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

“…EU accession is what the Ukrainian people deserve and need. And it is what they are striving for as they defend their country. They want a European way of life and all the freedoms that come with it. And we must keep this in mind as our central goal. russia cannot win this war,” said Prime Minister of Ireland Micheál Martin.

The government of Italy has assured that it will not block the inclusion in the final declaration of the NATO summit in Ankara of a commitment to provide financial assistance to Ukraine through 2027.

The democratic world’s reaction to yet another barbaric russian airstrike on Ukraine on the night of July 2:

EU chief diplomat Kaja Kallas has stated that she will propose additional EU sanctions against russia following the nighttime shelling of Kyiv. “Today I will propose imposing sanctions on a wider range of companies supporting russia’s military-industrial complex in response to these strikes. The more moscow targets civilians, the more sanctions there must be,” she said.

“While Ukraine is acting in self-defense and striking military targets, russia is once again attacking civilians and terrorizing the population. I stand in full solidarity with the people of Ukraine,” said President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Petra Bayr.

“The true nature of russian aggression has once again become evident. I condemn this attack on civilian targets. I support additional steps to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense and welcome the fact that the government’s mandate at the NATO summit in Ankara also provides for continued support for Ukraine,” said President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel.

“My deepest condolences to the families. Moldova stands firmly with Ukraine. Accountability for these crimes, more pressure on russia and stronger support for Ukraine – this must be the world’s answer,” said President of Moldova Maia Sandu.

Following another massive russian attack on Ukraine, Minister of Defence of the Netherlands Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius has emphasized that the path to peace lies in strengthening our country. “putin’s brutality knows no bounds... Once again, there are many dead and wounded, including children. Peace is not achieved by rewarding aggression, but by keeping Ukraine strong,” she emphasized.

“Kyiv was once again subjected to a brutal attack last night, and this is absolutely unacceptable. The Netherlands condemns this aggression and expresses its full solidarity with Ukraine. russia must end the war, but instead is choosing even more violence. We will continue to support Ukraine and increase pressure on russia,”.said Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Tom Berendsen.

“We stand in full solidarity with the people of Ukraine following yesterday’s barbaric attacks by russia. russia must be forced to make peace through maximum pressure, including sanctions, and continued support for Ukraine,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Baiba Braže.

“This is a European capital in flames, with civilians killed overnight, because the kremlin still refuses to abandon its imperial ambitions.,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy Antonio Tajani has condemned the latest russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine and expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people, who have fallen victim to unacceptable violence.

“Finland expresses its respect for the courage and resilience of the Ukrainian people. We stand with Ukraine,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen.

“…russia's attacks on civilians are deeply concerning. Our thoughts are with the victims and all those affected. Norway remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway Espen Barth Eide.

“Romania stands in solidarity with Ukraine after another horrific night of russian attacks against Kyiv that targeted residential areas and critical infrastructure, killing and injuring innocent civilians,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania.

“…Germany, together with its partners, is stepping up the pressure on russia even further. We will continue to support Ukraine in its struggle for self-defense. This support will also be one of the main topics at the NATO summit to be held next week in Ankara,” said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the FRG.

The European Union’s Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternová has reported that russia, among other things, struck a location in Kyiv where diplomats reside. “Every night in Ukraine is like a game of russian roulette. We’re not complaining. We’re here to do our jobs, and we’ll continue to do them. But there’s no denying the psychological burden of living through nights like these,” she emphasized.

“There are natural disasters: earthquakes, storms, floods, things humanity cannot always prevent. And then there is russia, turning nights into civilian killing sprees,” Inga Stanite–Tolockiene, Lithuania’s Ambassador to Ukraine, commented on the nighttime shelling of Ukraine.

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Montenegro has begun preparing to introduce visas for russians. The country must fully align its visa policy with that of the EU by the end of the third quarter of 2026.

The European Court of Justice has authorized criminal prosecution in EU member states of individuals who post russia today’s content on public channels and websites.

The cumulative net financial result (profit minus loss) of russian organizations in January–April 2026 fell by 10.3% year-on-year. In 2025, the net profit of russian companies decreased by 3.9% year-on-year.

Black Sea Petroleum, which operates Georgia’s one and only oil refinery, the Kulevi Oil Refinery, in the port of Kulevi, has announced that it will stop purchasing russian oil due to the threat of EU sanctions.

The surge in oil revenues that the russian economy experienced after the start of the war in Iran has finally come to naught. The price of Urals crude – the main export grade of russian oil producers – fell to $44.96 as of June 26. Since the beginning of June, Urals has fallen in price by 40%.

Oil refining volumes in russia fell to 4.1 million barrels per day in June – the lowest level in recent years. According to market estimates, the average refinery utilization rate dropped to 64–65% in June, compared to 82–84% under normal circumstances.

