March 6, 2024 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

The European Commission has presented the first-ever European Defence Industrial Strategy (EDIS) at the EU level, which envisages, inter alia, the development of ties with Ukraine through its participation in EU defence industry support initiatives and the promotion of cooperation between the EU and Ukrainian defence industries.

As the first immediate and central means of implementing the Strategy, the European Commission is submitting a legislative proposal to launch the European Defence Industrial Programme (EDIP), which should mobilize EUR 1.5 billion from the EU budget over the period 2025-2027 to improve the competitiveness of the European defence technology and industrial base and support the development of Ukraine's defence industrial base.

The European Commission proposes to extend the “transport visa-free regime” with Ukraine for a year, but “based on an exchange of views with Member States, Ukraine and stakeholders”, it wants to toughen some requirements for road carriers and cargo.

“The Black Sea is dangerous for putin's navy... If we get what they need, the bravery and skill of the Ukrainian Armed Forces can win victories that were previously thought impossible”, UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps commented on the destruction of the russian patrol ship “Sergei Kotov”.

Canada is in the final stages of considering supplying Ukraine with CRV7 unguided air missiles based on the US Hydra 70 system. Minister of National Defence Bill Blair has said that the delivery of new missiles to Kyiv is “a matter of days”.

Lithuania will join the Czech Republic’s initiative to purchase artillery shells for Ukraine outside the EU.

Estonia, France and Poland have called for an “urgent” increase in Europe's defence capabilities and strengthening of cooperation with Ukraine.

Ukraine and Spain have started negotiations on a security agreement.

John Kirby, National Security Council's Coordinator for Strategic Communications, believes that the kremlin is “undoubtedly taking advantage” of the US Congress' inability to resolve the issue of aid to Ukraine.

Finland has delegated a chemical and radiation safety expert to a task force within the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which, at Ukraine’s request, will consult it on chemical, biological and nuclear preparedness.

The French international technical cooperation agency Expertise France, together with the Ministry of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure of Ukraine and Chernihiv Regional State Administration, will fully or partially implement projects to rebuild the region in the total amount of EUR 5 million.

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The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrest warrants for sergei kobylash, commander of the rf aerospace forces' long-range aviation, and viktor sokolov, commander of the black sea fleet. They are accused of involvement in crimes committed on the territory of Ukraine between 10 October 2022 and 9 March 2023, including missile strikes by forces under their command against Ukraine's electrical infrastructure.

US President Joe Biden by his decree has extended for one year the state of emergency in the country introduced in 2014 due to the rf’s aggression in Ukraine and related sanctions against the rf.

Prime Minister of Belgium Alexander De Kroo has said that in recent months his country has expelled dozens of so-called “russian diplomats” who were spies.

Deputy Spokesperson of the Federal Government of Germany Wolfgang Büchner has labeled “absurd” the kremlin's allegations that his country was preparing an attack on russia.

Chief of Moldova's Security and Intelligence Service (SIS) Alexandru Musteață has said that the rf will try to interfere in the country's presidential and parliamentary elections by provoking social conflicts in Gagauzia and Transnistria in order to compromise Moldova's accession to the EU and keep it in its sphere of influence.

France fully supports the proposal to introduce a tax on profits from frozen russian assets, which will amount to EUR 3-5 billion a year, President of France Emmanuel Macron said.

“The EU side has stressed that it expects China to call on the rf to immediately and unconditionally respect the principles of sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity by withdrawing all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders”, the official statement said following the meeting of the EU delegation with Li Hui, the Chinese Special Representative for Eurasian Affairs.

European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson has said that since the beginning of the rf's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the EU has taken measures to stabilize the domestic gas market and reduced imports of russian natural gas by 71%.

One of Turkiye's Mediterranean oil terminals, Dortyol, will no longer accept russian imports amid strengthening US sanctions.

South Korean shipping company Sinokor has announced that it will cease operations at the rf's vostochny port in the primorye due to the sanctions.

Head of the Lithuanian Association of Grain Growers Aušrys Macijauskas says that it is russian grain, not Ukrainian grain, that is driving down prices across the EU – the russians are deliberately dumping to create chaos in the agricultural sector.

The rf's purchasing managers’ index (pmi) in services stood at 51.1 points in February, the lowest in 13 months, according to S&P Global, a financial holding company; in January, the index was 55.8 points.

