April 28, 2022 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

April 27, Parliament of Canada unanimously passed a resolution recognizing russia's actions in Ukraine as genocide. Canadian lawmakers stressed that there is sufficient evidence of systemic and massive war crimes and crimes against humanity committed against Ukrainians by the russian military under the instructions of dictator putin and members of the russian parliament. According to the request of the House of Commons of Canada, russia's war crimes include: mass atrocities, systematic cases of deliberate killings of Ukrainian civilians, desecration of corpses, forcible displacement of Ukrainian children, torture, physical harm, mental harm, rape.

Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the rf’s actions during the invasion of Ukraine and its methods of waging war as “genocide”.

Estonia was the first EU country to recognize russia's war against Ukraine as genocide of the Ukrainian people.

Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie has announced the government's intention to allow the confiscation of frozen russian assets in favor of Ukraine. Canada will be the first G7 country to make such a decision. “Today we are looking for opportunities not only to arrest, but also to confiscate the assets of individuals and organizations under sanctions and provide compensation to the victims”, ​​Jolie said in a statement. She stressed that this will be the first such legal decision among the G7 countries. The text of the bill, proposed for consideration by the lower house of the Canadian Parliament, states that the seized assets can be used to “restore a foreign state that has suffered as a result of a serious violation of international peace and security”. The money can also be used to “restore international peace and security” and to compensate victims of violations of this security. A similar bill that would allow Canada to confiscate russian assets has also been introduced by Senator Ratna Omidwar to the upper house of the Parliament.

The Canadian authorities have decided to impose personal sanctions on 203 representatives of the so-called dpr and lpr, said Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie. She explained that the sanctions have been imposed on 11 high-ranking officials and 192 so-called mps of so- called republican parliaments. The reason for the sanctions was Ottawa's accusing them of “complicity in encroachments on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine by Russia”.

The US House of Representatives has passed Bill HR 6930, which provides for the confiscation of assets of russian sanctioned legal entities and individuals. 417 US congressmen voted in favor of the document. It stipulates that funds seized or to be confiscated from US-sanctioned foreigners will be used to rebuild Ukraine and provide humanitarian aid to its people, as well as other aid to Ukraine and its people, including military assistance. For the bill to come into force, it must be passed by the Senate and signed by the President of the United States.

73% of US citizens support the supply of weapons to Ukraine to resist russian aggression. This is the highest level of support since the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine, according to Reuters.

April 27, as part of anti-kremlin sanctions, Switzerland froze russian assets by about 9 billion francs ($ 9.34 billion). This amount is about one and a half billion francs more than the one reported by the country's authorities in early April. New sanctions have also been imposed to ban coal imports. Switzerland has supported the sanctions imposed by the European Union on russia after the start of a large-scale invasion of Ukraine. This decision contrasts sharply with the traditional policy of Swiss neutrality.

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces of the United Kingdom James Heappey announced the rapid handing over of British Brimstone missiles. One of the obstacles to the transfer was the search for the most effective platform for the installation of anti-ship missiles. Currently, according to the Deputy Minister, progress has been made on this issue. Therefore, in the coming weeks, Brimstone missiles will be handed over to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. British missiles exist in two versions —“ground-to-ground” and “air-to-ground”. Depending on the version, the range can be 60 km (if launched from an aircraft) or 10-12 km (if launched from the ground). The missile is equipped with a homing head that can capture targets. In the UK, the Brimstone Sea Spear is being tested on offshore platforms.

The Netherlands was one of the first European countries to promise significant military assistance to Ukraine before the russian invasion on February 24. This assistance consisted of 2 Thales Squire ground-based surveillance radars, 5 AN / TPQ-36 Firefinder counter-battery radars, 2 autonomous SeaFox submarines for mine detection, 100 (anti-personnel) sniper rifles with 30,000 rounds of ammunition, as well as 3,000 helmets and 2,000 bulletproof vests. Following the invasion, the Netherlands quickly announced an additional aid package that included 50 Stinger MANPADS launchers with 200 missiles and 50 Panzerfaust 3 anti-tank guns with 400 missiles. Shortly afterwards, the Dutch Minister of Defense announced that she would no longer provide detailed information on arms supplies to Ukraine to ensure security.

A complete surprise was the information that the Netherlands plans to provide Ukraine not only with vehicles, but also with several high-tech 155-mm self-propelled guns Panzerhaubitze 2000NL (PzH 2000NL). Under the previous agreement, the Netherlands will provide some PzH 2000 (probably 6 to 8 units), and Germany will teach Ukrainian soldiers to use self-propelled guns in Germany or Poland, as well as provide the necessary ammunition.

PzH 2000 is one of the most modern self-propelled artillery designs on the planet, combining survivability, mobility, long range and high rate of fire with a variety of modern ammunition. It has the function of multiple simultaneous destruction (MRSI): the automatic reloading system allows to release 2 to 5 rounds of ammunition on one trajectory, while hitting the target. To do this, the SPA is even equipped with a sensor that measures the muzzle velocity of each ammunition for accurate fire adjustment.

Polish special services detained russian and belarusian citizens in Bialystok on charges of espionage. The detainees had been living on Polish territory for a long time, collecting information on the location of military units, weapons and personnel. Polish special services say that since the beginning of the russian invasion of Ukraine, seven citizens have been detained for espionage in favor of russia and belarus.

Poland refused to pay for russian gas under the new conditions, i.e. in rubles, and thus finance russia's aggression against Ukraine. On April 27, Poland switched to alternative sources of supply.

Germany is gradually getting rid of its dependence on russian gas, its share in the structure of imports has fallen from 55% to 35%, said Germany’s Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Robert Habeck. “This shows that the steps taken have been successful”, he emphasized. Habeck stressed that Germany’s authorities continue to ensure the operation of liquefied gas terminals.

