February 12, 2024 Ukraine and the World - Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

Japan intends to allocate 15.8 billion yen (106 million US dollars) to support Ukraine's recovery from consequences of the war.

Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholtz has urged the US Congress to approve the $ 60 billion package of military assistance to Ukraine. In his opinion, congressional approval of the aid package would “send the right message to the russian president that his hopes are in vain, that he simply has to wait long enough for the support of Ukraine's friends in Europe, North America and elsewhere to wane”.

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Rishi Sunak labelled “ridiculous” putin’s arguments, with which he tries to justify his invasion of Ukraine.

Colonel Tarmo Kundla, Head of the Operations Division of the Estonian Defence Forces General Staff, believes that the upcoming presidential election in the rf will have an impact on the situation on the battlefield in Ukraine.

France has handed over six thousand tablets to the educational institutions of Kyiv region.

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The government of Ireland refused to issue visas to employees of the russian embassy on suspicion of espionage. Besides, two russian defence attachés have been expelled from the country, as they maintain close connection with or directly subordinate to russian special services, while abroad.

Minister of Defense of the Republic of Estonia Hanno Pevkur has said that Estonia will continue building a defense line on the border with russia, as well as increase the purchase of ammunition, weapons and military equipment.

Estonia, together with the allies, conducted a Talvelaager (Winter Camp) exercise to master combat operations in winter conditions.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Stéphane Séjourné has said he takes seriously the fears that russia might attack a NATO member state in the future.

Munich Security Conference Chairman Christoph Heusgen has said it is possible that russia might attack a NATO member-state.

According to the results of the fourth quarter of 2023, the proportion of russians who turned to microcredit organizations for the loan was 83.4 % of the total number of borrowers, which was the maximum since the third quarter of 2020.

The rf complicates the procedures for lending both for business and individuals: in the corporate segment, rigidity to borrowers became comparable to the spring of 2022, when the key rate was 20 %, and even more for individuals. The banks have warned the population about inevitable further toughening of credit conditions for retail borrowers, while the central bank of the rf continues to take additional measures to complicate the issuance of loans to borrowers.

In 2023, russian courts recognized a record number of russians as bankrupts – 350.8 thousand people (from October 2015, when this procedure was introduced, to the end of 2023, the courts recognized 1.1 million citizens of the rf as bancrupts). In 96.6 % of cases, russians themselves initiated the judicial procedure of personal bankruptcy. On average, creditors managed to receive only 6 % of debt from bankruptcy, in 69.2 % of cases they received nothing.

In 2023, 7.4 thousand corporate bankruptcies were recognized in the rf, most of all – in construction (1 822), trade (1 812) and real estate operations (734).

Hospitals and clinics of the temporarily occupied Crimea need 500 doctors and 1 thousand nurses.

The state duma of the rf has prepared a draft law on a complete ban on advertising on social networks and on other online sites, where the current government is criticized and which are called “foreign agents” in russia.

The russian side has provided belarus with discounts in the amount of up to 40 % for transportation by railways on the routes of the international transport corridor “sever-yug”(“north- south” – Transl.), as well as in the direction of the port of st.-petersburg. The aim of the project is to try to somehow involve the transit of cargo flows from India, Iran and the Gulf countries through the russian territory to Europe.