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

The Council of the EU and the European Parliament have preliminarily agreed on the terms of the EDIP defense industry development program, which will receive EUR 1.5 billion in funding over the next two years, including funds to attract Ukraine’s Defense Industry.

The European Commission is working on a proposal to include additional EUR 25 billion from russians’ private accounts in different countries in the Reparations Loan to Ukraine.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development plans to expand its operations in Ukraine to EUR 2.5-3 billion per year.

The Demining Capability Coalition plans to allocate at least EUR 165 million in 2026 to provide Ukraine with technology and equipment.

Finland has joined the so-called Tallinn Mechanism, which provides for measures to develop Ukraine’s resilience to cyber threats.

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The European Parliament’s Committees on Industry, Research, and Energy, as well as on International Trade, have approved proposals to ban imports of any russian gas, including LNG, into the EU from January 1, 2026.

Next week, the European Commission will present to EU leaders a draft five year plan for preparing for a possible war against russia.

According to US Vice President Jay DeWitt, US President Donald Trump is negotiating with India and China to reduce purchases of russian oil and decrease russia’s revenues from energy exports.

US Senate Majority Leader John Thune has expressed his willingness to support a bill that would impose new trade and financial restrictions on russia.

The Higher Regional Court in Frankfurt am Main has ruled to confiscate in favor of Germany the approximately EUR 720 million belonging to a russian bank that fell under European sanctions in 2022.

The government of Estonia has decided to permanently close the Värska-Saatse road, part of which runs through Pskov region.

russian skiers will not be able to compete in the World Cup stage in Finland, as they are banned from entering the country.

russia’s largest companies may face financial difficulties, and the state’s ability to support their projects is significantly depleted, said minister of economic development Maksim Reshetnikov. According to him, businesses may need to restructure their debt, which has become too expensive to pay due to soaring interest rates. While in the past companies borrowed abroad at low rates, in recent years this debt has been converted into rubles and has risen sharply in price at the key Central Bank rate, which has risen to its highest level since the early 2000s.

Revenues from corporate income tax to regional budgets in January–August fell by 5.1 % year-on-year. This happened despite the fact that the income tax rate was increased from 20 % to 25 % starting in 2025. Of this amount, 17 % goes to the regional budget and 8 % – to the federal one.

russian banks reduced mortgage lending by 8 % in September compared to the previous month.

Citizens’ installment debt for home purchases amounts to approximately 1.5 trillion rubles, which is 1.5 times more than at the beginning of the year.

russians have started to save on purchases in shops. The growth rate of russians’ spending in shops has halved, from 13-14 % in January to 6 % at the end of July. In food retail, the growth rate in January-September fell to 2 % compared to 6-8 % a year earlier. Consumer sentiment has been influenced by trends in the labor market and household incomes. The number of people in part-time employment is increasing, while companies are cutting bonuses for employees. This inevitably leads to consumers ceasing to increase their budgets for purchases, including food.

The number of new projects on the russian housing market in January–September decreased by 16 % compared to the same period last year. Developers say that due to the decline in new launches in the coming years, russians may face price increases.

The highest risk of unsold flats in new buildings in russia in 2025 was recorded in the Krasnodar Territory (Sochi, Anapa, Novorossiysk, Tuapse, Temryuk), Samara, and Krasnoyarsk. It may take 5 years and 7 months to sell them.

Sales of new pickup trucks in russia decreased by 25.7 % in the first nine months of 2025. In September, sales declined by 40 % compared to September 2024.

In 2025, the average cost of preparing a car for winter in russia jumped by at least 15 % compared to last year. Due to the high cost, only every fifth russian fully prepares his/her car for winter.

Exchange prices for AI–95 petrol have increased by 0.19 %, and for AI–92 – by 0.12 %.

In January–September of this year, russia reduced its exports of vegetable oils by 24 % compared to the same period last year. The largest decline was in exports of sunflower oil (36 %) and soybean oil (18 %).

In russia, foreign beer has risen in price by 35 %, while domestic beer – by 20 %.

The Center for Public Opinion Research conducted a recent survey, which found out that russians are less interested in starting their own businesses. While in 2009, 31 % of respondents wanted to start their own businesses, in 2025 – only 14 % wanted to do so.

Obesity caused more than 200,000 deaths in russia in 2023. Over the past 30 years, 5.4 million people have died due to excess weight.

St. Petersburg’s authorities have retroactively canceled the governor’s one-time payment of 1.6 million rubles to volunteers going to war against Ukraine.

About 78 % of companies in the Krasnodar Territory have reported difficulties in finding and hiring personnel. The most challenging situation is in spheres such as healthcare, construction, sales, services, and logistics.

Tatarstan will spend more than 3.2 million rubles on the production of state awards. According to plans, this amount will be used to purchase 1,400 sets of forms. According to estimates, the three types of forms will cost between 2,136 rubles and 4,563 rubles per piece (1,088 and 2,325 in hryvnia equivalent).

In Crimea, the occupying authorities fined a local resident for “disrespect” after he did not stand up during the russian anthem at a school assembly.

According to the results of January–September 2025, the volume of the rb’s industrial product inventories in monetary terms amounted to 11 billion 97 million 416 thousand rubles, which is by 35.9 % more than in the same period of 2024.

belarusian schoolchildren who are planning to enter Poland’s universities try not to talk about it at school. However, teachers are becoming increasingly interested in the plans of school leavers and are trying to talk them into choosing belarusian universities. Representatives of the ministry of internal affairs even visit 10th and 11th grade classes and conduct informational lessons about 2020 and “hostile states” in order to prevent graduates from leaving the country.