July 18, 2024 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

During its first plenary session in Strasbourg, the new European Parliament by a majority vote adopted a resolution to continue supporting Ukraine. “The European Parliament reminds that russia's  war of aggression against Ukraine is part of a broader set of targets against the West, against our democracy and our values; the EP welcomes the outcome of the NATO summit and reiterates its conviction that Ukraine is on an irreversible path to NATO membership”,  the document says. MEPs also called for lifting of restrictions on Ukraine’s  use of Western weapons systems against military targets in russia.

NATO has appointed Patrick Turner, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Operations and Defense Policy and Planning, as its Senior Representative in Ukraine.

The governments of Ukraine and the Czech Republic have signed two agreements on joint arms production: Sellier & Bellot and Česká zbrojovka, both part of the Colt CZ group, will produce NATO-standard ammunition and assault rifles in Ukraine.

The Czech Republic will provide military training to 1,700 more Ukrainian military servicemen this year.

Belgium and Ukraine have signed an agreement providing for investments in the reconstruction of our country in the amount of EUR 150 million over four years.

Ukraine will receive EUR 200 million  from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to help Naftogaz of Ukraine  create strategic reserves of natural gas and maintain energy security.

Germany will allocate EUR 10 million to restore the “Okhmatdyt” children's hospital.

The Government of Latvia will allocate EUR 100 thousand  to finance Ukrainian medical institutions.

rf

“We have seen the deepening of relations between China and russia, and this is not just about the restoration of  the (rf’s) defense industrial base. It also concerns (China's) attempts to be russia's main strategic partner. And so I can't predict where this will go from here”,   Spokesperson  for the US Department of State Matthew Miller said.

Switzerland has opened 56 proceedings related to possible violations of sanctions against the rf.

A court in Stuttgart has sentenced a German citizen with dual German-russian citizenship to six years and nine months in prison for selling electronics to russian companies in violation of sanctions.

Minister of the Interior and Administration of Poland Tomasz Siemoniak believes that foreign intelligence services, including those of russia, may be behind the recent great fires in his country.

On July 16, the Baltic power system operators officially informed the rf and the rb that they would disconnect from their power system starting in February 2025. On February 8, the Baltic countries will disconnect from the power grids of the rf and the rb and start joint testing in isolated mode. Synchronization with continental European grids is scheduled for February 9.

On the eve of the key  rate increase to 20%, which may occur as early as July 26, the central bank of the rf announced the need to further tighten monetary policy in the rf and maintain it as it is for a longer period than was expected in April 2024.

The main financial regulator of the rf has admitted  that in June, consumer price growth in russia accelerated by 9.3% compared to the first quarter of 2024 (in May, the growth was 10.7%).

At the same time, inflation, calculated by analysts for a five-year period, increased in June to 7.65% from 7.46% in May 2024. “These estimates show the  increased inflationary pressures in the medium term, given  the secondary effects of the inflationary shocks that have occurred”,  the central bank said in its report.

Conventional mortgages are becoming increasingly expensive for non-privileged russians. In July, loan rates at the largest banks amounted to 19.9% per annum. Experts predict that in the autumn, rates will rise to 24%, while  the number of people who will be granted a mortgage will decrease.

In the first half of the year, the number of “extremist” crimes committed by foreigners  in russia increased by 55%, the investigative committee of russia announced.

On August 1, Poland will launch the operation “Safe Podlasie” on the border with the rb, involving 17,000 troops. The aim of the operation is to increase the participation of the Polish Armed Forces in the protection of the eastern border.

As reported by the Lithuanian Customs Committee, starting from 00.00 a.m. on July 18, the country will introduce restrictions according to which passenger cars registered in the rb will be able to enter Lithuania until August 16, 2024, if they are not intended for sale and belong to citizens of the rb with a valid visa or residence permit in Lithuania (temporary or permanent). At this, the car must be driven by its owner. Cars with belarusian registration will be allowed to stay in Lithuania until January 18, 2025. After that, they will face confiscation.

Lithuanian optical device manufacturer Yukon Advanced Optics Worldwide is going  to complete the process of withdrawal from the rf and the rb this year. The group manufactures optics, including night vision devices, scopes and binoculars.

prime minister of the rb golovchenko has said that the country is ready to exchange its engineering products and spare parts for cuban pharmaceuticals, rum, cocoa beans, coffee and fruit puree.

Between April 10 and July 17, the staff shortage at the minsk tractor plant increased from 2,221 to 2,959 employees. It is noteworthy that only 633 of the vacancies offer the national average salary, while the rest are much lower.

On July 17, 163,009 offers from employers were posted in the national job bank of the rb. This is another anti-record. For comparison: on July 3, there were 161,045 vacancies, on May 31, there was a shortage of 154,010 workers, and on March 26, there were 141,000 vacancies.

In the first half of 2024, russian businesses posted 106,000 vacancies on the rb’s online recruitment platform. The number of offers increased by 28% compared to the same period last year.