June 30, 2022 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

The North Atlantic Alliance in its new Strategic Concept officially changed russia's status in relations with the Alliance and defines the russian federation as the main threat. The new Strategic Concept was adopted by NATO at the summit in Madrid on June 29. The Alliance points to the threat russia poses in the Baltic, Black and Mediterranean seas, as well as through military integration with belarus. “It uses conventional, cyber and hybrid means against us and our partners. Its aggressive military stance and rhetoric, as well as its proven willingness to use force to achieve its political goals, undermine the rules-based international order”, says the text of the Concept.

The leaders of the NATO summit adopted a comprehensive assistance package for Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg pointed out that the package includes security communications, fuel supplies, medical equipment, equipment to counter biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, and anti-drone equipment.

Poland has become the largest military donor among European countries, as well as the second in the world after the USA, said Head of the Chancellery of the Prime Minister of Poland, Michal Dworczyk. Poland has provided Ukraine with military aid worth 1.8 billion euros. He said that the aid to Ukraine is an investment in Polish security.

Norway's Ministry of Defense will facilitate Ukraine's acquisition of additional multiple rocket launcher systems from the United Kingdom by providing the British with three replacement systems. “We must continue to support Ukraine so that Ukrainians can continue their struggle for freedom and independence. More weapons are needed, and Ukraine needs them badly now... We have agreed with the UK that they will receive Norwegian systems so that they can transfer theirs to Ukraine. This is an example of good cooperation between the allies”, said Defense Minister of Norway Bjorn Arild Gram.

The Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France has announced the shipment of medical equipment to Ukraine. The cargo contains a mobile medical post, consisting of medical equipment and medicines, designed to strengthen the structures of emergency care and make it possible to care for 250 patients. The cargo also includes medical devices used in particular for anesthesia and resuscitation.

The European Court of Human Rights has decided to consider Ukraine's lawsuit against russia. ECtHR President Robert Spano referred the case to the fourth section of the court and informed russia. This case was preceded by four other submissions by Ukraine and about 8,500 individual complaints. Ukraine accuses Russia of violating a number of rights specified in the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms during hostilities on the territory of our state.

US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack called the entire territory of Ukraine a “crime scene”. She stated this during the event of the US Institute of Peace on June 28, dedicated to the theme of bringing to justice those guilty of war crimes committed in Ukraine.

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The supply of semiconductors to russia has decreased by 90% after the introduction of export restrictions by the United States and its allies, US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said. Due to the shortage of spare parts, service centers for repairing smartphones, laptops and other electronics began to disassemble new gadgets for spare parts and use parts of used devices. After the purchase of equipment imported under parallel importation, the increase in repair times will increase at least twice, because it will have to be sent to the countries from which it was imported.

putin has signed a law that gives him the authority to introduce special measures in the financial sector. He also has approved the law that legalizes parallel importation in russia in 2022 and exempts from criminal and administrative liability for it.

The first assessments of the potential of the russian policy of import substitution under the sanctions show limited opportunities for russian manufacturers to replace foreign suppliers, says a study by Bank of Finland’s Institute of Developing Economies. Such conclusions of analysts are made primarily about high-tech industries, on the development of which the russian authorities count. russian substitutes for Western goods will be uncompetitive due to the high cost and worst quality, it is difficult to find analogues of Western products in Eastern markets, the choice is limited and, most importantly, such a policy will make russia dependent on China: russian imports from the PRC in 2021 amounted to 25%.

The state duma has passed the second and third readings of the law, which allows shopping centers to demand payment from foreign companies that have closed their business in russia for the time they no longer use the shopping area.

Tax benefits will not help metallurgists at the current (artificially inflated) exchange rate of the ruble, said head of the russian union of industrialists and entrepreneurs, shokhin, at the organization's congress. He believes that it is necessary to compare “losses from exports with an overvalued ruble and possible targeted benefits such as the cancellation of the excise duty on liquid steel”. shokhin has stated that foreign companies leaving russia get rid of russian assets at a discount of at least 50%, but will still leave the russian market. At the same time, minister of finance of the russian federation siluanov believes that “in order to stabilize the exchange rate of the russian ruble, it is necessary to stimulate imports”.

head of the central bank, nabiullina, has hinted on the future possibility of withdrawing money from russia, saying that “the limit for transferring funds abroad will be significantly increased from the current $150,000 per month”.

state duma mps have made amendments to the draft law on measures against discrimination of russian media abroad: in the new version, the prosecutor general's office will be able to suspend the license for three months for the publication of “fakes”, and for the repeated violation – to revoke it for six months.

The government of the United Kingdom has announced new sanctions to hit president putin's inner circle. So the list includes vladimir potanin – the second richest man in russia, the owner of the large conglomerate “interros” and the biggest beneficiary of “norilsk nikel”. anna tsivilyeva, who according to the media, is a daughter of the russian leader’s cousin, has also been sanctioned. tsivilyeva is the president of the well-known russian coal mining company kolmar group.

The government of Switzerland has imposed sanctions on russia for its aggression against Ukraine by analogy with the sixth package of EU restrictive measures. The sanctions include an embargo on crude oil and certain types of petroleum products of russian origin: “By analogy with the measures of the European Union, the purchase, import, transit and transportation in or within Switzerland is prohibited”. In addition, it is prohibited to provide auditing and consulting services to enterprises in the financial sphere, and it is also prohibited to advertise products in a number of russian mass media, including russia today and sputnik.

The largest manufacturer of trucks in the russian federation, kamaz, was included in the sanctioned SDN-list of the United States. The introduced bans can significantly complicate kamaz’ access to imported components, even from its remaining Chinese partners.

ministry of transport of the russian federation has spent 19.5 billion rubles to refund airline passengers for flights canceled due to russia's aggression against Ukraine.

deputy head of the ministry of foreign affairs of the rf ryabkov publicly complained that the USA “did not provide the necessary conditions to russian diplomats, so they have to get to moscow by commercial flights”.

muradov, the representative of the temporarily occupied Ukrainian Crimea under putin, actually officially recognized that the aim of the “special operation” was not to liberate the so-called dpr and lpr. He stated that “after adding (the occupied part of) Kherson region to russia, the region can form a single transport, trade and port network with Crimea”.

The US Department of State has imposed visa bans on more than 500 russian military and officials.

The U.S. Department of Treasury has said the U.S. and its partners engaged in search and seizing (russian oligarchs’) assets have blocked $330 billion in russia- related assets within the past 100 days.

According to the US Department of Commerce, Chinese companies Connec Electronic, King Pai Technology, Sinno Electronics, Winninc Electronic and World Jetta (HK) Logistics cooperated with the russian military before and after russia's military invasion of Ukraine. As a result, bans on the purchase of goods from the United States, as well as products produced in other countries with American participation or using American technologies, are being introduced against companies. “This measure sends a clear signal to individuals and legal entities around the world that if they want to support russia, the United States will stop them”, said Under Secretary of Commerce Alan Estevez.

The American agro-industrial company Bunge is going to sell its Bunge SND LLC in russia, which, in particular, owns one of the largest oil extraction plants in the russian federation. “Bunge SND” owns the trademarks “Oleyna”, “Ideal”, “Maslyana” and others.

The ministry of foreign affairs of the russian federation has threatened Bulgaria with a response to the expulsion of 70 russian diplomats and technical personnel.

The Swedish engineering company Sandvik decided to “wind down its operation in russia”, despite the loss of more than $ 98.5 million.