The German asset management company DWS Group has stated its refusal to invest in russian securities. The decision was made against the background of russia's invasion of Ukraine, “too tense geopolitical situation” and “humanitarian catastrophe in Ukraine”. A DWS’ press release also states that the company has allocated € 250,000 to provide humanitarian aid to Ukraine. DWS Group is a former division of Deutsche Bank (until 2018). As of 2020, the company managed $ 10 trillion in assets.

Due to the russian invasion of Ukraine, the world's largest German chemical concern BASF has decided to suspend operations in russia and belarus until the end of June.

Italy is considering the temporary nationalization of the ISAB refinery in Sicily, owned by russia's “lukoil”, if restrictions are imposed on oil imports from russia.

In Finland, russian businessman timchenko’s assets have been confiscated, including a share of the country's largest indoor arena, Hartwall Arena, in Helsinki.

Finland has decided not to pay for russian gas in rubles, said Minister for European Affairs and Ownership Steering Tytti Tuppurainen.

“aeroflot” and utair mobile apps have been removed from App Store.

Chinese drone and video camera maker Dajiang Innovation has stopped operating in russia.

“aeroflot” is excluded from membership in the international aviation alliance SkyTeam. “We are working to limit the impact on customers and will keep those affected by any changes to SkyTeam benefits and services informed”, the alliance said in a statement. SkyTeam brings together 19 airlines from around the world, working together in a large global network.

Earlier, on April 11, the European Commission blacklisted 21 russian airlines, including “Aeroflot”, “rossia”, “pobeda”, utair and others. They are prohibited from flying to the airports of the EU and flying over its territory.

The French company Schneider Electric (manufacturer of switchgear and protection equipment, automation devices for electricity) has announced its intention to sell its assets in russia.

The French chain of sports shops Decathlon will stop the operation of several more shops in russia. From May 11, one store will be closed in tyumen and yaroslavl, from May 16 – two in moscow and one in st. petersburg. To date, 17 Decathlon stores have been closed in russia.

The General Assembly of the United Nations World Tourism Organization has suspended russia's membership in the Organization, according to a press release published on the website of the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism.

The Swedish company AAK, which specializes in the supply of vegetable oils and industrial fats for the food industry, is leaving the russian market.

Swedish music and streaming service Spotify disconnected 2.1 million russian users in March-April with a paid subscription due to the suspension of its work in russia, reads a quarterly report.

rf

russia is trying to circumvent Western sanctions after foreign companies stopped supplying Internet equipment to the country. russian IT companies are trying to establish parallel imports, as the stock of components is enough for a few months. On the other hand, piracy and smuggling can cause significant damage to telecom companies, as investors and shareholders will simply not want to deal with them. russians will have to forget about quality communication, unlimited mobile Internet, smartphones, platforms and playmarkets.

the ministry of digital development, communications and mass media of the rf has recommended that mobile operators abandon unlimited tariffs and limit the volume of traffic packages for their subscribers; operators were exempted from complying in 2022 with the requirements to cover the russian hinterland and highways.

RSPP has stated possible disruptions in cellular networks due to shortage of equipment, wear and tear of capacity available to operators, exchange rate differences and rising equipment costs. The telecommunications industry is also suffering from IT professionals’ (who are reluctant to put up with the rapidly deteriorating economic situation) mass leaving for abroad. According to the RSPP commission, in the next six months the number of highly qualified personnel in this sphere may be reduced by almost a third.

“Earlier, russia did not introduce parallel imports, respecting the interests of foreign brands, but now it acts differently, without flirting”, said deputy chairman of the russian security council Medvedev.

chairman of the accounting chamber of the russian federation kudrin predicts inflation in russia in 2022 according to the baseline forecast of 20.7%. “russia will live in a very difficult situation for the next one and a half to two years. The decline of the russian economy in 2022, according to preliminary estimates of the ministry of economic development, will be 8.8%”, he said.

russian finance minister siluanov said that russia's 2022 federal budget deficit will be at least 1.6 trillion rubles. only due to deferred payment of insurance premiums. At the same time, he stressed that money for russia's national welfare fund will be accumulated in rubles to avoid “freezing”.

According to the forecast of the ministry of economic development of the rf, oil and gas condensate production may decrease in 2022 by 9-17%, oil exports – by 1-8%.

exxon neftegas ltd declared force majeure and began to reduce oil production on the Sakhalin-1 project due to the complexity of activities and sales of products against the background of international sanctions.

speaker of the federation council matvienko is outraged that “the ruble has fallen sharply, all price tags have been rewritten, even where there is no dollar component. The growth is 30 to 70%”. At the same time, she stressed that russian manufacturers “cannot get into retail chains”, and payments are made with them within 90-100 days, and they are deprived of free funds.

The bank of russia has limited the possibility of accelerating the sale of shares after their conversion from foreign depository receipts: within a day, depository professionals can write off no more than 0.2% of the total number of such securities.

 “ural airlines” has canceled all flights to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Armenia and Uzbekistan until October 29”, the airline's website says.

The “state transport leasing company”, which has come under international sanctions, cannot pay the coupon income of $ 14.9 million on Eurobonds, the company said.

Almost 80 enterprises of st. petersburg stopped their activities after the russian invasion of Ukraine, said acting director of the employment center of st. petersburg tatiana ivanova.

rosstat has reported that the production of cars in russia in March decreased by 72.1%, in the I quarter – by 33.2%.

russian restaurants are forced to forget about imported fish and seafood because of the rising prices due to reduced supplies and logistical problems.

The association of cinema owners has announced that the lack of repertoire due to the fact that the russian market is now without Hollywood movies, in the coming months can lead to the closure of at least 50% of cinemas. The association calls on the government to take measures to support the industry in the next 30 days.