June 26, 2024 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

The European Union has officially launched accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova. “This is very good news for the people of Ukraine, Moldova and the entire European Union. The road ahead will be difficult but full of opportunities. We wish you a successful start to the negotiations”, said President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

“We are finalizing our security commitments with Ukraine. I hope that the work will be finalized very soon for us to be able to sign these security commitments, perhaps as early as this month, perhaps on the margins of the next European Council”, said EU Chief Diplomat Josep Borrell.

Ukraine and the EU have signed a loan agreement that will allow our country to raise up to EUR 27 billion in 2024-2027 to support the state budget out of the total EUR 50 billion of the EU's Ukraine Facility.

The EU Council has decided to extend temporary protection until March 4, 2026 for more than four million Ukrainian refugees.

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) has announced a judgment on the merits in the first interstate case Ukraine against russia (regarding Crimea), in which it found the rf responsible for violations of human rights and freedoms in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.

Denmark will allocate over $21 million to support Ukraine and Moldova on their way to the EU.

The United States is preparing another $150 million military aid package for Ukraine, which will include ammunition for HIMARS rocket launcher systems, anti-tank and small arms, grenades, as well as 155mm and 105mm artillery shells.

Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs James O'Brien believes that to ensure Ukraine's success in the war imposed by the rf, it is necessary first of all to deprive russia of the opportunity to advance “in the east”, use its firing lines and prevent Ukraine from restoring its economy. According to him, this can be achieved by providing Ukrainians with sufficient air defense and other weapons to enable the Armed Forces of Ukraine to fight for a long period of time.

The United States will finance printing of more than three million textbooks for Ukrainian elementary school students by the beginning of the next school year through USAID mechanisms.

Spain has handed over to Ukraine the second batch of anti-aircraft missiles for the Patriot air defense systems.

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala has announced that the first batch of ammunition has been delivered to Ukraine as part of the Czech initiative to purchase shells.

Germany, Poland and France initiate the creation of a “long-range weapons coalition in Europe”.

Germany intends to order more than two million artillery shells worth a record EUR 15 billion to replenish the Bundeswehr's stockpile.

Germany has transferred 41 Mercedes Arocs trucks to the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

“Our support is not to make NATO a party to the conflict, but to make sure that Ukraine can defend its right to self-defense”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a joint communique with President of France Emmanuel Macron following the meeting, during which they discussed, among other things, a plan to increase assistance to Ukraine and our country's future in the Alliance in preparation for the NATO summit.

Japan has eased visa requirements for Ukrainian citizens since June 24.

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US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has presented the annual Trafficking in Persons Report for 2024, which includes the rf and the rb among the 13 countries whose authorities encourage or finance human trafficking (Afghanistan, Burma, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, and Turkmenistan). “There are still reports that russian-led forces are using children as soldiers, informants and human shields”, the Report says.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavský has emphasized that he will continue to work on the issue of banning the movement of russian diplomats in the Schengen area.

The Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for the rf security council secretary (former defense minister) shoigu and chief of the general staff of the rf gerasimov.

The EU's ban on the use of the system for transfer of financial messages (spfs- russian equivalent of the SWIFT- Transl.) of the central bank of the rf will have a significant impact on russia's foreign economic activity, which will lead to a further rise in the price of imported goods and services. By the end of the summer, russia's trade with some countries will fall by 20-25%, while prices for electronics alone will increase by 15-20% due to a 4-5% increase in intermediary fees. The overall drop in imports with russia's main trading partner China could reach 20-25%, which is a critical level for the rf.

EU sanctions pose the greatest risk to banks in the cis and “friendly” to russia countries that are connected to the spfs and work with russia through it, but also conduct transactions with the EU. As of 2023, 556 user organizations used the spfs, including more than 160 foreign ones from 20 countries. In 2022, the central bank of the rf classified the list of banks and organizations connected to the spfs, while it was stated that in 2023 the total number of messages transmitted through the system doubled compared to the traffic in 2022.

