all international conflicts, including both World Wars. Under its terms, the country should also not get involved in any military alliances (like NATO, for example) and not impose sanctions on rogue nations. Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, however, Switzerland has ‘softened’ its neutrality stance for, as the government said at the time, its own protection and security. It got closer to NATO (without actually joining it) and imposed EU’s sanctions against Moscow. READ MORE: NATO in, neutrality out: How the Ukraine invasion impacted Switzerland In response, the sovereigntist organisation Pro Schweiz – an offshoot of the populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) - has collected more than enough signatures to launch a vote aimed at better anchoring Swiss neutrality in the country's Constitution. “It cannot be modified easily and at will on the basis of current events,” Pro Schweiz states. The organisation is also opposed to closer ties with NATO and wants the Constitution to expressly prohibit joining this (or any other) military alliances, except in the event of a direct attack against the country. Additionally, Pro Schweiz seeks to restrict Swiss government’s right to impose sanctions on other nations. The issue will play out at the ballot box – as all political matters do in Switzerland – but in the meantime, Russia has put its own two rubles (in a manner of speaking, of course) into the strictly Swiss debate. What is Moscow saying? The Russian Foreign Ministry is openly campaigning for a ‘yes’ vote on the neutrality initiative. In a lengthy Telegram post, Maria Zakharova, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, wrote that Swiss voters should approve the bid by the right-wingers to strengthen Switzerland’s neutrality. The reason is simple: among the demands of the initiative’s instigators is one that would forbid Bern to impose sanctions on other nations – including on Russia. What are Swiss politicians saying about Moscow’s stance? It depends on who you ask. For Gerhard Pfister, a deputy from the Centre Party, which is against the bid, “Russia's position shows that the neutrality initiative is, in effect, a pro-Putin initiative.” As for the initiative’s supporters, SVP’s deputy Walter Wobmann simply said that the party "has never had any contact with Russian political officials,” adding, however, that “the imposition of sanctions [against Moscow] was a mistake." A nest of spies Obviously, Russia has no say in Swiss politics, and it is doubtful that voters will be swayed by its stance one way or another. This is not to say, however, that Moscow is totally… neutral about Switzerland. In fact, the country is a hub for Russian spies: in 2023 it was revealed that around a fifth of the total number of Moscow’s agents in Europe were based in Switzerland. In all, some 80 agents, who operate under the guise of diplomats, were known to be in Switzerland, particularly in capital Bern, as well as Geneva, where most international organisations are located. READ MORE: Switzerland's security 'threatened by Russian spies'

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Sources

  • Helena Bachmann; The LocalBy Helena Bachmann; The Local

    Switzerland has been neutral since 1815, having stayed out of all international conflicts, including both World Wars. Under its terms, the country should also not get involved in any military alliances (like NATO, for example) and not impose sanctions on rogue nations. Since Russ…

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Iran’s chilling new threat to ships in Strait of Hormuz

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The new head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says the country plans to announce an “exclusion zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway. Mohsen Rezaei’s comments to Iran’s state broadcaster came with few details, a day after the US struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to what it said was Iran launching ballistic missiles at US warships.

The new zone should be announced in the coming days and weeks and “will begin from the line of the US naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and from this side continue into the Persian Gulf,” Rezaei said. “Any ship that enters this area with the intention of passing through the Strait of Hormuz and is identified will be placed on our sanctions list.

” It is not clear where Iran defines the location of the weeks-long US blockade, which is aimed at Iranian ports and keeping Iran from shipping out its oil. The US military has said more than 20 warships are supporting the blockade, which as of Sunday had redirected 92 commercial ships and disabled three.

The US has been introducing new measures to increase the economic pain on Iran after negotiations collapsed and no end to the intermittent fighting appears in sight. Meanwhile, Iran continues to attack some ships trying to transit the strait, which has become an important source of leverage in the war that began February 28 with US and Israeli strikes.

Iran earlier on Sunday said it struck an unmanned US vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a claim that the US military dismissed as a “total lie”. The strait is crucial to global oil and natural gas shipments and was seen as an international waterway before the war began.

On Sunday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that on average, nine million barrels of oil a day are getting through the strait, which should help to relieve pressure on energy prices. His estimate appeared to exceed average flows over the past 28 days through the strait, according to TankerTrackers.

com and other sources. Wright told CNN that with oil also flowing through pipelines in the region, “we’re probably two-thirds or more of pre-conflict flows”. But those flows depend on the presence of the US navy to help escort tankers and provide some protection against possible Iranian attack.

Wright said he expected that other countries would eventually support the US navy’s efforts. Meanwhile, Rezaei in his interview with state TV insisted that “every day we are selling one million, one and a half million (barrels), as if Iran’s oil production and trade are continuing as usual”.

