Sign in Subscribe

France and UK to agree to send peacekeepers to Ukraine with a caveat, strike ISIS in Syria and 10 convicted of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron

France and UK to agree to send peacekeepers to Ukraine with a caveat, strike ISIS in Syria and 10 convicted of cyberbullying Brigitte Macron

Today, two parallel events are taking place in the aftermath of the deadly New Year's Eve bar fire in Crans-Montana that killed 40 young people: a memorial service attended by foreign dignitaries and guests including French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian President Sergio Mattarella and the two bar owners are currently in court, according to footage from Blick on Instagram.

La Repubblica Tuesday is brutal when discussing the consequences for Switzerland: "The tragedy at Le Constellation is a cultural defeat. An illusion shattered by brutal evidence: even the most virtuous country can fail if it relaxes its vigilance, relies on the rhetoric of trust, or mistakes individual responsibility for collective delegation." 

For those of us who observe the functioning of this country with a certain proximity but yet maintain an outsider vantage, "the rhetoric of trust" indeed "mistakes individual responsibility". There is a military for those who responsibly, seriously take up the task of defending the country and do not just rely on topography, but there is not money to equip this military seriously. At a recent talk on security politics, the term for this was correctly delineated: "theater troops".

As the spouse of the officer who made this comment, there is also no delusion about what could happen should the worse come to pass. The nation may offer ribbons but not more. Most Swiss would be confused that one would even contemplate such morbid things because the fundamental imagination to meet the dangers of the present moment is lacking. The experience is simply not there as Switzerland has not suffered war in over 200 years, avoiding the most brutal of wars of the twentieth century that engulfed all its neighbors. Only Korea and the Balkan Wars of the 90s left an impression due to the fact that so many Kosovar Albanians still do so much of the actual work in Switzerland. There are forces abroad as part of the ongoing KFOR mission and at the 38th parallel dividing the Koreas. In other words, conflicts as frozen as an alpine glacier – which also happens to be melting, by the way. 

Switzerland's exposure to contemporary conflicts is relegated to espionage wars and the older generation might recall the bombing of SwissAir Flight 330 by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine that killed all 47 passengers and crew on board in 1970. The result is a certain arrogance of circumstance and a frigidity towards the outside world and the help it can offer. Yet, Crans-Montana revealed how naked "the most virtuous country" is when it comes to such basic elements for handling a crisis with civilian casualties, namely hospital beds to tend to the wounded. Instead, Europe came to Switzerland's aid.

One must ask, will there be a time when such aid is reciprocated? Is it time to get serious about helping defend Europe as the geopolitical events of the week were not dominated by a small mountain town bar fire but by the capture of the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and US designs for the future of the Danish territory of Greenland?

Welcome to the new Alpine Security Monitor! You can subscribe (and become a paid subscriber!) for weekly updates on security and geopolitics as it concerns the Alpine region, namely Austria, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Slovenia and Switzerland (ok, little Liechtenstein and Monaco too when merited). If this was forwarded to you, welcome!

PARIS, FRANCE – France and UK agree to send peacekeepers to Ukraine if ceasefire signed

  • The BBC reports Tuesday that France and the UK signed "a declaration of intent" to deploy troops to Ukraine "if a peace deal is made with Russia".
  • In practice, France and the UK will "establish military hubs across Ukraine" in an effort to "deter further invasion". Macron later said thousands of troops could be deployed.
  • Further the "Coalition of the Willing" summit the declaration of intent came out of included "Heads of state and top officials" and led to an agreement on "robust security guarantees" and "proposed the US would take the lead in monitoring a truce." UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer "added London would participate in any US-led verification of a potential ceasefire." However, the matter of territory is still under discussion as "Russia has repeatedly warned that any foreign troops in Ukraine would be a 'legitimate target'."

 

PARIS, FRANCE – France and UK strike ISIS underground facilities in Syria

  • The Middle East Monitor reports Sunday France joined by the UK launched "a joint airstrike on an underground ISIS (Daesh) facility in central Syria Saturday."
  • A French Voyager refuelling tanker supported British Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s.
  • A statement from the UK Defense Ministry said "aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to target a number of access tunnels down to the facility", adding "initial indications are that the target was engaged successfully."