The financial situation of russian companies is deteriorating, and the fuel crisis is exacerbating this situation. This was stated by deputy chairman of the executive board of “sberbank” taras skvortsov.

russia is facing a fuel shock: petrol prices have risen by 20% over the past year.

Shipping costs for imported goods to russia have risen by 20% due to the fuel crisis and higher rates for sea and railway transportation.

According to chair of the state duma committee on family protection nina ostanina, russian authorities are downplaying the scale of the fuel crisis in the country. She pointed out that such a cover-up of problems and the unwillingness to address them is dangerous, especially on the eve of the harvest. “After all, the country could be left without bread, which, under international sanctions, is tantamount to death,” she emphasized.

The ministry of energy of the rf has urged russians not to use online resources that provide information on fuel availability at filling stations. The ministry has warned that such resources “may pose a threat”.

In russia, demand for the installation of LNG equipment in cars has surged amid the fuel crisis. In June, the number of requests for conversions increased by 35% compared to March–April.

russians have begun searching en masse for petrol additives to improve fuel quality. Prices for these additives on online marketplaces are rising sharply.

russia’s largest marketplace, “wildberries”, as well as “ozon” and “yandex market”, will increase the commission rates charged to sellers. They attribute this decision to the current economic situation, particularly the significant rise in fuel prices. Marketplace fees will rise to 20%. The commission increase will lead to price hikes of up to 90% for goods on these platforms.

Dairy producers have warned retail chains about delays in goods delivery due to the fuel crisis. Producers in udmurtia, volgograd region, and astrakhan region are already experiencing delivery delays.

“brk” – the largest private filling station chain in eastern siberia – which operates over 100 stations in irkutsk region, buryatia, and the trans-baikal territory – has announced that it will stop selling fuel to individual consumers. As of July 1, the company’s filling stations have stopped selling all grades of petrol.

member of the krasnodar city duma aleksandr safronov has criticized deputy prime minister of the rf aleksandr novak for stating that “the domestic market is well-supplied with both petrol and diesel fuel.” “If you’re standing in line at a petrol station for five hours, don’t get upset – look at life positively, just like the deputy prime minister,” he said.

In kaliningrad region, bus routes are already being cut back due to a fuel shortage.

Major russian companies have found themselves unable to plan their budgets or prepare management reports due to the shutdown of the IBM Planning Analytics system. The certificates issued by IBM in 2016 have expired. Certificates are issued once every ten years, but after IBM withdrew from russia in 2022, renewals ceased, and it became impossible to extend existing certificates or obtain new ones.

The number of new security agencies registered in russia from January through May fell by a quarter compared to the same period last year.

russians are withdrawing cash from banks at a rate of 13 billion rubles per day.

Over the past year, more than a third of russian consumers have cut back on the number of their tourist trips. In the last two weeks of June, the number of hotel bookings in russia fell by 12% year-on-year, while the cancellation rate rose from 24% to 33%. For tour operators, the share of domestic tour sales fell from 33.6% to 18.5%. Outbound tourism has also lost momentum. Demand for Europe has dropped significantly: hotel bookings in Spain fell by 80%, in France – by 52%, and in Italy – by 50%. The main constraints remain general uncertainty, the desire to save money, and consumer pessimism.

Since the start of the full-scale war with Ukraine, the russian chains “shokoladnitsa” and “mu-mu” have halved the number of their locations amid falling foot traffic and rising costs.

In russia, people have become overly fixated on the word “sovereignty”, as the pursuit of complete independence in all areas is impractical. This was stated by president-chairman of the “vtb” andrei kostin. He added that some businessmen are seriously discussing the need for import substitution even in the production of chocolate sweets.

Owners of Chinese cars are abandoning compulsory motor vehicle liability insurance (OSAGO) in russia en masse. The share of drivers operating vehicles without an OSAGO policy already exceeds 50%. This is because russians consider such insurance a waste of money: in case of an accident, the compensation received isn’t even enough to cover the cost of new replacement parts.

From January to June, the number of transactions involving apartments in complexes under construction in moscow fell by 52–57% compared to the same period last year.

Owners of about 15% of shopping centers in moscow and the immediate moscow suburbs are considering selling them.

In the first half of 2026, neighboring EU countries recorded 7,886 attempts to cross the border from belarus.

belarus’ trade deficit in goods reached $2.2 billion as of the end of May.

In 2025, the russian ruble’s share of belarus’ gross external debt exceeded 40%.

Over the first five months of this year, sales of heavy “maz” trucks (over 16 tons) in russia fell by 5.9% compared to the same period in 2025. This occurred against the background of 14.6% growth in this segment and gains among all of “maz”’s top-10 competitors.