May 22, 2025 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

Minister  of Defence of Belgium Theo Francken  has assured that his country intends to deliver F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine ahead of schedule.

Norway will allocate a greater part of this year’s support funds to the production of Ukrainian drones.

French company CNIM Systèmes Industriels, in cooperation with Estonian Milrem Robotics, will provide the State Emergency Service of Ukraine  with six ROCUS robotic systems based on the THeMIS platform for demining.

A bipartisan group of US  Senators introduced a resolution emphasizing that the return of illegally deported Ukrainian children is a prerequisite for ending the war. “The United States must demand the return of those children before signing an agreement to end the war in Ukraine,” said US  Senator Chuck Grassley.

According to a poll, the vast majority of Americans believe that the administration of US President Donald Trump should continue military support for Ukraine.

According to Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia  Meloni, Pope Leo XIV has confirmed his readiness to host talks on Ukraine in the Vatican.

“They (executions of the Ukrainian military) would not have taken place with such numbers and frequency without an order – or at least consent – from the highest military command, which in russia means the office of president,” – UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions Morris Tidball-Binz commented on russian  executions of Ukrainian servicemen who surrendered.

rf

In response to russia’s hybrid destabilization activities against EU countries and partners,  the EU has imposed additional personal sanctions  on  21 individuals and six legal entities. “In view of russia’s systematic international campaign of media manipulation and distortion of facts to destabilize neighboring countries and the EU, the EU Council now has the ability to suspend the broadcasting licenses of russian media companies controlled by the russian leadership and ban them from broadcasting in the EU,” the communiqué emphasized. The “blacklist” includes the African Initiative news company, Sylvain Afoua Iurie Neculiti, founder of the Black African Defense League, Stark Industries hosting service and its director Iurie Neculiti, the main radio frequency center of the rf and its head ruslan nesterenko, and others.

In the 17th  package of sanctions, the European Union imposed restrictions, in particular, on the vessels of the “Norebo” and “Murman Sea Food” holdings. This is the first time that fishing companies have been sanctioned. The new measures may make it more difficult for companies to export russian fish. Sanctions on vessels include a ban on passage in EU waters, ship repairs and fish unloading in ports. The European market is one of the largest markets for russian fish producers in terms of supplies. At the end of 2024, russian seafood and fish exports to European countries amounted to 180 thousand tons, or  EUR 700 million.

High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas  has announced  that the main component of the 18th  package of sanctions against russia will  be energy. She has also said that the coordination of new restrictions should be done quickly.

“The 18th  package of sanctions should hit the aggressor where it really hurts – in the energy sector, LNG, oil, nuclear fuel, and financial institutions that have remained untouchable for a long time should be our target,” Minister of  Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys has  called on the European Union to start working on the next,  18th,   package of anti-russian sanctions right away.

France has sent a reconnaissance vessel to monitor russia’s “shadow tankers”.

russian manufacturers of road construction equipment faced a sharp decline  in sales in the domestic market: in January–March, the figure decreased by 36.6 % year-on-year, to RUB 11.94 billion. In March alone – by 42% year-on-year, to RUB 3.98 billion.

As a result of  a significant shrink of the market due to high car loan rates and falling sales of imported cars, the proceeds from the scrappage fee for wheeled vehicles in 2025 will be by 200 billion rubles lower than the amount budgeted in the federal budget, said minister of industry and trade of the rf alikhanov.

The shareholders of  pjsc “raspadskaya”, which is under US and UK sanctions, have decided not to pay dividends based on the results of 2024. The coal company ended 2024 with a net loss of $133 million, with a negative profit margin of minus 8 % and EBITDA down  by 58 % to $291 million. Net cash outflow from operating activities without  capital expenditures amounted to $295 million. Cash and cash equivalents plus short-term deposits decreased by 74 % to $87 million at the end of 2024.

The supervisory board of russian pjsc UTair airlines has  also recommended that shareholders decide not to pay dividends based on the results of the unprofitable year 2024. The carrier suffered a net loss of over 7 billion rubles. The last time UTair paid dividends for 2012 was at the rate of 20 kopecks per share.

The rf’s  ministry of justice proposes to ban non-payers of alimony from using state Internet services, working in municipal and government positions, and taking out loans and borrowings, except for targeted loans aimed at repaying debts.

The number of russians who do not plan to have children has tripled over the two decades of putin’s rule.

At least 49,000 people have fled the russian army during the three-plus years of war against Ukraine. This figure is comparable to the size of an army corps consisting of several divisions.

In russia, law enforcement agencies have identified more than 80,000 migrants who have received russian citizenship but have not registered for military service, and sent every fourth of them to fight against Ukraine, said head of the investigative committee bastrykin. “Already 20,000 “young” russian citizens who for some reason do not like living in Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan are on the front line,” he said. He also welcomed the practice of bullying foreigners by “russians”.

russia’s deputy minister of justice oleg sviridenko  has said that the status of a “foreign agent” can be granted to anyone who acts “against the interests of the country”,  regardless of their origin – even if they are extraterrestrials.

russian students should be banned from using artificial intelligence when writing essays, term papers and diploma papers, as this technology was developed in the West and promotes an ideology alien to russia, said head of the russian presidential human rights council valery fadeev.

The russian orthodox church has proposed to amend the russian constitution to ban abortion. The head of the legal department of the moscow patriarchate, abbess ksenia has  proposed to amend the constitution to state that life begins at conception, not at birth.

On the Day of Solidarity with Belarusian Political Prisoners, the European Union demanded immediate release of all political prisoners. “Belarus: The EU demands immediate and unconditional release of all political prisoners and their full rehabilitation. The perpetrators must be brought to justice,” the statement reads.

The Sejm of Poland has voted to restrict the right to apply for asylum at the border with the rb for another 60 days.

On May 20, Poland saw a  record-breaking migrant activity on the border with the rb since the beginning of the year. According to the Polish Border Guard, last night, illegal immigrants made nearly 300 attempts to enter from belarusian territory.