 

PARIS, FRANCE – 10 convicted of cyberbullying First Lady Brigitte Macron

  • Le Monde reports Monday "One person was jailed and eight were given suspended prison sentences for posting 'numerous malicious comments'" online promoting the conspiracy theory that French First Lady Brigitte Macron was born a man.
  • Those receiving suspended sentences were given terms that ranged from four to eight months. Among the defendents were eight men and two women with ages ranging from 41 to 65. One man received six months in jail for failing to appear in court and a teacher according to The Associated Press, was "ordered to follow a course against hate speech online." Three of the individuals "considered to be the key instigators" will have social media accounts suspended for six months. Prosecutors pursued "The heaviest sentence" against Aurélien Poirson-Atlan, 41, known on social media as "Zoé Sagan" who is "often linked to conspiracy theory circles." Bertrand Scholler, a gallery owner, is also considered "Another of the most prominent defendents".
  • When Macron filed her complaint in October, she said "that the claim that she is a transgender woman has 'strongly affected' her and her loved ones."

 

BERLIN, GERMANY – Far-left group's arson attack cuts power; terror probe opened

  • The BBC reports Sunday a far-left group Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) "claimed responsibility for a suspected arson attack that left tens of of thousands of homes, as well as hospitals and businesses, without power in around-freezing temperatures." On Tuesday, EuroNews reports German prosecutors "launched an investigation on terrorism charges".
  • The incident occurred on Saturday when "several cables on a bridge were spotted burning near a power plant in south-west Berlin." The Berlin state economy minister said the damage had been caused by "incendiary devices". Hospitals and care facilities were left to run on generators.
  • Berlin Mayor Kai Wenger called the incident an act of terrorism, Deutsche Welle reports. In a statement, the Vulkangruppe said "the fossil fuel econom, not cutting power, was the target of the action." Authorities said power would not be fully restored until Thursday.

 

TEMPLIN, GERMANY – Arson attack near antisemitism commissioner's property

  • Deutsche Welle and The Jerusalem Post report Sunday "A shed on the property" of the home  of the antisemitism commissioner for the Brandenburg region, Andreas Büttnerwas targeted Sunday in a suspected arson attack in Templin, 70 kilometers (43 miles) north of Berlin.
  • An "'anticonstitutional' symbol", said to be the inverted red triangle of Hamas supporters, was found painted near the home. The arson occurred while Büttner's family was at home, though "they were not harmed in the incident."
  • The attack is the second such incident targeting Büttner in the last 16 months. In August 2024, "his car was scratched with swastikas".

 

HALLE, GERMANY – Third robbery of safe deposit boxes at Sparkasse Bank

  • Deutsche Welle reports last Friday on the third robbery of safe-deposit boxes at Sparkasse bank in the western German region of North Rhine Westphalia after similar incidents in Gelsenkirchen and Bonn last week.
  • The incident in Halle occurred mid-day last week Tuesday when "perpetrators managed to break into four safe-deposit boxes at a local Sparkasse branch and completely emptied them." The thieves were able to access the bank's vault "without force".
  • In Bonn, the investigation is focused "on a former employee after gold was stolen from two safe-deposit boxes at a Sparkasse branch in the city." The employee is 22 years old and "gold worth a high six-figure sum was taken." In Gelsenkirchen, TRT World reports "nearly all of the more than 3,000 looted safe deposit boxes belonged to Turkish and Arab customers."