The 14th package of EU anti-russian sanctions has allowed Finland and Sweden to unilaterally terminate long-term contracts with russia for the supply of liquefied natural gas. After novatek's cryogas vysotsk company’s exports to Finnish Gasum and to Swedish terminals stop, russia will lose up to 0.2 million tons of lng, or almost a third of the plant's design capacity.

Finnish state-owned energy company Gasum has announced that it will not purchase or import russian liquefied natural gas from July 26.

Finland will confiscate the Helsinki Hall concert and sports arena owned by russians timchenko and rotenberg: the deal to sell shares in Helsinki Hall should be completed by June 30, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland Elina Valtonen said.

The UK Treasury's Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) has authorized the transfer of the assets of the vtb capital, a subsidiary of russian bank vtb, to a special trust for further sale.

The Czech Home Credit Group has withdrawn from the capital of the russian company “home credit insurance”.

In March-May, India cut imports of russian coal by 22.6%, to 6.76 million tons, according to Bigmint, a coal consulting company. Logistics costs in russia have increased, so it is losing competition in international markets.

Germany, Poland and France initiate the creation of a “long-range weapons coalition in Europe”.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) plans to increase its investments in European defense and inject another EUR 6 billion into the sector.

Germany intends to order more than two million artillery shells worth a record EUR 15 billion to replenish the Bundeswehr's stockpile.

russian authorities have actually introduced censorship of information from democratic media, banning leading media outlets from the European Union. We are talking about 81 publications and news agencies from 25 countries. In particular, the German magazine Die Zeit, the Polish TV channel Belsat, the French newspapers Le Monde and Liberation, the online edition Euobserver, the Swedish TV and radio company SVT, the news agencies Agence France-Presse, Politico, La Stampa, La Repubblica, El Pais, El Mundo, Der Spiegel have been banned.

The rf’s and the rb’s flags have been banned from the Wimbledon tennis tournament, and fans will not be allowed to bring them into the tournament.

russian gold mining company solidcore resources (formerly polymetal) has applied for delisting of its shares from the moscow exchange: the decision was made due to the US sanctions against the trading platform. Trading in solidcore resources shares will stop on September 30. Following this announcement, solidcore resources shares plummeted by 27%.

In the rf, experts estimate the turnover of counterfeit medicines and medical devices used in cosmetology at almost 100 billion rubles, which is equivalent to 40% of the total market. According to the forecast, in 2024 this figure will increase by at least 5%. The main reason for the growth of counterfeiting is the withdrawal of leading foreign brands from the russian market.

Due to the russian economic crisis, in May, russians took out 6.34 million microloans worth a record 81.4 billion rubles, the most in the last year and a half.

At the end of June, the number of canceled tourist travel bookings to the temporarily occupied by the rf Sevastopol increased by 78% compared to the usual period, and to Crimea – by 28%.

The ministry of agriculture and food of the rb has increased beef prices for the EAEU, CIS and Georgia by $0.1 a kilogram. Veal should be sold at no less than $3.7 per kilogram, and beef – at no less than $3.5 a kilogram. The price for milk and cream condensed in powder, granules or other solid forms has been raised by five rubles to 350 rubles a kilogram.

According to belstat, about 1.6 thousand employees were laid off in the IT sector in January-February, and 2.3 thousand in March-April. The main reason for the surge in layoffs was the closure of the offices of well-known companies, including mobile developers Playtika and Apalon.

Self-proclaimed president of the rb lukashenko has proposed to send to the rb the russian soldiers who were injured or disabled in the war in Ukraine for rehabilitation.

According to the public organization of veterans of the internal affairs bodies and internal troops of the rb, more than 400 former employees hold senior positions in large organizations, and 80% of veterans continue to work. This year alone, 89 veterans of the ministry of internal affairs became deputies of local councils, and 56 were appointed chairmen of local councils.

On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the liberation of gomel and gomel region from the Nazis, expensive commemorative signs were made of silver with gilding to be awarded to war veterans and prisoners of concentration camps, as well as citizens who participated in the liberation of the rb. However, victoria chekan, director of the regional trade union, was among the first to receive the award.