Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

US President Donald Trump: “russia could be so rich right now. But instead, they spend all of their money on war.”

Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, commenting on US President Donald Trump’s recent statements about putin, has said he shares his disappointment with the rf’s recent actions. “putin has seriously miscalculated President Trump. I hope countries like China, India and Brazil – who prop up putin’s war machine – are about to pay a long overdue price,” he emphasized.

President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan has expressed hope that peace talks between Ukraine and russia will be arranged in the near future, leading to an end to the war.

“The kremlin is not serious about peace. The UK will continue to ramp up the pressure on russia.,” the United Kingdom’s Embassy in Ukraine condemned the russian strikes on Zaporizhzhia and Kamianske that killed 20 civilians.

Poland’s Internal Security Agency has found out that a 27-year-old Colombian working for russian intelligence is behind two arson attacks on construction warehouses in Warsaw and Radom in 2024. He is charged with terrorism and faces life imprisonment.

Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk has said that the authorities will act ruthlessly against those who plan to destabilize the situation in the country on the orders of russia, in particular on the Polish border. So far, 32 people have been detained who are suspected of collaborating with russian special services.

Latvia’s National Electronic Mass Media Council (NEPLP) has restricted access to ten more websites that spread russian propaganda. The explanatory letter states that those resources publish one-sided and biased information about russia’s war against Ukraine, mobilize information and public support for russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine, legitimize the belonging of illegally occupied and annexed Ukrainian territories, etc.

Nine EU member states have already submitted official applications for loans to further invest in defense production, including in Ukraine, under the SAFE program. The European Commission predicts that this number will increase to at least 20.

Authorities of Germany have decided to increase the annual defense budget from the current EUR 86 billion to EUR 162 billion in response to russia’s aggression. This amount is to be reached by 2029.

Another attempt by oil tycoon Schwedler to challenge the British sanctions imposed in connection with russia’s war against Ukraine has failed. By a majority vote of four to one, the UK Supreme Court dismissed the appeal.

“putin is an evil man. He took what is a fledging democracy and turned it back into a tyranny. He has created no institutions, no long-term plan for russia. When he leaves, he will leave the country poorer and in chaos,” said former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

russian coal exports to China fell sharply in the first half of 2025: in value terms, they decreased by 25 % year-on-year. At the same time, in April-June, the decline in supplies accelerated and amounted to 34 % compared to the same period last year. russia exports up to 50  % of its coal production, and China is a key market for domestic coal companies. In 2024, the Chinese market accounted for about half of all russian coal exports. At the same time, russia’s share in China’s coal imports in 2024 decreased from 23 % to 18 %.

The rf’s civil industries are increasingly experiencing a “controlled cooling” of the economy: while military production continues to grow, the decline in the rest of the industry is becoming the norm. In the first half of the year, industrial production grew by 1.4 % year-on-year, including 2 % in June. However, this is still due “exclusively to the activity of sectors dominated by defense production”. Without them, the decline in output since the beginning of the year averaged 0.3 % per month. In civil sectors, output in June was 99.1 % of last year’s level, while in annual terms it has been in the red since February.

russia’s authorities are reintroducing a complete ban on the export of petrol from the country to cool down the fuel market, where prices have soared by 30 % since the beginning of the year.

In the rf, sales of foreign cars over 20 years old have exceeded 500,000 in six months.

The cost of the minimum school kit in the rf has increased by 7 % this year.

Managing companies are asking the state duma to allow the transfer of russians’ overdue debts for housing and communal services to collectors.

The state duma of the rf is considering a ban on the public use of works by foreign agents and foreigners who commit “unfriendly actions” against russia, russian companies and citizens.

Authorities of St. Petersburg have banned migrants with patents from working in taxi services.

Residents of the Krasnoyarsk Territory who complain about the Internet being out for four days may be sent to the war in Ukraine, said head of the Regional Government Center Ekaterina Kuzminykh, who is responsible for handling citizens’ appeals and PR of the government of the Territory.

In the town of Borzya, Trans-Baikal Territory, residents of an emergency house were offered a contract with the Defense Ministry in exchange for fast resettlement.

The anthem of the Taliban extremist movement contains the following words: “Once freed from the English, a grave of russians we’ve become”. Please, be reminded that in early July, russia became the first country in the world to legalize relations with the Taliban terrorist organization.

The acting governor of Rostov region has allocated additional 10 billion to “support the military”. And 870 million for healthcare.

Since the beginning of July 2025, 5058 attempts to illegally cross the border from belarus have been recorded by neighboring EU countries.

The information and communication sector in belarus has become the first industry in terms of the share of abolished individual entrepreneurs. In the year from July 2024 to July 2025, there were by 16.8 % fewer individual entrepreneurs in this sector, a record decrease among all types of activities. If we look at the dynamics since 2022, the number of individual entrepreneurs in information and communication has decreased from 14.2 thousand to 9.1 thousand, i.e. by 36 %. The second industry where sole proprietorships were eliminated the most was the collective category of “professional, scientific and technical activities” – this includes lawyers, accountants, managers, architects, engineers, marketers and researchers, etc. Here, the number of individual entrepreneurs decreased by 12 % over the year, and by 28 % since 2022.

The lukashenko regime’s propagandist Azarenok believes that belarus will decide to block the YouTube video platform.

In the first half of 2025, the share of belarusian-made goods in retail trade was the lowest in 20 years. belarusian goods accounted for only 54.6 % of the turnover, when the goal was to increase the share of belarusian goods to 63 %. At the same time, the figure was 57.9 % a year ago. For comparison, ten years ago, in 2015, the share of domestically produced goods in belarusian retail was almost 70 %, and in 2005 it exceeded 80 %.