March 13, 2025 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

As part of the Ukraine-Denmark Energy Partnership Program, Denmark has allocated EUR 98 million for the purchase of equipment to strengthen Ukraine's energy security.

By majority of votes, the European Parliament has adopted a resolution on continuing the EU’s unwavering  support for Ukraine, after three years of russia’s full-scale war of aggression.

European Commission Spokesperson Anitta Hipper has said that the EU is continuing to work on a military aid package for Ukraine, which may include air defence systems and ammunition.

“This is a positive development that could be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine. The ball is now in russia's court,” said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, welcoming the results of the Ukrainian-American talks in Saudi Arabia.

“The European Union stands ready to play its full role in supporting the next steps together with Ukraine, the United States and other partners,” EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas said on the outcome of the negotiations between Ukraine and the United States in Saudi Arabia.

“Ukraine can rely on us, Europe can rely on us... We as the EU, as Europeans in general, will increase our assistance,” said Chancellor of the FRG Olaf Scholz.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavský and Minister of the Interior Vit Rakušan consider the proposal for a “30-day truce” an important step towards a just peace in Ukraine.

Ukraerorukh and the French Thales Group, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of communications equipment, have signed an agreement to install an airfield radar as part of Ukraine’s preparations to resume civilian flights.

AirBaltic Airlines is ready to resume flights to Ukraine after the “opening of the skies”.

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The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has called on russia to stop violations of human rights and international humanitarian law in the occupied Crimea. This is stated in the Committee's decision on the inter-state case “Ukraine Versus russia” concerning Crimea, adopted at the last quarterly meeting on the supervision of the implementation of ECHR judgments. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has called on the rf to restore the application of Ukrainian legislation in Crimea, stop practices that violate the European Convention on Human Rights, and release all Crimean political prisoners.

EU countries should prepare for wars in order to prevent military conflicts in the future, said European Commissioner for Defence Andrius Kubilius. He clarified that this is the only way to “contain the worst”, referring to the russian threat. “We face a clear and present danger. Seen by none of us in our lifetimes. More than ever, Europe must prepare for the worst to prevent the worst – the possibility of military aggression against us,” said Kubilius.

US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham hopes that russia will agree to a “30-day truce”. He also stated: ‘if russia refuses, we should impose sanctions on it”. The Senator has assured that the USA will impose sanctions envisaged by Congress “which will not only affect russia, but will also impose sanctions and tariffs on countries that buy russian goods, including oil, gas and uranium.” “russia should have long since felt the insurmountable economic pain of its brutal invasion of Ukraine,” Graham emphasized.

The National Assembly of France will consider a draft resolution calling for the arrest of frozen russian assets. The draft resolution calls on the EU, NATO, and other allied countries to continue and increase their political, economic, and military support for Ukraine in the face of russia’s aggression.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece has refused to renew the accreditation of the chief correspondent of the russian propaganda news agency “ria novosti”.

The State Security Service of Latvia has submitted to the Prosecutor's Office materials for the initiation of a criminal case against four people on suspicion of transferring Starlink Mini satellite systems to the russian military. The suspects are a citizen of Azerbaijan, two Latvian citizens and one non-citizen of Latvia. At this, the investigation is ongoing into other individuals.

Advance payments on government contracts and accelerated public procurement continued in February, as shown by the rf ministry of finance's data on the implementation of the federal budget in the first two months of the year. As a result, the deficit rose to RUB 2.7 trillion, more than double the figure set for the whole of 2025.

The price of urals oil loaded in russian ports in the Baltic fell to a 14-month low of about $54 for a barrel, which is by $6 a barrel lower than the price ceiling set by Western countries.

In February 2025, russia reduced exports of petroleum products through its seaports by 7.5 % in daily terms compared to the previous month to 8.72 million tons. By February 2024, export transshipment of fuel through the  ports of the rf  had fallen  by 13.6 %.

The volume of intercontinental railway traffic from China to Europe via russia has been declining for several months in a row. russia has been massively detaining goods going from China to Europe, a problem that arose after moscow toughened its ban on the transit of dual-use goods, which is valid until the end of 2025. The list of goods prohibited from being shipped to “unfriendly countries” includes electric motors and generators, radar and radio navigation equipment.

The slowdown in construction activity in the rf has affected the dynamics of registration of new companies in the industry. By the beginning of 2025, the number of new legal entities in the industry had decreased by 3 % year-on-year, to 129,000. This is especially noticeable in large regions where a significant number of specialized companies were previously established, in particular for large projects with state participation. Industry representatives do not rule out a further reduction in the number of new company registrations.