 

CRANS-MONTANA, SWITZERLAND – Police allege 'negligent homicide' over deadly fire

  • The Washington Post reports Saturday Swiss "Police initiated a criminal case" against "two operators of the bar", Le Constellation, after a deadly fire New Year's Eve killed 40 young people, in the mountain resort town of Crans-Montana.
  • Specifically, "The bar managers are accused of negligent homicide, negligent bodily harm and negligent causing of a conflagration". Police initiated a criminal investigation after the initial inquiry. Beatrice Pilloud, the attorney general in the Swiss canton of Valais, said criminal charges will be brought if merited "and if the people believed responsible are alive." On Tuesday, The New York Times reports the bar where the fire occurred had not had a safety inspection in six years.
  • Police also began confirming the identities of the victims. Out of respect for the families, "no additional details would be made public for now." By Sunday, all victims were identified Reuters reports and Swissinfo reports Monday all 116 injured have been identified. Hospitals in France, Germany and Italy all took in patients as the number of injured "exceeds the capacity of Switzerland's burn units in Zurich and Lausanne and its national disaster center in the capital, an emergency care official in Geneva" said last Thursday, according to The New York Times. The Swiss government launched an online book of condolences and expects 1,000 guests to attend a national day of mourning in nearby Martigny due to snowfall and safety concerns today, Swissinfo reports. French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian President Sergio Mattarella along with Roberta Metsola, the President of the European Parliament.

 

BERN, SWITZERLAND – Switzerland freezes assets linked to Nicolás Maduro

  • Swissinfo reports Monday the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs announced in a statement that it froze assets belonging to the captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
  • "Members of the current government of Venezuela are not affected by the freeze," the statement noted. It is possible to freeze Maduro's assets only now as "a loss of power has occurred."
  • The freezing of Maduro's assets is in "addition to the sanctions against Venezuela that have been in place since 2018."

 

VEVEY, SWITZERLAND – Nestlé recalls baby food sold in Europe due to contamination fear

  • Swissinfo reports Nestlé announced a recall of baby food sold under the Beba and Alfamino brands sold in numerous European countries, including Alpine nations Austria, Germany and Italy, due to fears the products "could be contaminated with a toxin" in what is being called "one of the largest product recall campaigns in Nestlé's corporate history."
  • While there are "no known cases of illness" yet, Nestlé "published public recall notices" in several European countries "with lists of the affected batches." The cause of the spoiled baby food "is said to be a technical cleaning defect in a supplier company" resulting in "contamination of an ingredient" last month.
  • In Austria, "Controls carried out by the authorities" found "small amounts of cereulide—a toxin that causes food poisoning characterised by nausea and vomiting—in two batches." The Austrian Health Ministry said "the concentrations are so low that they do not pose a danger." Over the holidays, Nestlé initiated a "silent recall" to pull the products from store shelves but on Monday, the company initiated a public recall.

 

BERN, SWITZERLAND – Swiss TV operators pull Al Jazeera Arabic from offerings

  • Swissinfo reports Tuesday following up on a Sonntagsblick report Sunday that "Swiss television programming operators Swisscom and Sunrise have withdrawn the Qatari channel Al Jazeera Arabic" from their offerings.
  • Al Jazeera Arabic will not be offered and has not been broadcast in Switzerland since December 10, 2025 while Al Jazeera English continues to be available on Swiss televisions. A pro-Israel group called Focus Israel criticized the Swiss television operators after a report by Israel's Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Centre that said Al Jazeera Arabic was "broadcasting propaganda in favor of Hamas for years."
  • Last May, Hamas was formally banned in Switzerland, which includes a prohibition on its propaganda in the country.

 

VIENNA, AUSTRIA – Grenade found in building entry near synagogue

  • Reuters reports Sunday a hand grenade was found in the entry of a building near a synagogue in Vienna "although police said early indications did not link the device to antisemitism."
  • A bomb squad removed the grenade in the Leopoldstadt district of the Austrian capital. Authorities said later that the device was "found to contain no explosive material". A spokesperson said, "there is no direct connection to the synagogue located in Tempelgasse or any antisemitic intent".
  • The counter-extremism office in the state was made aware of the situation. Approximately 5,000 Jewish people.

 

Stay safe and be virtuous! 

Did you find this useful? If so, please consider making a one-time contribution, or becoming a subscriber.

 

If the Alpine Security Monitor was forwarded to you and you wish to subscribe, you can do so here.