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

The meeting of the “Coalition of the Willing” in Paris on January 6 was attended by leaders of 27 countries, four countries were represented at the ministerial level, four – at the level of ambassadors and special representatives, there were also EU and NATO leaders. France, the United Kingdom, and Germany, along with Albania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Poland, and Ukraine were represented at the level of leaders.

Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk believes that the main goal of the summit of the “Coalition of the Willing” in Paris is to confirm the unity of the USA and Europe on security guarantees for Ukraine.

During his visit to Portugal, European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius will discuss with Minister of National Defense Nuno Melo the readiness of European defense, implementation of the SAFE defense credit program, and further support for Ukraine.

“Looks like those russian air defenses didn’t work so well, did they? A person wanted by the US justice system was detained in the center of Caracas,” Pentagon chief Peter Hegseth commented on the effectiveness of russian air defense in Venezuela.

Germany believes that russia is stepping up covert attacks on key infrastructure in the country as part of a hybrid war, which Berlin sees as a possible prelude to a larger conflict.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the FRG Johann Wadephul has stressed that Germany’s demonstration of solidarity with its allies, particularly the Baltic states, sends a clear message to russia that NATO and Europe remain united.

India’s largest private oil refiner, Reliance Industries, has stated it does not expect russian oil deliveries in January and has not been receiving any in the last three weeks.

In the week since the UAV “attack” on putin’s residence, the investigative committee of the rf has not reported on the opening of a criminal case regarding the drone raid. After the UAV attack on the kremlin in May 2023, the investigative committee announced the opening of a criminal case within a few hours. A day before D. Trump’s statement that he did not believe Ukraine had attacked the residence with UAVs, the topic of the “attack” disappeared from the agenda of russian state media agencies.

The year 2026 began with a massive increase in prices for new cars in the rf. So far, prices have risen by an average of 2-4 %, or 40-80 thousand rubles, but these are only the first adjustments, which will be followed by others – every month, if not more often.

An increase in VAT, the introduction of a “technology tax” and mandatory labeling, as well as a global shortage of RAM promise russian consumers a sharp rise in prices for appliances and gadgets in 2026. Smartphones may rise in price by about 10 %, laptops – by 20-30%. The new price tags will appear as early as the first quarter: PCs and tablets will rise by 20 %.

Sales of smartphones and laptops fell by 10 % last year: the central bank’s high key rate froze consumer lending and hit purchasing activity. russians have switched to economy mode en masse: in December, consumer spending on electronics fell by 12.9 % year-on-year, and on household appliances – by 13.2 %.

Authorities of the rf have allowed developers for another year not to pay fines for failing to meet housing delivery deadlines. This means that if you take a developer to court, you will only be paid after December 31, 2026. The moratorium was introduced several times, for the first time – during the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, then in the spring of 2022 after the start of the full-scale war against Ukraine. It was last introduced in June 2025.

The year 2025 was a year of difficult adaptation for the russian dairy industry. Production grew by only 2 %, while consumer demand, on the contrary, declined. This was caused by demographic changes, a decline in purchasing power, and the population’s shift to a thrifty model of behavior.

More than a third of russian families with children feel “very cramped” and “somewhat cramped” for room in their living space. 6.3 % of russian families with children felt “very cramped”,  and 27.3 % felt “somewhat cramped”. At this, this share is higher among large families—50 % of families with three or more children live in cramped conditions. Families also complain about dampness, rodents, insects, and lack of light.

In russia, sales of new housing are projected to fall by 15 % in 2026 due to stricter rules for issuing family mortgages. This will cut off nearly three million families from the program.

An official from yekaterinburg was criticized for gifts he gave to children from an Azerbaijani family. russians were outraged that the gifts were given to “migrants” and not to russian children, even though the family received russian citizenship 20 years ago.

From January 1, migrants in primorye  are  banned from working in 88 sectors instead of 36. The ban includes, in particular, the harvesting of food and non-wood forest resources, medicinal plants, production of baby food and dietary food, weapons, ammunition, optical devices, aircraft, and military equipment, as well as their repair. Foreign citizens are now prohibited from selling books, newspapers, motor fuel, paints and varnishes, medicines, weapons and ammunition, and from trading in non-stationary outlets and markets.

In 2026, in samara region, migrants will be prohibited from working in the food industry, wholesale and retail trade, passenger transportation, public catering, courier delivery, education, tourism, and culture.

In voronezh region, restrictions on foreign citizens working in key sectors of the economy have been extended for the whole of 2026. Passenger transportation by taxi and public transport, courier work, and employment in telecommunications, education, healthcare, and water supply facilities remain completely prohibited. It is also prohibited to care for the elderly or disabled. Positions as loaders, cleaners, janitors, and handymen remain available.

The list of restrictions has also been expanded in kursk, belgorod, volgograd regions, and khanty-mansi autonomous okrug.

In russia, the year 2026 began with the breakdown of the first aircraft. On January 6, the barnaul-moscow aircraft, which was supposed to fly to the russian capital, did not take off due to a technical malfunction.

Numbeo has presented its Safety Index by Country 2026. According to the rating, belarus is more dangerous than Iraq, Palestine, Sudan, most post-soviet countries, and Ukraine. belarus ranks 90th out of 150 countries.

At the end of each year, the Canadian Frazer Institute and the American Cato Institute publish the Human Freedom Index. It takes into consideration both personal and institutional freedoms in a country. In the updated 2025 ranking, belarus still ranks 140th. However, due to russia’s sharp decline in its position (152nd place), belarus is no longer the worst on the European continent.

russian suppliers have occupied another niche in the belarusian food industry: according to the results of the first 11 months of 2025, belarus topped the list of buyers of russian canned cucumbers and gherkins. During this period, belarus imported $5 million worth of these pickled products.