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

At a meeting of the European Council, EU representatives agreed on a so-called mini-package of sanctions against the rf. It will be adopted in the coming days, ahead of the consideration of the 21st package of restrictive measures. As part of the mini-package, 9 individuals and 45 legal entities will be added to the sanctions lists.

The European Union is considering various mechanisms for restricting and banning entry into its territory for certain categories of russian citizens. This was stated by European Commission Spokesperson Markus Lampert.

Members of the European Parliament from Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s ruling CDU/CSU party have called for a complete ban on issuing Schengen tourist visas to russian citizens.

Most Europeans view Ukraine as a necessary partner with whom cooperation is strategically important, while in some countries, the perception of Ukraine as an ally is even higher than this figure. These are the results of the latest survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR).

Poland supports Ukraine’s integration into the European Union and has no reservations about this process. This was stated by Poland’s Chargé d’Affaires in Ukraine Piotr Łukasiewicz.

The International Chess Federation (FIDE) has announced the temporary suspension of the russian chess federation’s membership.

The German Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) condemns russia’s war against Ukraine and advocates for the continuation of the ban on participation in tournaments organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). “russia and belarus must not be allowed to use the participation and successes of their national teams in international competitions for the purposes of military propaganda. Therefore, we continue to reject their participation,” the DEB stated.

The European Court of Justice has rejected an appeal by the russian national settlement depository (nsd, part of the “mosbirzha” group) against the decision of the court of first instance. In 2024, the court ruled to uphold the European Union’s sanctions against the “nsd”.

The state duma of the rf allowed the government to spend funds and increase debt, disregarding the budget law.

The rf’s ministry of finance refused to recognize the 6 trillion ruble “hole” in the treasury as a “budget crisis”.

A sharp decline in investment in the russian economy, which began last year, has been recorded; this year, it has turned into the steepest collapse since 2009 – a 14.3% drop in the first quarter. Production of investment goods fell by 2.7%, and current production volume was by 16% lower than the 2024 level.

The new wave of defaults in the russian corporate bond market has already matched the scale of the 2014–2016 crisis and has become the largest in the past ten years. Since the beginning of 2024, 25 issuers have defaulted on 97 bond issues totaling 66 billion rubles.

Inflation in russia continues to accelerate. From June 2 to June 8, consumer price growth accelerated to 0.2%. Annual inflation (cumulative over 12 months) rose to 5.51% by June 8. From the start of the year through June 8, consumer prices rose by 3.53%, and by 0.23% – since the start of the month. The average price of petrol and diesel fuel increased by 0.9% during the reporting period.

russia’s trade surplus for January–April 2026 decreased by 3.36% compared to the previous year.

In January–March, consumer spending on furniture in russia fell by approximately 10% compared to the same period last year. Market participants attribute this to a decline in demand following the cancellation of mass preferential mortgages, as well as to rising product prices due to increased tax burdens, logistics costs, and the cost of components.

“alrosa” shareholders approved the board of directors’ recommendation not to pay dividends for the 2025 fiscal year. “alrosa” is one of russia’s largest diamond mining companies, accounting for 30% of global and approximately 90% of russian diamond production.

The tax breaks for small businesses announced by the kremlin following a drop in approval ratings and a mass shift of companies into the shadow economy will not apply to 1.5 million russian entrepreneurs operating under the patent taxation system. For them, tax restrictions will remain in place: the VAT threshold will be lowered to 15 million rubles in 2027 and to 10 million – in 2028.

The kremlin regime has ordered regions to cut spending on housing and utilities to pay for the hiring of contract soldiers for the war against Ukraine.

The federal tax service of the rf has sent recommendations to the regions on increasing tax revenues from this year through 2029. It is proposed to replenish budget deficits at the expense of car and property owners, as well as businesses. If businesses do not close under such conditions, they will pass the increased costs on to consumers.

At least 25 russian regions are facing petrol shortages and disruptions in fuel supplies. Less than a week ago, on June 4, there were 15 such regions.

Filling stations have begun to close in the kuban region due to the fuel crisis.

“gauleiter” of the temporarily occupied city of Sevastopol mikhail razvozhayev has urged residents not to wait in line for petrol, as there is none available.

In belgorod region, no improvement in internet service has been reported, despite the governor’s promise to restore stable connectivity starting May 30. There are even issues accessing sites on the “whitelist”.

The state duma has banned the sale in russia of equipment for foreign satellite communication systems that have not received permission to use russian radio frequencies. Websites offering such devices will be added to the registry of banned sites. This primarily concerns Starlink terminals.

The rf’s authorities are preparing to tighten restrictions on the russian internet. An additional 1.3 billion rubles will be allocated for this purpose.

About 3,000 russian IT companies may lose their accreditation from the ministry of digital development of the rf if they do not submit an application for renewal in time. This will primarily affect their employees – they will lose their preferential IT mortgages, while male employees under the age of 30 will face the threat of being drafted into the russian army. The companies themselves will lose their tax and other benefits.

russia is experiencing a shortage of the tick-borne encephalitis vaccine.

The USA has imposed sanctions for supplying weapons to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – the list includes individuals and companies from belarus. According to an official press release from the Department of State, Armory Alliance, a company registered in belarus, served as a key intermediary in one of the major arms trafficking schemes.

Estonia’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Karmen Laus has stated that the country’s position on the lukashenko regime remains unchanged, as the latter has not altered its repressive domestic and aggressive foreign policies.

The investigative committee of the rb will closely monitor posts and comments on social media, particularly on Threads and TikTok, and respond to them – the lukashenko regime plans to initiate new criminal cases over online statements.

For the third consecutive month, belarus has been the laggard in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) in terms of industrial production growth.

The number of patients newly diagnosed with drug addiction and substance abuse has increased by 20.5% in belarus over the past five years.