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

Ukraine is to receive the first EUR 3.2 billion of the EUR 90 billion EU loan on June 25–26 during the Recovery Conference in Gdańsk.

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved the first Development Policy Operation (DPO) entitled “Jobs in Ukraine and Private Sector Growth,” which provides for financing in the amount of $3.39 billion: a World Bank loan of $1.04 billion, backed by a credit enhancement of $540 million from the ADVANCE Ukraine Trust Fund with support from Japan and guarantees from the United Kingdom for $500 million; grant financing of $2.35 billion from the Financial Intermediary Fund of Facilitation of Resources to Invest in Strengthening Ukraine (F.O.R.T.I.S.).

Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Mathias Cormann has stated that Ukraine is already considered a prospective member of the OECD, but accession will require difficult structural reforms.

“…We will do our part. Not least because we prepared – and helped prepare – 200 agreements and contracts for the Conference. Among them – many Polish-Ukrainian treaties directly related to joint projects and joint business ventures after the war ends,” said Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk regarding preparations for the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk.

Famous Polish columnist Sławomir Sierakowski believes that support for Kyiv is a key issue for Warsaw, as it directly influences Poland’s own security.

Deputy Permanent Representative of the United States to the UN Dan Negri has stated that Washington supports Ukraine in defending its freedom and sovereignty. “As President Trump clearly stated during last week’s G7 summit, russia must reach an agreement. Time is not on moscow’s side,” he emphasized.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen believes that now is not the time to begin negotiations with russia. “It is important to first agree on our goals, as well as how we want to proceed. We have already made significant progress on this issue,” Valtonen pointed out.

Over the past year, the United Nations documented 1,899 gross violations of children’s rights in Ukraine committed by the russian army, and Secretary-General António Guterres once again added the russian army to the “list of shame”. The document states that russian troops killed 94 children and wounded 753. The UN’s annual report on children and armed conflict points out that russia’s armed forces remain on the UN’s “list of shame”.

“We are seeing signs that russia is preparing military provocations against the Baltic states or Poland. This isn’t about a conventional war – since russia isn’t capable of that right now – but rather hybrid attacks using missiles, drones, or other means designed to send a message: stop supporting Ukraine, or you’ll face problems of your own,” said a representative of Latvia’s intelligence. “We are seeing more and more signs that putin wants only good news. He is isolated, and this further complicates the decision-making process, as decisions are not based on the actual situation,” intelligence officials emphasized.

Following the stock market, which has been falling for 15 consecutive weeks and hitting lows not seen since 2023, russian government debt has experienced its sharpest sell-off in several years. The RGBI index, which tracks federal bond prices, fell by 1.59% on Monday – the sharpest decline since late September 2022. The decline, which began on Friday (down by 0.8%), accelerated twofold at the start of the new week.

russians and russian businesses have accumulated a record amount of tax debt. As of April 2026, the total debt amounted to nearly 4 trillion rubles, having increased by about a third over the past year. Of the total debt, 1.7 trillion rubles is directly attributable to arrears in taxes, fees, and insurance contributions. The remainder consists of accrued late fees, penalties, and interest on overdue payments.

At the end of 2025, “neo-pak”, one of the rf’s largest packaging manufacturers, reported a loss of 110.7 million rubles. In 2024, its net profit was 39.4 million rubles.

As of January 1, 2026, the russian academy of sciences’ accounts receivable reached 1.9 billion rubles, having increased by 73.9% over the year.

The net loss of the russian mining and metallurgical company “rusolovo” for 2025 totaled 5.03 billion rubles, which is 1.5 times higher than the loss in 2024.

In russia, the number of companies liquidated in the field of research and development has risen sharply. In January–May 2026, 1,037 such organizations were liquidated, which is by 44% more than during the same period last year.

Foreign luxury brands no longer have any shops in russia. This was stated by expert with the association of retail real estate and retail experts natalia  kermedchiyeva. She also emphasized that she categorically rejects the possibility of these brands returning if they register their trademarks in the rf. “It’s simply a matter of protecting their rights,” she explained.

The investment appeal of the russian dairy market has plummeted. In January–May 2026, by 45% fewer new companies were registered in the market compared to the previous year, and the number of operating companies began to decline.

Following petrol, jet fuel prices in russia are rising: for passengers, this could result in surcharges of up to 1,500 rubles per ticket.

Restrictions on petrol sales have been introduced in irkutsk, omsk, and novosibirsk regions. governor of saratov region roman busargin  has also announced restrictions on petrol sales to individuals.

Restrictions on petrol  sales have also been introduced in russia’s main oil-producing region – the khanty-mansi autonomous okrug – which accounts for 40% of all russian oil production.

Amid the fuel crisis, russia began purchasing more expensive belarusian petrol, which has affected prices for russians. Exchange-traded sales of belarusian-produced petrol in russia during the first three weeks of June increased 51-fold compared to the same period last year.

In 2025, the percentage of russians who were unable to pay for a purchase using non-cash methods rose from 32% to 43%. Among the main reasons – malfunctioning equipment or a lack of an internet connection.

“russian children must be prepared for war with NATO and the EU immediately after finishing primary school,” stated first deputy chairman of the state duma committee on CIS affairs viktor vodolatsky.

In the first half of 2026, demand for luxury new-construction properties in moscow declined significantly. The number of transactions involving luxury flats  fell by 27% compared to the same period last year.

The average cost of finishing new office properties in moscow rose by 22% as of the end of May.

“Let’s not forget about belarus, even though the world’s attention is rightly focused on Ukraine,” urged President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Petra Bair, addressing PACE members. “Authoritarianism is counting on our attention to fade. We must not let it succeed,” she said.

Since 2021, more than 80 environmental organizations have been forcibly dissolved in the rb, and another 60 or so have ceased operations on their own due to pressure from the regime.

belarus remains an outlier among its neighboring countries in terms of healthcare spending. According to data from the World Bank and the World Health Organization, approximately 6.6% of GDP was allocated to healthcare in the country in 2023. By comparison, the average for the European Union is 10.5%, while in Germany it reaches 12.3%. At this, about one-third of all healthcare expenditures in belarus are covered not by the state, but by citizens themselves and other non-governmental sources.

In the first five months of 2026, by 26.2% fewer flats were built in belarus than during the same period last year.

lukashenko has called on  residents of gomel region “not to worry or be concerned” in light of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s statements. He has  also announced a “long-term business trip abroad”.