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

The summit of the European Union has approved a decision to grant Ukraine a joint loan of EUR 90 billion. The loan will be interest-free. “We have a deal. Decision to provide EUR 90 billion of support to Ukraine for 2026-27 approved. We committed, we delivered,” said President of the European Council António Costa. Repayment of the loan will only be possible after russia compensates Ukraine for the damage caused by its full-scale aggression. The funds received from the EU will be used to finance the state budget and defense needs.

“Ukraine should repay this loan only when it receives reparations (from russia),” – President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen insists that the EU’s EUR 90 billion loan to Ukraine is tied to future reparations from the russian aggressor.

“These compelling arguments are the EUR 90 billion that Kyiv will receive. The discussions among EU leaders lasted until 3:00 a.m. They were full of emotion and controversy, but I left the European Council’s building satisfied,” said Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk about the process of approving funding for Ukraine.

“If additional funding is needed, the European Union is ready to look for solutions, and these solutions will be found,” President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda commented on EU funding for Ukraine in 2026–2027.

“Fantastic news for Ukraine – it has avoided a financial abyss and escaped a liquidity crisis. Funding is now guaranteed. This was achieved on the condition that the three countries would be exempt from additional financial obligations related to the joint loan, which is guaranteed by the EU budget,” said EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova.

US President Donald Trump has signed a national defense bill that provides $800 million for Ukraine.

Australia has completed the transfer of M1A1 Abrams main battle tanks to Ukraine as part of military aid – the last batch of 12 M1A1 Abrams tanks was delivered a few weeks ago. The first 37 tanks arrived in Ukraine in July.

President of Poland Karol Nawrocki does not rule out the possibility of “resolving the issue” of transferring MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine.

The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution on human rights violations in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

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The government of Estonia is considering closing the border after an incident with russian border guards on the River Narva.

russia has recruited more than 200 citizens of India to participate in the war against Ukraine. This statement was made by India’s government. According to the Cabinet of Ministers, at least 26 recruited Indians have been killed, and seven more are considered missing. Delhi is negotiating with moscow on the repatriation of about 50 of its citizens, having so far secured the return of more than 100 people to their homeland.

In ten months, India’s direct purchases of diamonds from russia decreased by 36 %. The decline in diamond imports from russia has been observed since April 2024, following the introduction of restrictive measures by the G7.

Even if the war against Ukraine ends tomorrow, russia will have to pay for this invasion for many years to come. The reason is that the government is covering the budget deficit with increasingly expensive borrowing. Total government borrowing in 2025 has reached 7.9 trillion rubles, significantly more than the record set in 2020 during the coronavirus pandemic. At the same time, in 2020, the Central Bank’s key rate was 4.25 %, awhile this year it has reached 21 %. Even now, it stands at 16.5 %, which means that money remains extremely expensive for citizens, businesses, and the state. Debt servicing costs now account for twice as much of total budget expenditure as before the war, and in nominal terms already exceed allocations for healthcare and education. And from next year, they will exceed total expenditure on these items. Thus, debt servicing will become the fourth largest item of expenditure, on a par with national security.

The end of economic growth prevents the government of the rf from financing large military expenditures, and it is preparing to increase its debt. The maximum amount of government bonds to be placed in 2026 has been approved at 6.47 trillion rubles and $1 billion. The domestic borrowing plan for 2026 is smaller: 5.5 trillion rubles. But this year’s story may repeat itself, when the borrowing program was urgently increased by 2.2 trillion rubles to plug the “hole” in the budget.

The cooling of russia’s economy has sent road hauliers and truck manufacturers into a tailspin. The situation in the transport industry in 2025 can be described as critical: up to 40 % of trucks are idle.

Passenger traffic on russian airlines in 2025 has declined significantly amid a fourfold increase in the number of aviation accidents in russia. russian airlines’ aircraft experience increasingly frequent engine failures – there have been eight incidents in the last week alone. russian Superjet 100 aircraft have been the most prone to failure – four incidents.

By the end of 2025, unsold housing accounts for 68 % of all new construction in russia.

The average bill for veterinary clinic services in russia for January–September 2025 increased by 15 % year-on-year.

The government of the rf has instructed “russian Railways” to sell a 62-story skyscraper in the “moscow City” business cluster in order to at least partially pay off part of the state monopoly’s huge debt. RZD’s total debt is estimated at around $50 billion.

The state duma has passed a law increasing the enforcement fee (commission for debt collection) charged by bailiffs from 7 % to 12 %. The rf’s government has recognized the increase in the fee as an “effective tool” for replenishing the budget by additional 50 billion rubles per year.

russia’s authorities are preparing to make it mandatory to link russians’ mobile devices to SIM cards and to disconnect all gadgets that do not pass this procedure from the network. Besides,  it is planned to charge an additional fee for the mandatory registration of mobile devices in a single database of IMEI numbers.

The russian shop “Litres” has “as a precaution” removed 4,500 books from sale, fearing fines for drug propaganda, which have not yet come into force.

Members of the Izhevsk city duma have adopted a budget with a deficit of 259.8 million rubles.

Residents of the temporarily occupied Mariupol, who were left homeless as a result of russia’s invasion, have been blocked from sending appeals to putin’s “hotline”. Besides, in response to attempts to complain, security forces began summoning Mariupol residents for “conversations”, issuing them warnings about “illegal meetings” and even warnings about “extremism”.

If belarusian authorities confiscate Lithuanian trucks stuck in the country, Vilnius “will definitely have to take appropriate, similar measures”, said Minister of Justice Rita Tamašunienė. Also, according to her, a new law should be introduced which would implement this in Lithuania on the principle of parity.

Speaking at the all-belarusian people’s assembly, lukashenko decided to warn young professionals, stating that those who had left the country are “queuing up” to the commission on repatriation. In reality, as of the end of October, 30 people had returned to belarus.

The “olivier” index in belarus has shown strong growth this year. At the same time, the country’s authorities claim that the cost of ingredients for the salad has fallen, which is not true according to official statistics, as its cost has risen by 30.45 %. Compared to 2017, the price of “olivier” salad has more than doubled, having risen by 114.59 %.

Today, 95 % of belarusian cultural space consists of russian products. russia dominates music, literature, cinema, and show business. Independent belarusian initiatives are virtually excluded from the official sphere. Another “trend” of the year in the field of culture is a total state control.