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

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Lars Løkke Rasmussen has announced the launch of a new program to support Ukraine, under which his country will allocate EUR 375 million. “Three key areas: support for resilience and early recovery, energy security and transition to green energy, development of energy institutions,” he said, commenting on the program’s concept.

“This discussion about possible territorial concessions is a trap, and we must not fall into it. The russians want us to discuss what Ukraine must give up for peace, while completely ignoring the fact that the kremlin itself has not made any concessions so far,” said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.

In a joint statement, President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier assured that their countries would continue to stand with Ukraine in the fight against russia’s aggression.

The Federal Council of Switzerland has approved Ukraine’s full membership in the CV90 Club – a group of operators of the 2000 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). Currently, this group includes users from Denmark, Estonia, Finland, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, Sweden, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic.

Ukraine will receive more than $246 million from Japan as part of the “Support for Reconstruction Through Smart Fiscal Management” project.

The Council of Europe has completed work on a draft Convention to establish the Claims Commission for Ukraine, which will lay the foundation for an international compensation mechanism for our country due to the rf’s aggression.

US President Donald Trump has said that his patience with putin is “running out fast” and that russia may face new sanctions on the financial and energy sectors of its economy.

The Donald Trump administration proposes that the G7 countries begin direct confiscation of russia’s gold and foreign exchange reserves, which were frozen as a result of sanctions.

The US Department of Commerce has published a list of companies from China, India, Turkey, and other countries that will be subject to export restrictions, which will take effect on September 16. The restrictions will apply to 23 Chinese companies, three Turkish companies, two companies from the UAE, and one company each from India, Iran, Singapore, and Taiwan. According to the Department, the companies supplied goods to the russian military-industrial complex and exported American products to russia without the necessary permits.

US Department of the Treasury has called on its G7 and European Union allies to impose “significant tariffs” on goods from China and India to make them stop buying russian oil.

At a UN Security Council meeting, the US stated that russia had violated international law and the UN Charter after russian UAVs entered Polish airspace.

“It is absolutely clear that we all have a common position on this. The US’ commitment to NATO is unwavering in every sense, there is no doubt about that. I was extremely pleased with the US response,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said of the Alliance’s response to russian UAV’s violation of Poland’s airspace.

The EU has extended for another six months the restrictive measures against individuals responsible for “undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine”. The sanctions list includes 2,500 individuals and legal entities. The restrictive measures include a ban on travel to EU countries, asset freezes, and a ban on providing economic assistance to individuals and organizations included in the list.

The Government of the FRG is pushing for tighter visa rules for russian citizens as part of the preparation of a new 19th package of EU sanctions.

The next package of the European Union’s sanctions against russia should be “as tough as possible”, said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Lars Løkke Rasmussen. “It should be a comprehensive package of sanctions covering sanctions evasion, the shadow fleet, and the financial sector,” he stressed.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Beate Meinl-Reisinger believes that China must put pressure on russia to stop the war against Ukraine if it wants to avoid further Western sanctions.

In December 2025, the European Commission will issue recommendations to EU countries on tightening visa issuance to citizens of the rf and other “hostile countries”.

Estonia has imposed a temporary ban on flights along its entire eastern border due to russian military activity.

The General Staff of the Polish Army has announced the actual start of NATO’s “Eastern Sentry” mission to strengthen its eastern flank after russian UAVs had fallen in Poland.

India’s largest private port operator, Adani Group, has banned all tankers under Western sanctions from entering its ports.

The Congress of the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation (IBSF) has decided not to allow russian athletes to participate in IBSF competitions under neutral status. This means they will not be able to qualify for the 2026 Olympic Games.

Authorities of Argentina have revised their migration policy and taken measures to stop “birth tourism” from russia, – has said the country’s Ambassador to the rf, Enrique Ignacio Ferrer Vieira. According to the new rules adopted by the government, in order to obtain Argentine citizenship through naturalization, adult foreigners must prove that they have legal permanent residence in Argentina and that they had lived there for two years prior to applying for naturalization.

The rye harvest in russia in 2024 reached a record low in modern history – 1.166 million tons. The figure fell by more than 30 % compared to 2023, when the rye harvest had already declined by 21.4 %. The forecast for 2025 is even more pessimistic, with an expected harvest of about 1 million tons, which means additional decreasing by 16%.

Starting in November, russians will be forced to pay a multi-thousand fee for importing foreign cars for personal use.

The average price of servicing Chinese cars in russia has risen by 11 % since the beginning of the year.

russia needs to introduce criminal penalties not only for selling but also for smoking vapes, – said first deputy chairman of the state duma’s control committee Dmitry Gusev.

The Ministry of Culture of the rf will not issue distribution certificates to films that discredit “traditional russian spiritual and moral values”.

Head of russia’s “Safe Internet League”, Yekaterina Mizulina has filed complaints against at least 318 public figures, four music groups, and one anti-war organization. In some cases, she reported directly to the ministry of internal affairs, the prosecutor general’s office, and other law enforcement agencies, while in others she asked them to evaluate the activities.

russian booksellers are facing legal problems due to new rules on “foreign agents”. The russian book union, an industry organization, says that books by foreign agents pose a high risk to booksellers and has warned them that they may be subject to unscheduled inspections by the authorities. In St. Petersburg bookstores, employees thoroughly cut out labels with the words “This material was created by a foreign agent”, stick them on the covers of books, and wrap the volumes in transparent plastic film.

This year, 3.1 million schoolchildren participated in “Zarnitsa 2.0” in the rf. This is 3.5 times more than a year earlier, when the game was held for the first time since the soviet era, or 17 % of the total number of schoolchildren in the country. Schoolchildren are effectively participating in simulated combat operations.

At the end of 2024, Chukotka ranked first among regions in terms of alcoholism incidence. The top five regions in terms of incidence also included the Republic of Mari El, the Jewish Autonomous Region, and Kirov and Arkhangelsk regions. At the end of 2024, Chukotka also ranked second among regions in terms of vodka sales. Sakhalin ranked first in the rating.

Prime Minister of Lithuania Inga Ruginienė has said that Vilnius remains adamant on the issue of banning the transit of belarusian potash fertilizers. “If we don’t go further and do not exert pressure with sanctions and a tough approach to the aggressor, it will be bad. We are unyielding here”, she said. Ruginienė has pointed out that she disagrees with easing sanctions against belarus and russia and believes that they should be strengthened. “I simply believe that the sanctions package should only be strengthened, and we must do even more,” said the Prime Minister of Lithuania.

Minsk continues to experience a shortage of medical workers, teachers, programmers, builders, drivers, and salespeople – nearly 55,600 workers are needed.