In 2023, the volume of venture capital investments in the rf was the lowest in the last seven years, at $118 million, compared to 2022 ($1.252 billion), investments decreased more than tenfold, the moscow innovation agency reported. According to analysts, the situation with venture capital investments in the rf is the worst in the world, with no prospects for improvement without “stabilization of the geopolitical situation”.

The volume of foreign venture capital investments in russia in 2023 decreased even more – 15fold, to $55 million ($814 million in 2022), of which 73% ($40 million) was invested in just one contact lens company. Venture capital investments from russian state funds decreased by 99% in terms of financial volume and by 8% in terms of the number of deals.

In February, nearly 18,000 oil and petrol tanks were idle on non-public railways without operations every day, russian railways reported.

In February, 3.1% of travel agencies in the rf had to close their operations.

In anticipation of another rise in car prices after putin's “election”, russians bought up affordable cars in February, with the largest sales going to russian lada – 28.7 units (28% of the total market against more than 38% a year earlier), Chinese Geely – 12.3 thousand units, Haval - less than 12 thousand cars, Chery – 9.9 thousand units, Changan – up to 6 thousand cars.

Due to the risks of secondary sanctions, the central bank of the rf has sent an instruction to russian banks, which states “the need to ensure confidentiality and non-dissemination of sensitive information about interaction with foreign partners and international payment mechanisms in open sources, advertising materials and media”.

The unified state information system of social protection of the rf hides data on recipients of social payments to vulnerable groups in 2022 to conceal the losses suffered by russian troops in the first year of the war in Ukraine.

Access to the SpreadTheSign sign language dictionary has been blocked in the rf because the resource is spreading “fakes about a special military operation”, reads roskomnadzor’s official statement from.

The rf state duma is going to adopt a law banning deductions from copyright and related rights for “foreign agents”, said duma’s speaker volodin. Restrictions are to be imposed on the earnings of musicians, artists and writers: “we must not feed the scoundrels who shed mud on russia”.

Latvia’s Interior Ministry intends to reintroduce enhanced border security with the rf over the growing number of illegal migrants.

The Seimas of Lithuania has received a proposal to amend the legislation on agriculture, which would allow to temporarily ban not only the import of food and feed from the rb and rf to Lithuania, but even to stop their transit through the country. The Ministry of Agriculture has presented a new draft list of agricultural products from the rb and the rf that are subject to the ban. It includes the following vegetables: potatoes, tomatoes, various types of onions, garlic, rutabagas, lettuce, carrots, turnips, beets, oats, celery, radishes and similar root vegetables, cucumbers and gherkins, legumes and other fresh vegetables, as well as some fruits.

German customs has uncovered a scheme to supply luxury cars to russia circumventing sanctions. They were exported from Germany under the pretext of being sold to belarus. According to the investigation, since June 2022, a group of suspects has sold more than 400 luxury cars worth more than EUR 28 million to the rf.

According to the new draft law on employment, adopted by the house of representatives, the period of staying registered with employment centres as unemployed will be reduced from 18 months to 12 months. The period for which unemployment benefits will be paid will also be halved – from 26 calendar weeks from the date of registration as unemployed to 13 weeks. The level of unemployment benefits in belarus is one of the lowest among the neighbouring countries – the maximum amount of the basic unemployment benefit is EUR 22 per month (in Poland – EUR 178, in Lithuania – EUR 252).

lukashenko has signed a decree “on switching government agencies and other organisations to work in wartime conditions”. The decree defines the range of state bodies to which it applies, in particular, it was supplemented by the all-rb national assembly, chambers of the national assembly, constitutional and supreme courts. It also provides for the possibility of conferring military ranks on the heads of certain state bodies and a number of organisations during the introduction of martial law.

The kgb of the rb has sent an instruction to state-owned enterprises and organisations entitled “Information on the measures of responsibility for participation in extremist activities”. It should be read under the signature. Those who refuse to do so are threatened with punishment “up to dismissal”. According to the document, civil servants should not publicly express their opinions in the media on issues of state policy and official activities if their personal opinion does not coincide with the “main directions of the state policy”.

The shortage of workers continues to grow in the rb. As of March 5, almost 138.9 thousand offers from employers were posted in the national vacancy bank. For comparison, as of January 24, there were 135.4 thousand.

Last month, human rights defenders in the rb recorded at least 625 cases of repression – trials and detentions related to criminal and administrative prosecution. The courts considered at least 548 administrative cases, imposed at least 95 arrests, 84 fines, and three community service sentences. As of early March, there were 1,412 political prisoners in the rb, 170 women included.