Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

The United Kingdom and the European Union are preparing sanctions against russia in case putin refuses to participate in trilateral negotiations with US President Donald Trump and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

European officials are discussing a plan to send British and French troops to Ukraine as part of a peace agreement. At this, about 10 countries are ready to provide their military personnel.

President of the Peacekeepers’ Assosiation of Finland Jorma Ala-Sankila believes it is possible that Finland could send peacekeepers to Ukraine as part of a potential international security guarantee operation. The final decision will be made by the Government and Parliament.

Poland is ready to provide infrastructure and logistics for allied troops if they decide to send contingents to Ukraine, said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Defense of Poland Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

On August 20, prior to a meeting of NATO military leaders at the Alliance’s Headquarters, the North Atlantic Council discussed the peace settlement process in Ukraine.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Beate Meinl-Reisinger has announced Austria’s decision to provide additional EUR 2 million in humanitarian aid to Ukraine, as well as the country’s joining the Civil Protection Shelter Coalition. Austria also plans to accept another 550 Ukrainian children for rehabilitation vacations this year.

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At the end of the year, the government expects a budget deficit of five trillion rubles, or 2.5 % of GDP. This is five times more than the Ministry of Finance of the rf initially planned, and by 1.1 trillion rubles more than the revised estimate included in the summer budget amendments.

russian authorities are preparing a new tax increase to fill the federal budget, which has faced a sharp increase in the deficit and a decline in oil and gas revenues. The 2025 budget allocates 8 % of GDP to defense and security spending, but the actual figure will be slightly higher. The authorities do not plan to cut spending on the russian army in 2026.

russia has reduced petrol supplies to Afghanistan and Turkmenistan in July to 29,360 tons from 73,640 tons in June due to a lack of available export volumes. Last month, russian petrol exports to Turkmenistan decreased to 19,800 tons from 39,700 tons in June, and to Afghanistan – to 9,500 tons from 33,950 tons in June, as the product was in demand on the russian domestic market.

Average wholesale prices for AI–92 and AI–95 petrol and diesel fuel on the St. Petersburg International Commodity Exchange continued to rise on August 20, for the third day in a row. The average wholesale price of AI-92 in russia rose by 726 rubles for a ton (+1.01%) to the level of August 19, reaching 72,770 rubles for a ton. AI–95 petrol rose in price by an average of 876 rubles (+1.08 %) to 82,030 rubles a ton on August 19. The average cost of summer diesel fuel at the end of trading on August 20 rose by 808 rubles (+1.33 %) to 61,558 rubles a ton.

Primorye, following Crimea and Transbaikalia, has faced a shortage of petrol at filling stations. So another russian region has introduced petrol coupons.

The russian government plans to give up further deepening of the Volga-Caspian Sea shipping channel, which is used, in particular, for trade with Iran. Over the past two years, a critical drop in the level of the Caspian Sea has led to the need to increase the volume of bottom soil extracted. As a result, dredging work has become significantly more expensive. At this, “Rosmorport”, which has mainly financed the work over the past two years, is experiencing a shortage of funds, while the canal fee in 2024 amounted to only 310 million rubles.

russians continue to take cash out of the country en masse: in the first six months of 2025, 6,314 cases of illegal money transfers by citizens were detected, which is the highest figure since such statistics began to be recorded.

In the first half of 2025, traffic through moscow’s third airport, Domodedovo, declined by almost 10 %. In absolute terms, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, and Domodedovo have handled 34.6 million passengers, which is by 0.5 % less than a year ago.

In russia, vehicle inspections may become more expensive starting in 2026: the minimum price for inspecting a passenger car is planned to increase from 913 to 1,360 rubles. Also, for the first time, a maximum price will be introduced for trams and trolleybuses – 1,710 rubles for an inspection. Last year, fees for vehicle inspections in russia already increased by 7.3–7.4 %.

russian authorities are going to oblige providers, telecom operators, and digital platforms to report to law enforcement agencies any online offenses committed by their users. There are also plans to increase the statute of limitations for administrative liability for such violations.

In 2025, russia saw a sharp increase in the number of criminal cases against university administrators. At this point, 12 cases of prosecution and 10 convictions have already been registered. For comparison: in the pre-war year of 2021, law enforcement agencies showed interest in 17 rectors. From 2012 to 2025, there has been a steady trend toward increased pressure on higher education. During this period, criminal cases were brought against 97 rectors.

russian law enforcement agencies continue to record a deterioration in the crime situation against the background of the return from the front of more than 130,000 participants in the war in Ukraine, including former prisoners. In the first six months of 2025, the prosecutor general’s office registered 27,124 crimes in the rf. This is by 3,747 more than in the same period in 2024 and a record high for the last 12 years.

Before the start of the new school year, the russian Ministry of Education prepared recommendations on scientific and methodological support for school libraries, as well as a list of patriotic works by contemporary writers for extracurricular reading. The books are divided into sections: “About the Native Land”, “The Great Patriotic War. Historical Memory and Traditions”, “About the Great People of russia”, “Commanders of Holy russia”, “Guarding the russian Land”, and “For OurZ”.

Lithuania plans to strengthen border security in view of the upcoming military exercise in belarus, “Zapad–2025”, which will take place on September 12–16.

belarus has changed the price of natural gas for certain categories of consumers. For the use of individual gas heating appliances, the cost of one cubic meter of gas has increased by 3 %. The new price has been set for organizations that have dormitories in terms of gas consumption by the citizens who live in them. Besides, the changes affect religious organizations, family-type orphanages, children’s villages and towns, as well as hospices.