To buy a one-bedroom flat with a mortgage, residents of large russian cities now need to earn at least two average salaries. In order for banks to approve a housing loan on market terms for a 35 sq m flat in a new building, the borrower's income must be RUB 109,800 to RUB 341,400 a month, depending on the region. However, real salaries of russians in megacities are 1.6-3.2 times lower than this level. The most difficult situation is in moscow, where the average salary in 2024 was RUB 141 thousand. To be approved for a mortgage for a one-bedroom flat in the russian capital, an income has to be 2.4 times higher – 341.4 thousand rubles a month. In st. petersburg, the gap is even wider: with an average salary of 94 thousand rubles, banks require 2.8 times more – about 263 thousand rubles.

The average price for a square metre in new buildings in moscow increased by almost 8 % over the year.

Demand for antidepressants has surged in russia. In the first two months of 2025, pharmacies sold 3.2 million packs of these medicines, by 15 % more than at the same period in 2024, and earned RUB 2.8 billion. In terms of money, the growth was 30 % – a record for the last five years. For comparison, in January-February 2023, russians spent RUB 1.46 billion on antidepressants. A total of 2 million packs of such medications were purchased. In 2022, the figures were lower: 1.2 billion rubles and 1.8 million packs. Since 2021, sales in units have increased 2.5 times. In the first two months of the year, russians bought 1.3 million packs for RUB 830.7 million.

Local self- government has already been abolished in half of russia's regions.

putin demands to organise a “wheelchair boxing” competition among disabled people who have returned from the war against Ukraine. As of the end of 2024, 376,000 russians had already been severely injured at the front. These data are provided in the annual Military Balance report of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). Between February 2022 and December 2024, 611,000 russian servicemen were injured in Ukraine. Among them, 235,000 were classified as curable, while the rest were crippled. Among the seriously wounded, one in two faced amputation of limbs. Thus, according to IISS calculations, the number of amputees among those who have returned from the front may exceed 180,000.

The prosecutor general’s office has declared undesirable the activities of the Danish organisation Rasmussen Global (Rasmussen Global Consulting) in russia. Established in 2014 by former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the agency is engaged in political consulting and “has had a clear anti-russian orientation since its inception.”

The federal penitentiary service of russia is experiencing a significant staff shortage – 23%, which is equivalent to 53,975 vacant positions. The overall situation is such that the number of employees leaving the service is by one third higher than the number of new recruits. Moreover, more than 45 % of those who resign do not complete their work before retirement.

The “concentration of foreigners” in russian prisons has increased. As of January 1, 2025, there were more than 30,000 foreigners in prison, 69.5 % of whom were citizens of Central Asia.

On the occasion of March 8, Karelia’s children’s rights ombudsman gennady sarayev handed gifts to the widows of soldiers who died during the fighting against Ukraine. He presented the women with hooks for handbags and called them “the commissioner’s multifunctional medal”.

The National Prosecutor's Office of Poland has accused a belarusian citizen of setting fire to a multi-storey hardware shop in Warsaw in April 2024. The man acted on the instructions of russia’s intelligence.

In February 2025 in the rb, industrial production rose by 1.2 % in real terms, and by 2.8 % since the beginning of the year. In particular, investment goods became more expensive by 0.4 % and 0.2 %, respectively, intermediate goods by 1.2 % and 3.5 %, and consumer goods by 1.3 % and 1.7 %. Prices for agricultural products increased by 0.7 % and 1.6 % (in crop production – by 0.3 % and 2 %, in livestock production – by 0.8 % and 1.5 %).

287 state-owned enterprises of the rb produce weapons for russia.

In 2024, only 3 % of non-russian foreigners came to belarus on organised tours and excursions. Six years ago, russians amounted to half of all tourists.

One of the reasons pavel kallaur was dismissed from the post of head of the national bank of the rb was his disagreement with the policy of lending to russian enterprises at the end of 2024, when belarusian banks issued loans worth half a billion dollars. The money could have been spent on schools, hospitals or roads in the rb itself, but instead it supports the economy of russia, a country that is waging war against Ukraine.

As of March 12, there are at least 219 political prisoners in the rb who are at particular risk behind the bars, according to the Human Rights Centre “Viasna”. At least 78 of them “are in a serious condition of physical health”, 32 of them are over 60 years of age (many of them have serious health problems), human rights activists point out. Eight have disabilities. Among the political prisoners, 10 people have mental disorders. 39 of those convicted for political reasons are parents of many children. There are at least 10 families where both parents are behind the bars.