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

The European Union has finally approved the 19th package of sanctions against russia.

The “energy block” of sanctions provides for a ban on imports of russian LNG: in six months – for short-term contracts, and from January 1, 2027 – for long-term contracts. The ban on cooperation with the rf’s two oil giants has been tightened and 117 ships from the “shadow fleet” have been added to the sanctions list.

The “financial block” includes a ban on insuring aircraft and ships used by russia for the first five years after sale to a third country; a complete ban on transactions with five russian banks (MTS Bank, Alfa-Bank, Absolut Bank, “Zemsky Bank”, and NGO “Istina”) and an extension of the existing ban on russian electronic payment systems, in particular “Mir”; sanctions against four more banks in belarus and Kazakhstan; a ban on transactions with five banks, one crypto exchange, and two oil trading companies in Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Paraguay, the UAE, and Hong Kong; a new ban on European economic operators from entering into new contracts with nine “special economic zones” in the rf and a complete ban on cooperation with “Alabuga” and “Technopolis Moscow”; a complete ban on cryptocurrency services for citizens, residents, and companies from the rf.

Forty-five companies from russia, Hong Kong, China, India, and Thailand have been added to the blacklist for circumventing sanctions. A new mechanism restricting the movement of russian diplomats in the EU has also been introduced; new criteria for inclusion in the sanctions lists have been added in connection with involvement in the abduction of Ukrainian children by the occupying authorities of the rf; restrictions on ports and computer technologies have been expanded; and European tour operators are prohibited from providing services in russia.

The USA has imposed new large-scale sanctions against russia. “Given president putin’s refusal to end this senseless war, Treasury is sanctioning russia’s two largest oil companies that fund the kremlin’s war machine. We are prepared to take further action if necessary to support President Trump’s effort to end yet another war,” said US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent. “Rosneft” and “Lukoil” are on the “blacklist”, along with a number of directly related subsidiaries and all companies in which the above-mentioned companies directly or indirectly own 50 % of the shares.

US President Donald Trump has canceled his planned meeting with putin in Budapest. He also hopes that the new US anti-russian oil sanctions will make putin “more reasonable” and help end the war in Ukraine.

“Together with the expected adoption of the 19th package of EU sanctions, this will send a clear signal on both sides of the Atlantic that we are maintaining collective pressure on the aggressor”, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen welcomed the USA’s decision to impose sanctions on “Rosneft” and “Lukoil”.

“putin must pay price for his needless aggression,” UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has supported the new US sanctions against the rf.

“We must continue imposing costs on russia’s war economy. Next step should be transfer of russian frozen assets to Ukraine,” – said President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs and pointed out that the new US sanctions are “a very timely and necessary move”.

“It is positive that we (the EU) are introducing the 19th package of sanctions today, and the Americans are simultaneously announcing sanctions against the oil sector (of russia),” said Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen regarding US anti-russian sanctions.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has said he fully supports US President Donald Trump’s initiative to end the war in Ukraine. He also gave a positive assessment of the latest meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US President Donald Trump.

Prime Minister of Spain Pedro Sánchez has announced that his country will join the PURL initiative to purchase American weapons for Ukraine.

“We must clearly state that the European Commission must prepare a clear proposal so that we can effectively finance Ukraine in the coming years. Sanctions against russia and powerful financing of Ukraine – together we can find a turning point,” said Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo. He also spoke in favor of the US providing Tomahawk missiles to Ukraine.

The leaders of the 26 EU member states plan to decide at the summit in Brussels on October 23-24 whether Ukraine is ready to start accession negotiations with the European Union on three clusters.

Ukraine has received a EUR 46.1 million loan from the European Investment Bank for four urban development projects: EUR 13.3 million – for the Municipal Infrastructure Development Program and Ukraine Urban Public Transport, EUR 14.7 million – for Ukraine Urban Public Transport 2, and EUR 4.8 million – for Energy Efficiency in Public Buildings of Ukraine.

