March 18, 2025 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

The EU Council has approved the allocation of EUR 3.5 billion to Ukraine under the Ukraine Facility program.

Germany has announced another tranche of military aid to Ukraine, which includes three Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft systems, four MRAP mine-resistant ambush protected vehicles, ammunition for the Leopard 1 main battle tanks, ammunition for MARDER infantry fighting vehicles, missiles for IRIS-T SLM medium-range air defence system, 5,000 rounds of 155mm ammunition, 2,000 rounds of 122mm ammunition and 8,000 rounds for the 120mm mortar, 50 VECTOR reconnaissance drones with spare parts, 30 tracked Gereon RCS drones and 30 drone detection systems, two WISENT 1 armoured mine-clearing vehicles, 100 portable mine-clearing systems and two mine ploughs, laser rangefinders, infrared binoculars, vehicles, assault rifles, medical kits.

German Federal Government Spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit has said that the EUR 3 billion military aid package for Ukraine, which is expected to be unblocked in the coming days, includes supplies of equipment and materials in both the short and longer term.

“The amount of assistance will vary, but it will be a significant force, and a significant number of countries will be contributing troops,” the UK Prime Minister's Spokesman commented on the results of the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing. The leaders who participated in the Coalition’s videoconference represented Australia, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

On April 2-3, in Poland, EU Ministers of Defence will discuss a military aid package for Ukraine.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys has said that security guarantees for Ukraine are necessary for achieving a lasting and just peace in Ukraine, and they should include five elements: long-lasting military support; European troops in Ukraine with US backstop; continued pressure on russia through sanctions and seizing frozen assets; justice through accountability; Ukraine's accelerated accession to the EU by 2030.

Director of National Intelligence of the USA Tulsi Gabbard has pointed out that US President Donald Trump is focused on peace and expects negotiations to succeed in ending russia's war against Ukraine.

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The Government of New Zealand has extended sanctions against russia for three years – until March 17, 2028.

russia has declared undesirable the activities of the French organization Pour l'Ukraine, pour leur liberté et la nôtre! which, according to the russian authorities, allegedly spreads fakes about the “special military operation” and campaigns against the participation of russian athletes in international competitions.

The balances of the rf’s treasury began to decline rapidly and fell from 12 trillion rubles in December last year to 5 trillion rubles at the end of February. The reason for this is a significant increase in expenditures amid declining revenues over the past three months. In March, the decline in revenues is expected to accelerate even faster, given that the price of “brent” crude oil has been at $70 for two weeks, which is about $5 below the average price in the previous month.

Four regions at once – Krasnoyarskiy Krai, Khakassia, Buryatia and Trans-Baikal Territory – may be left without stable electricity supply. Years of savings on energy infrastructure have led to critical wear and tear on equipment: 82 % in Krasnoyarskiy Krai and over 76 % in Khakassia. The situation is similar in Buryatia and Transbaikalia, where the wear and tear on distribution networks exceeds 80 %. In 2025, “rosseti sibir”’s spending on infrastructure repairs will be halved, while the construction of new facilities will stop altogether.

In 2024, the revenue growth rate of russian fish producers slowed sharply, said, president of the all-russian association of fish producers german zverev. In the previous 15 years, the average annual revenue growth of fish producers in the country was about 11%. Thus, in 2024, the dynamics slowed down about 6.1 times. Compared to 2021-2023, the growth rate decreased even more. For the third year in a row, the situation was negatively affected by export restrictions in foreign markets, a high key rate, and a weakening ruble.

The Kamchatka salmon producers association and the Association of Sakhalin Region Fisheries have warned of a drop in salmon catches – pink salmon, Atlantic salmon, red salmon, and other fish species – and thus a rise in prices. By December 30, 2025, companies must renegotiate their fishing license agreements, pay a fee for the plot, and sign an agreement on the socio-economic development of the region where they operate, which will require the construction of social infrastructure facilities. Such conditions will lead to the closure of many companies in the Kamchatka Territory, which account for 80 percent of the catch.

“ural airlines”, one of russia's largest airlines based at “domodedovo” and “koltsovo” airports, predicts stagnation in traffic in 2025. This is due to a shortage of carrying capacity: the existing aircraft fleet is being operated at its maximum capacity (the average seat load factor in the market in 2024 was 89.3%), new foreign equipment is not being supplied due to sanctions, while the production of domestic equipment is being postponed. “We are not considering growth. Until we have other equipment, we will not be able to physically increase volumes,” said CEO of the carrier kirill skuratov.

The rf’s government has obliged drivers with foreign licenses to exchange them for russian ones within a year, starting on April 1. This applies to those who became citizens, received a residence permit or entered russia with foreign documents.

moscow couriers receive a salary by 19 % higher than qualified professionals–graduates of universities. Over the year, the median salary of couriers increased by almost half (by 41 %) to 130 thousand rubles.

The lowest quality of life in russia is in Ingushetia, Chechnya, and the Trans-Baikal Territory. In the Caucasian republics, the main problem is the high proportion of poor people over the working age: 26.4 % in Chechnya and 21.2 % in Ingushetia.

first deputy chairman of the state duma committee on cis affairs, eurasian integration and relations with compatriots viktor vodolatsky has proposed to introduce military training for schoolchildren from the 5th form instead of the 9th or 10th: “And then our population will be ready for any actions, any provocations.”

On March 16, Latvia stopped letting vehicles in or out at the “grigorovshchina” checkpoint on the border with belarus,  and installed special barrier boards.

In February, the supply of electricity, gas, steam, hot water, and conditioned air in belarus showed a 1% drop. The slowdown in industry is attributed to a shortage of labor and high workload of enterprises in this sector, which are operating at 70 % of their capacity.

belarusian propagandists from the belteleradiocompany have announced another “film” about life abroad and returning home. It will tell the stories of belarusians who found themselves abroad for various reasons after the events of 2020. As stated in the announcement, Radio Liberty is to blame for the increase in emigration from belarus.

Most of the food courts in minsk have failed the inspection of the sanitary and epidemiological service.