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Location: Strait of Hormuz
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Iran’s chilling new threat to ships in Strait of Hormuz

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Iran plans Strait of Hormuz ‘exclusion zone’ as Mohsen Rezaei threatens ships attempting to pass The new head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council says the country plans to announce an “exclusion zone” outside the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway.

Mohsen Rezaei’s comments to Iran’s state broadcaster came with few details, a day after the US struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to what it said was Iran launching ballistic missiles at US warships. The new zone should be announced in the coming days and weeks and “will begin from the line of the US naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and from this side continue into the Persian Gulf,” Rezaei said.

“Any ship that enters this area with the intention of passing through the Strait of Hormuz and is identified will be placed on our sanctions list.” It is not clear where Iran defines the location of the weeks-long US blockade, which is aimed at Iranian ports and keeping Iran from shipping out its oil.

The US military has said more than 20 warships are supporting the blockade, which as of Sunday had redirected 92 commercial ships and disabled three. The US has been introducing new measures to increase the economic pain on Iran after negotiations collapsed and no end to the intermittent fighting appears in sight.

Meanwhile, Iran continues to attack some ships trying to transit the strait, which has become an important source of leverage in the war that began February 28 with US and Israeli strikes. Iran earlier on Sunday said it struck an unmanned US vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a claim that the US military dismissed as a “total lie”.

The strait is crucial to global oil and natural gas shipments and was seen as an international waterway before the war began. On Sunday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that on average, nine million barrels of oil a day are getting through the strait, which should help to relieve pressure on energy prices.

His estimate appeared to exceed average flows over the past 28 days through the strait, according to TankerTrackers.com and other sources. Wright told CNN that with oil also flowing through pipelines in the region, “we’re probably two-thirds or more of pre-conflict flows”.

But those flows depend on the presence of the US navy to help escort tankers and provide some protection against possible Iranian attack. Wright said he expected that other countries would eventually support the US navy’s efforts. Meanwhile, Rezaei in his interview with state TV insisted that “every day we are selling one million, one and a half million (barrels), as if Iran’s oil production and trade are continuing as usual”.

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Iran accuses US of making world pay for war it started

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In a post on X, Baghaei said the Strait of Hormuz remained fully open until the US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. He said Washington’s “illegal and brutal war” disrupted commercial shipping, halted oil tankers and drove up global energy prices.

Baghaei accused the US of starting the conflict and then attempting to make the rest of the world bear its costs while portraying Iran as responsible for the resulting crisis.

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Iran plans new 'exclusion zone' near Strait of Hormuz

○ 1 source

Iran plans new 'exclusion zone' near Strait of Hormuz The new head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council says the country plans to announce an "exclusion zone" outside the Strait of Hormuz aimed at vessels it believes are attempting to transit the waterway.

Mohsen Rezaei's comments to Iran's state broadcaster came with few details, a day after the US struck three Iranian oil tankers in response to what it said was Iran launching ballistic missiles at US warships. The new zone should be announced in the coming days and weeks and "will begin from the line of the US naval blockade, extend toward the Strait of Hormuz, and from this side continue into the Persian Gulf," Rezaei said.

"Any ship that enters this area with the intention of passing through the Strait of Hormuz and is identified will be placed on our sanctions list." It is not clear where Iran defines the location of the weeks-long US blockade, which is aimed at Iranian ports and keeping Iran from shipping out its oil.

The US military has said more than 20 warships are supporting the blockade, which as of Sunday had redirected 92 commercial ships and disabled three. The US has been introducing new measures to increase the economic pain on Iran after negotiations collapsed and no end to the intermittent fighting appears in sight.

Meanwhile, Iran continues to attack some ships trying to transit the strait, which has become an important source of leverage in the war that began February 28 with US and Israeli strikes. Iran earlier on Sunday said it struck an unmanned US vessel trying to enter the Strait of Hormuz, a claim that the US military dismissed as a "total lie".

The strait is crucial to global oil and natural gas shipments and was seen as an international waterway before the war began. On Sunday, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that on average, nine million barrels of oil a day are getting through the strait, which should help to relieve pressure on energy prices.

His estimate appeared to exceed average flows over the past 28 days through the strait, according to TankerTrackers.com and other sources. Wright told CNN that with oil also flowing through pipelines in the region, "we're probably two-thirds or more of pre-conflict flows".

But those flows depend on the presence of the US navy to help escort tankers and provide some protection against possible Iranian attack. Wright said he expected that other countries would eventually support the US navy's efforts. Meanwhile, Rezaei in his interview with state TV insisted that "every day we are selling one million, one and a half million (barrels), as if Iran's oil production and trade are continuing as usual".

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