March 30, 2025 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund has completed the Seventh Review of the Extended Arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) for Ukraine, enabling a disbursement of about $400 million to Ukraine.

Investment firm NUNC Capital from the Netherlands has announced the launch of a new venture fund that plans to invest EUR 20 million in Ukrainian defense tech.

At an informal summit in Warsaw on April 2-3, EU Ministers of Defence will discuss the issue of urgently providing Ukraine with EUR 5 billion in ammunition.

President of Finland Alexander Stubb believes that Europe should create its own negotiating team as part of a peaceful settlement of russia’s war against Ukraine and appoint a special envoy for our country.

“For the ceasefire you need some kind of guarantees. That means that you can help in the air, on the sea, perhaps on land. That’s the type of planning that our military staff are doing right now,” President of Finland Alexander Stubb commented on the potential deployment of troops from the Coalition of the Willing to Ukraine.

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Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy of the European Union Annita Hipper has called putin a war criminal.

An assessment by the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) shows that russia sees itself in a systemic conflict with the West and is preparing for a major war with NATO.

In 2024, russia’s “sovcomflot” reduced its transportation volumes by 16 % – to 63 million tons.

russian forces fighting with Ukrainian units in Kursk are also engaged in large-scale looting of property of the region’s residents – said a representative of the General Staff of the Defense Forces of Estonia.

Inflation in russia in 2024 amounted to 9.52 %. In February, annual inflation exceeded 10 %. The poverty rate in 2024 fell to a minimum of 7.2 %. 10.5 million russians live below the poverty line.

Last week, the price of semi-finished steel products (slabs and hot-rolled coils) fell to multi-month lows. Market participants expect prices for steel products to continue to fall in the second quarter and see no prospects for a quick recovery of demand.

“rosseti”'s net loss at the end of 2024 amounted to RUB 294.8 billion, compared to the profit of RUB 320.4 billion a year earlier.

The state duma committee on state building and law making has recommended the adoption in the first reading of a draft law allowing for the trial in absentia of persons who have committed “crimes against the security of the rf”. This initiative significantly expands the list of articles under which cases can be tried without a defendant, including calls for sanctions, “extremist activities,” spreading “fakes” about the army and “discrediting” it.

Japan has extended the suspension of preferential trade treatment for russia for another year. This is the fourth time the government of Japan has canceled preferential treatment for russia because of the war against Ukraine.

The sanctions made it economically inexpedient for russian liaz to purchase Chinese Weichai engines.

Salaries, which have been increasing household incomes and driving inflation in the rf for two years, are coming to an end. Salary growth in the defense industry has stopped, said first deputy minister of industry and trade vasily osmakov. The economy, he said, “is approaching a certain turning point, which will happen in April or May.”

In 2024, russian families needed 73.9 thousand rubles to buy essentials. In 2022, this amount was 67.5 thousand rubles. Now a family living in a city needs 74,200 rubles a month, and in rural areas – 72,500 rubles. At the same time, if a family has children, the minimum necessities will cost  it 99.9 thousand rubles, and without children – 64.2 thousand rubles.

The rf’s ministry of education has updated the list of films recommended for schoolchildren, having added to it “z-war correspondents” and trash comedies. Films criticizing stalinism and the ussr have disappeared from the list.

In Türkiye, the rutube video service has been blocked, as it was mainly used by russians, while  its Turkish audience was insignificant.

The European Parliament is preparing under an accelerated procedure a special resolution due to the rb’s investigative committee’s threats to  participants of the Freedom Day celebrations outside the country.

The belarusian population’s debt  on loans has broken another record, having exceeded 26.7 billion rubles. In February, it increased by RUB 355.3 million.  New head of the national bank of belarus golovchenko  threatens to take measures if people continue to “rush” to banks.