Swiss Rejects Tightening Neutrality Rules in Sunday Referendum

An overwhelming majority of Swiss citizens have voted against tightening the country’s neutrality policies in a Sunday referendum.The votes, with a turnout of 47 percent, show that 70 percent of voters and a majority in all 26 Swiss regions voted against the proposed changes, according to the Swiss government.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.The proposed changes call for Bern to engage in military cooperation with other nations only if the country itself comes under attack, and to impose only sanctions passed by the UN.The referendum, if passed, would have pushed Bern to reduce its support for Ukraine and weaken ties between the country and the rest of Europe.Pro Schweiz, a national-conservative group linked to the right-wing Swiss People’s Party (SVP), spearheaded the initiative, which has also received backing from Moscow, according to Politico.The SVP said it would not pursue the matter further, according to Al Jazeera.In recent years, Bern has moved in lockstep with the EU to implement consecutive economic sanctions targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex, energy revenues, and banking apparatus.The Swiss government has enacted a total ban on the purchase and import of Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) in February, aligning domestic regulations with the EU’s 19th sanctions package to curtail fossil fuel revenues financing the Kremlin’s war effort.In September, Bern also approved a new security strategy to bolster national defense, protect critical infrastructure, and prepare the country for hybrid and standoff attacks, echoing European warnings of intensifying Russian hybrid attacks. Other Topics of Interest Russian Drone Attacks Academy of Sciences in Central Kyiv, Leaving Woman Dead Rescuers searched the burning building for survivors as Zelensky vowed Russia would face consequences for the assault and other attacks across Ukraine. Ireland and Austria, two other neutral European states, have also voiced their support for Kyiv and imposed sanctions against Russia amid heightening security risks, with both Dublin and Vienna expelling Russian diplomats in multiple incidents due to espionage claims. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.