December 16, 2024  Ukraine and the World – Against  russia’s  Aggression. Sanctions in Action

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer has called on the G7 countries to increase their support for Ukraine and put more sanctions pressure on  the  rf.

“The Ukrainian Armed Forces showed great heroism while defending small settlements south of Kurakhove along the Sukhi Yaly River”,  said Head of the Estonian Defence Forces Intelligence Centre, Colonel Ants Kiviselg.

The Ministry of National Defense of Poland informs that since the beginning of russia's full-scale invasion, the country has transferred 1,300 pieces of military equipment to Ukraine, including tanks, self-propelled artillery systems, airplanes, and helicopters. The total value of the military aid sent exceeds EUR 4.5 billion.

Commander of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, General Raimundas Vaikšnoras, has said that the Lithuanian Armed Forces will continue to train military personnel and provide advisory support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine on reform matters.

Ukraine and the United States have agreed to deepen cooperation between the countries in cyber security, including increased investment in Ukrainian innovations, strengthening digital infrastructure, and introducing the latest technologies.

The US  Agency for International Development has donated 10 autonomous welding machines to Ukraine to quickly repair damaged energy infrastructure.

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The United States intends to impose sanctions against NIS, a company controlled by the russian companies gazprom and gazprom neft. The United Kingdom and the European Union intend  to take similar measures.

Qatar and Turkey will resume cooperation without russia in the Qatar-Turkey gas pipeline project, launched in 2009 through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria, but postponed due to the resistance of the Syrian Assad regime. Qatar has the third largest proven natural gas reserves in the world, estimated at about 25 trillion cubic meters.

Under the rf’s  government decree, from  July 1, 2025, gas tariffs for all categories of consumers in russia will increase by 10.3%.

In December in tyumen, the average cost of a 90-100 g can of caviar is 1,499 rubles, which is twice as much as in the same period in 2023. There is not enough fish to meet demand in the domestic market of the rf. The rise in the key policy rate also contributed to the rise in caviar prices. The fishing industry in the rf is credit-dependent due to the cost of maintaining vessels. The fishing season lasts for several months, while ship maintenance costs, as well as  salaries, are year-round.

A moratorium on developers' bankruptcies is planned until the end of 2025, as proposed by the rf’s ministry of construction. A high key policy rate can lead to the bankruptcy of highly leveraged companies. Another reason is the long years of preferential mortgages, which  will hardly be available in the next few years. Especially  affected will be developers focused on economy-class, as demand for such properties is falling the most. In 2023-2024, the margins of the development business in russia will decline due to labor shortages, associated downtime and rising prices for construction materials. Cost growth is outpacing the increase in apartment prices in russia. This process will continue in 2025-2026. The increase in the key rate and mass mortgage rates has led to a drop in demand for this method of purchasing real estate. To stimulate sales, the russian market is forced to introduce interest rate subsidies and tranche lending. In 2025, the share of such loans will be 24%, in 2026 – 28%. This will result in a 13% increase in construction costs per square meter by 2027.

Two russian tankers, “volgoneft 212” and “volgoneft 239”, carrying 4,300 tons of fuel oil, fell apart during a storm in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait.

From January to November, russians spent 2.41 billion rubles on the purchase of felt boots, the highest figure in the last three years, according to the state labeling system “honest mark”. Sales of felt boots increased by 27.6% compared to the same period in 2023 (RUB 1.89 billion). Compared to 2022, the growth was 30.6%, and compared to 2021 – 56.6%.

The education code of the rb stipulates the obligation to wear school uniforms, prohibits individual entrepreneurs from teaching preschoolers, and allows  grants for preparation for admission to belarusian higher education institutions to foreigners, namely “the target audience promising for the development of foreign economic relations, from Africa, Latin America and Asia”.

On January 1, the services of rooms for long-term visits in belarusian penal colonies will rise significantly in price –  to almost 11 rubles per person per day, compared to the previous 4 rubles.

On December 26, 2024, the court of  oktyabrsky district of minsk will begin the trial of Aleksandr Opolko, director of the  chain of hardware shops  in minsk, brest, grodno, and vitebsk, for participating in protests. Opolko was arrested in August 2024. After his detention, security forces called him a “disgruntled bourgeois”.