March 14, 2025 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

“The European Parliament... strongly deplores any attempts at blackmailing Ukraine’s leadership into surrender to the russian aggressor for the sole purpose of announcing a so-called “peace deal,” reads the European Parliament’s resolution.

Ukraine has received 2.5 billion Canadian dollars (about USD 1.7 billion) from Canada as part of the G7 Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration (ERA) initiative, which provides Kyiv with financial resources from the proceeds of russia’s frozen assets.

Sweden's Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Benjamin Dousa has announced the allocation of more than SEK 1.4 billion (about $137.7 million) to Ukraine to help with recovery and development, as well as to meet urgent humanitarian needs.

Finland has announced a new, 28th package of military aid to Ukraine worth about EUR 200 million, which, among other things, includes a batch of artillery shells.

“Demilitarization of Ukraine was one of russia's military goals, and this must not happen,” said Chancellor of the FRG Olaf Scholz.

Swedish and Ukrainian defense companies Saab and Radionix have signed a Memorandum of Understanding on the intention to form strategic cooperation in the field of sensors and defense electronics.

“We have made significant progress. I have four proposals on my desk, both from Germany and Ukraine. We also expect visits from a number of global defense companies from the United States. Negotiations with Sweden and the United Kingdom are still ahead,” said Prime Minister of Lithuania Gintautas Paluckas about his country's defense cooperation.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and President of France Emmanuel Macron are negotiating with 37 countries to form a “Coalition of the Willing” to help Ukraine.

The National Assembly of France has approved a resolution calling to increase assistance to Ukraine and confiscate russia’s frozen assets to support Kyiv financially.

Minister of Defence of France Sébastien Lecornu, following the  meeting with Ministers of Defence of the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy and Poland, announced a very “broad consensus” on the format of support for Ukraine.

 President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan has supported the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire agreed by Ukraine and the United States and called on russia to agree to it.

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US President Donald Trump has warned that the USA could take actions that would be “devastating for russia” if moscow does not reach a deal with Ukraine.

 President of Poland Andrzej Duda has called on the United States to deploy its nuclear weapons on Polish territory as a deterrent against any future russian aggression.

In 2024, Poland 11 times refused to extradite defendants to russia. Warsaw explains its decisions by the fact that the rf “has no guarantees of human rights.”

Former russian deputy prime minister igor shuvalov has lost his appeal in the EU Court of Justice and will remain on the EU sanctions list. shuvalov was placed on the EU sanctions list in February 2022 for supporting actions and policies that undermine the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine.

“gazprom” is considering putting up for sale the company's Italian palazzo-style building in the center of st. petersburg and a number of other luxury properties in order to save money and compensate for some of the losses the company is suffering under anti-russian sanctions.

amid regular drone attacks on refineries, russia has sharply reduced diesel supplies to Africa. In February, diesel exports to African countries almost halved – from 1.27 million tons in January to 684 thousand tons.

russian importers sharply reduced purchases of goods from China in the first months of 2025. This affected both mass segments, such as clothing and household appliances, and sophisticated industrial equipment. No money – no cargo.

One of the largest enterprises in Orenburg region, the novotroitsk chemical raw materials plant, is going to be shut down on March 14 due to a halt in chrome ore supplies. Imports of this material stopped after the introduction of new European sanctions. Kazakhstan’s company that had been supplying the ore refused to cooperate.

The state concern “almaz-antey” did not receive money from the russian authorities for the production of the “import-substituted” e-Neva electric crossover and froze the project, as it currently has “neither its own funds nor competencies” to implement it.

The requirements of the new russian draft law, which obliges carriers to use only russian-made cars, will lead to a shortage of cars and an outflow of self-employed drivers, which will affect the price of a trip. Since only lada models are eligible for the new requirements, hundreds of thousands of drivers in russia may lose their jobs.

Since the beginning of the year, the volume of road freight transportation in russia has sharply decreased. In January and February, it fell by 30 % year-on-year.

The russian market is flooded with counterfeit smart phones. Almost every third such gadget (31 %) is disguised as a product of well-known brands. We are talking about “copies,” “replicas,” and “devices with false information about them”. The share of counterfeits in the laptop and computer segment reaches 15 %.

Members of the state duma have decided to introduce criminal liability for working for “international organizations in which russia does not participate.” “Assistance” to such organizations “for hire or for a fee” will be punishable by up to 7 years in prison with confiscation of property. Besides, there has been announced another tightening of the legislation on “foreign agents” and citizens who have left the country and publicly criticize russia’s authorities and condemn the war with Ukraine. Some cases of these individuals will be considered in absentia. We are talking about such articles as “discrediting” the army, spreading “fakes,” “rehabilitating Nazism,” and “damaging war graves and monuments.” Also, those who call for “terrorism, extremism,” “mass riots,” “unleashing an aggressive war” and “violation of russia's territorial integrity” will be tried in absentia.

The ministry of emergency situations of the rf has issued instructions according to which “in no case civilians should shoot down drones with improvised objects and other means.”

russian schools and colleges have intensified the ideological education of children and teenagers as part of the next stage of the military-patriotic game “zarnitsa 2.0”. Schoolchildren from the occupied parts of Ukraine are also forced to participate in military training. Among other things, the boys are taught how to escape from captivity, identify hackers by IP addresses, and work as war correspondents.

In 2024, 31.7 thousand people moved to russia under the program of voluntary resettlement of compatriots living abroad. A total of 36.4 thousand people submitted applications. This is the lowest figure since 2011, when 61.1 thousand applications were submitted and 31.4 thousand people moved to russia. Even in 2022, when the full-scale russian-Ukrainian war began, the results were higher (112.7 thousand applications and 64.8 thousand arrivals).

russia, with the support of belarus, is “the most significant direct and indirect threat to the EU,” – reads the European Parliament resolution.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania has suggested that national sanctions against citizens of the rb and the rf should be extended for another year.

Easing sanctions against belarus and resuming potash exports “would be a big mistake,” said Prime Minister of Lithuania Gintautas Paluckas.

In two months, “maz” sold only 15 buses on the russian market – 10 times fewer than a year earlier.