April 2, 2025 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany Annalena Baerbock has announced a new large-scale military aid package for Ukraine totaling EUR 11 billion: EUR 3 billion will be provided in 2025, and the remaining EUR 8.25 billion will be disbursed in 2026–2029. Berlin is also allocating additional EUR 130 million for humanitarian needs and stabilization measures for Ukraine.

Acting Interior Minister of the FRG Nancy Faeser has assured that her country will provide protection to Ukrainian refugees for as long as the war continues.

The Weimar+ support group for Ukraine (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the United Kingdom) has announced that it will enhance its support for Ukraine while simultaneously imposing new sanctions on russia to force it to agree to a ceasefire.

The European Union is officially launching the Ukraine2EU program to prepare Ukraine for EU accession and membership.

The European Commission has transferred to Ukraine EUR 3.5 billion – another tranche under the Ukraine Facility.

Ukraine and the European Investment Bank have agreed to finance EUR 100 million under the Ukraine Facility program.

“When this war ends – and it will end one day – reconstruction will be needed not only for buildings in Bucha, Borodyanka, Bakhmut, Chasiv Yar, Toretsk or Mariupol. It will require justice and accountability for the unprecedented crimes committed by russia. Only justice and due process of law will bring peace to the hearts of every Ukrainian family. The peace they need to move forward and rebuild their lives,” emphasized EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas during a hearing on the EU’s response to russia’s war crimes against Ukraine.

“We fully respect the sovereignty of Ukraine on its internationally recognized territory. Lithuania will never recognize any illegal occupation of Ukraine’s territory, neither today, nor tomorrow, nor in the future,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys. During his visit to Kyiv, Kęstutis Budrys also called for deterring russia to avoid a war with the rf or a potential occupation of the Baltic states.

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Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Germany, France, Italy, Poland, Spain and the UK, as well as head of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas have issued a joint statement on the need to keep russian assets frozen until the war in Ukraine is completely over.

The EU is discussing the 17th package of sanctions against russia. “There is a clear consensus that we need this,” said EU High Representative Kaja Kallas.

$500 million worth of aircraft parts, purchased by russia, remain blocked in the United States due to ongoing sanctions.

The value of russian assets frozen in Switzerland due to economic sanctions imposed against moscow increased to CHF 7.4 billion ($8.38 billion) at the end of March 2025 from CHF 5.8 billion a year earlier, the government said. The increase was due to the identification and blocking of additional funds.

Indian refineries are looking for an alternative to russian oil due to the possibility of additional sanctions against the rf.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Moldova has declared three employees of the russian embassy persona non grata. The reason for this decision was “clear evidence” of the actions of russian diplomats on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, which contradict the diplomatic status.

The net loss of “pochta rossii”(“russia’s post”– Transl.) in 2024 almost tripled – to 20.5 billion rubles.

“rosnano” state corporation has committed a technical default on the issue of government-guaranteed bonds. On March 31, “rosnano’ was supposed to pay 1 billion rubles in coupon payments to the holders of its coupon payments, but investors did not see the money.

Exports of coking and thermal coal through russia’s main Baltic port of Ust-Luga in March decreased by 30 % year-on-year – to 2.4 million tons.

russia’s heavy truck market is experiencing a significant drop in demand: it halved at the beginning of the year. Sales in the segment are declining first of all due to expensive loans. In 2024, sales decreased by 4 % to 124 thousand units. This year, the market has accelerated its decline: in early 2025, sales of heavy trucks (over 16 tons GVW) fell by 50 % to 4.3 thousand units. The previous month also showed a significant decline – minus 30 % (4.4 thousand units). Demand for medium-duty trucks (3.5–16 tons) also fell: at the beginning of the year, sales of such vehicles decreased by 26 % (to 1.2 thousand units) compared to the same period last year, and by 13 % (to 1.1 thousand units) a month earlier.

Primary real estate in the main regional markets of russia rose by 0.9 % over the month. The growth rate of average prices is accelerating.

In 2024, sales of spirits in russia, except for vodka, increased by 10.2 %, having reached 3.2 liters per capita a year. This figure is a record since 2017. At the same time, sales of vodka remained at the previous year’s level of 5.3 liters per person, which is also the highest since 2017 and has been at this level for the third year in a row. In total, the consumption of strong alcohol increased by 3.7 % to 8.5 liters per capita. For comparison, in 2021, this figure was 7.4 liters. The average per capita consumption of vodka in russia in 2021 was five liters. However, in 2022, after russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, vodka sales increased by 6 %.

In the first two months of 2025, the growth rate of jewelry and costume jewelry sales in russia slowed almost twice compared to the same period in 2024.

Manufacturers of children’s toys and clothing in russia are on the verge of bankruptcy due to a drop in the birth rate to a minimum since the 1990s.

The all-russian union of patients has appealed to the deputy prime minister of the rf with proposals to support russians suffering from obesity, the number of which reaches 40 million people (or 27 % of russia’s citizens). The organization has called for priority attention to be paid to obese women of reproductive age to increase the birth rate.

russian companies are ready to pay applicants aged 14 to 17 more than 80 thousand rubles per month due to the shortage of labour. Compared to January 2024, the average salary of young people has increased by RUB 30 thousand and is now comparable to the salaries of adult professionals.

Starting from June 1, 2025, russian banks will have the right to restrict cash withdrawals from ATMs if they consider the transaction to be “suspicious”.

The security council of the rf has declared that nearly 700,000 illegal migrants in russia pose a “special danger”.

The rf has passed a law banning employees of government agencies, banks and telecom operators from communicating with customers using foreign messengers. The restrictions will also apply to non-credit financial organizations, large aggregators and websites with an audience of 500 thousand users a day.

Pregnant schoolgirls in Kemerovo region will receive a one-time payment of RUB 100 thousand. Earlier, similar payments were introduced in Orel and Bryansk regions.

If the law on the localization of taxi vehicles is passed in the rf, residents of Kaliningrad will face a serious increase in the cost of travel and a decrease in the availability of legal transport, – said representatives of the taxi business in Kaliningrad region. Most carriers continue to use foreign models as they are more reliable and suitable for commercial operation. russian cars, on the other hand, require frequent unscheduled repairs – on average more than three times in the first year: maintenance costs exceed 70,000 rubles per year. The most problematic components are suspension, electronics, brakes, and transmission.

To protect its eastern border, Poland is building new military posts on the territory of the provinces bordering belarus and russia – Podlasie and Warmian-Masurian provinces.

belarusian officials have stated that high school graduation parties are not about entertainment and limousines, they are about gratitude to the country’s leadership.

The ministry of information of the rb has added to the list of banned literature a book that was included in the top 100 best works of the 21st century – “Cloud Atlas”, a novel by British writer David Mitchell. The list also includes three novels by the popular Swedish writer Fredrik Backman – “Beartown”, “Us Against You”, and “After the Storm”.