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Chancellor of the FRG Friedrich Merz and Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo expressed optimism about the progress on the use of frozen russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine.

“russia is a country that may seek to prolong the war on our continent, and that is a defining factor in what I am preparing for,” said Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of France General Fabien Mandon, setting the army the task of “being ready for a potential conflict in three to four years”.

The Indian market is closing to russian oil companies, which, after the start of the war, increased their supplies to India tenfold, selling barrels that European countries had rejected. India’s largest refineries are expected to reduce their purchases from russia to virtually zero due to new US sanctions.

Overdue wage arrears in russia at the end of September 2025 amounted to 1.95 billion rubles, which is by 18.6 % more than a month earlier. Compared to September last year, the amount of debt has increased fourfold. Of the total amount of unpaid wages, 75 % are debts incurred in 2025, and another 20 % are from 2024. The main reason is the lack of own funds of organizations, which account for almost the entire amount of debt – 1.93 billion rubles. The largest debts were recorded in construction (44 %), mineral extraction (17.5 %), and manufacturing (11.6 %).

The net profit of Magnitogorsk Iron and Steel Works decreased by almost 85 % in nine months. The MMK is one of the world’s largest steel producers. In 2024, its net profit declined by 32.6 % year-on-year.

Beer production in russia declined by 14 % in September.

The average wholesale price of broiler carcasses has reached 190 rubles per kilogram, which is by 30 % more than in the same period last year and is the highest since the beginning of 2025. Prices for beef rose by 13.3 % over the year, and for pork leg – by 12 %.

In 2026, retail prices for air conditioners in russia may increase by 20–30 % compared to 2025. The first wave will begin on January 1, when the VAT increase from 20 % to 22 % comes into effect, plus annual inflation, which will inevitably affect the cost. The second wave will be closer to March, when related businesses recalculate their changed costs for logistics, customs, and installation. All these additional costs will be included in the cost of the device – the same 30 %.

Due to the sharp rise in prices, russians have begun to buy dairy products more seldom. In the first seven months of 2025, the retail price of butter increased by 34 % in annual terms, sour cream and milk became more expensive by 22 %, and cheeses – by 19%. The cost of raw milk also rose by 23.1 %.

Most entrepreneurs (70 %) plan to raise prices for their services and goods, while the rest are preparing to go into the “shadow” or use optimization schemes due to the tax increases planned by the rf’s government.

The dynamics of industrial production recorded by rosstat in September 2025 turned out to be worse than analysts had expected. The annual growth rate of output slowed down to 0.3 % in September, and taking into account seasonality, industrial production decreased by 1 % compared to August.

More than a third of russians surveyed intend to reduce their spending on subscription to electronic services in 2026. Besides, 32 % of respondents are going to cut back on ready-made meals, 28 % – on takeaway coffee and drinks, 26 % – on gadgets, and 22 % – on training courses.

The actual blocking of Telegram, russia’s most popular messenger with an audience of over 100 million users, may take place before the New Year.

In russia, the number of education advisors engaged in propaganda in schools and colleges will increase to 60,000. Their number will be twice that of teachers of physics, biology, and geography, three times that of chemistry teachers, and five times that of drawing and fine arts teachers.

In the first half of 2025, 938 people were convicted under “extremist” articles in the rf (on the main charge alone) – this is by 44.5 % more than in the first half of 2024 (649 people). The number of convictions for various public statements increased by 40 %. The number of sentences for creating extremist or terrorist communities, as well as for continuing the activities of banned organizations, increased even more – by 51 %. Article 205.2 of the Criminal Code (public calls for terrorism, justification or propaganda of terrorism) took first place in terms of the number of criminal convictions for statements. In the first half of 2025, 281 people were convicted under this article, which is by 54 % more than in the first half of 2024. At this, the proportion of those sentenced to fines under this article decreased: in the first half of last year, there were almost twice as many as those sentenced to prison, in 2024 as a whole –by two-thirds more, and in the first half of 2025 – by only a quarter.

