International Centre for Defence and Security

This spring, ICDS celebrates 20 years of work as a think tank. The ICDS was founded in 2006 by the decision of the Estonian Government on the 31st of March and officially registered on 12th of April 2006.

The story of how the International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) came to be begins not in 2006, when the centre was officially established, but in the late 1990s, when Estonia was taking its first steps toward NATO.

Examining the implementation and failure of successive ceasefires and peace agreements with Moscow reveals consistent patterns in the behaviour both of Russia and of its interlocutors.

Hydrocarbon revenues remain central to Russia’s economic resilience and its ability to finance the war against Ukraine.

This report analyses the Taiwan Strait as a structurally escalating security flashpoint.

The EU is considering a full maritime services ban on Russian oil. While the final proposal and decision are still pending, the measure would replace the current oil price-cap regime by prohibiting European and allied companies from providing maritime services for Russian oil exports, regardless of the sale price.

The experience of recent years illustrates a persistent challenge in European security debates: warnings emerging from the geographic front line are not always fully integrated into broader strategic thinking.

This study examines how Chinese online narratives frame Russia and its war in Ukraine, showing how these sustain, complicate, or undermine the partnership of the two countries.

Ukraine, Finland, and why small states could define the new world order.