Tomsk’s budget will lose 700 million rubles due to the nationalization of the “KDV Group” holding company. To make up for lost revenue and increase tax revenues, the city authorities plan to “bring informal businesses out of the shadow”. Special attention will be paid to the service sector – beauty salons, car services, etc.

Butter prices in St. Petersburg rose by 27 % in the third quarter of 2025. Sunflower oil also became more expensive (+30 %). The increase in kefir prices was slightly less significant (+19  %). Salt became more expensive by 18 %.

In Novosibirsk, due to the partial collapse of the roof of Children’s Hospital No. 1, the ceiling in the surgical department fell down. This is at least the fourth destruction of a social institution in russia in the last 35 days.

The governor of Samara region, Vyacheslav Fedorishchev, has ordered to create a special body which will monitor publications in the media and social networks and send materials to law enforcement agencies in cases of “unfair information” about himself. Fedorshchev’s reputation has recently been tarnished by his inappropriate behavior and persistent rumors about his schizophrenia and treatment in a psychiatric clinic.

Minister of Digital Development and Communications of Penza Region Maksim Izosimov failed to conduct a live broadcast on Telegram and VKontakte themed “How to Use the Internet in Changed Conditions” due to Internet problems.

Five belarusian banks have been added to the European Union’s 19th package of sanctions against russia. The list includes “BelVEB” Bank, “Belgazprombank”, “Alfa-Bank” (belarus), “Sberbank” (belarus), and “VTB Bank” (belarus).

In addition, the “Gorizont” plant and its CEO Yuri Predko have also been sanctioned. This company develops and manufactures dual-use goods used in armored vehicles. Thus, it is considered to be part of the belarusian military-industrial complex.

The research and development unitary enterprise “Gorizont Digital Television Institute”, the closed joint-stock company “Holographic Industry”, and head of the “Belneftekhim” concern  Ilya Ikan are also now under sanctions.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania summoned belarus’ chargé d'affaires and handed him a note of protest over the repeated and increasingly frequent violations of the country’s airspace.

If we divide belarusians into five groups according to their income level, we’ll find out that the richest group accounts for almost 40 % of all the population’s resources. The fifth, richest group is four times richer than the first, poorest group. If we divide the population into 10 groups, the top group will be six times richer than the bottom group. 5 % of belarusians live on less than 500 rubles per month. At the same time, 12 % of the richest Belarusians have resources of more than 1,800 rubles per month. The poorest group is the most numerous in Mogilev region, while the richest – in minsk.

Over the past 12 years, the number of belarusian students in Poland has quadrupled, while in russia it has decreased threefold. russia is losing its appeal, despite offering 1,300 scholarships per year to belarusian students.

“lukashenko’s place is before the International Tribunal in The Hague, where he must answer for his actions, rather than seeking a place in political circles,” said Polish MP Andrzej Halicki. The Member of Parliament  also called lukashenko a dictator and usurper.

The cultural policy of the belarusian regime in recent years has been characterized by “total russification”. Over the past decade, the number of students getting   education in belarusian has decreased by 34.4 %, while the number of those getting education in russian has increased by 22.6  %. The list of extremist materials includes books by Vladimir Orlov, Larysa Hienijuš, Pavel Severinets, Vladimir Neklyaev, Algirdas Bakharevich, and other Belarusian authors. Vladimir Korotkevich’s novel “Kolosya pod serpom tvoim” (“Ears of Corn Under Your Sickle” – Transl.) has been removed from the school curriculum.

In the first nine months of 2025, 94.3 thousand tons of russian pork were imported into belarus. This is by 44.6 % more than in the same period last year. The rb ranks first among all buyers of russian pork. Imports of dairy products also increased. The volume of supplies from russia to belarus reached 19.4 thousand tons, which is by 13.7 % more than last year. This is about 13.6 % of all russian dairy exports, and, by this indicator,  belarus ranks second after Kazakhstan.