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

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has received over EUR 193 billion in aid from the European Union and its member states.

As part of the technical preparations for providing Ukraine with a EUR 90 billion loan in 2026–2027, the European Commission has approved a package of documents detailing the scope of support and outlining procurement preferences for drones for the Ukrainian Army.

European Commission Spokesperson Balázs Ujvári has informed that the European Commission is finalizing its assessment of Ukraine’s financial strategy and preparing a proposal for an the EU Council’s implementation decision regarding the disbursement schedule for 2026. According to him, this year, the plan is to allocate EUR 16.7 billion in budgetary support to our country, including EUR 8.35 billion as part of macro-financial support and the same amount under the Ukraine Facility. EUR 28.3 billion is earmarked for defense aid under the EU’s Ukrainian loan facility. As Ujvári stated, the European Commission expects that the first funds under the loan could reach Ukraine as early as the first half of the second quarter of 2026.

Ukraine has received a grant from Japan totaling nearly $1.3 billion under the G7’s ERA mechanism.

The EU is allocating EUR 80 million to Ukraine, derived from proceeds of russian assets frozen in Europe.

Romania is investing EUR 200 million in joint drone production with Ukraine.

Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Helen McEntee has announced an increase in financial support for Ukraine, having allocated an additional EUR 40 million for humanitarian aid and long-term development. “We have seen the consequences of this war firsthand in our own communities, as families opened their homes and hearts to those fleeing violence. This funding aims to support those families and provide the people of Ukraine with the support they need to survive, rebuild, and live with dignity,” she said. The Minister has also assured that Ireland, during its presidency of the EU Council, will do its best to advance the process of EU enlargement and Ukraine’s European integration.

The European Commission has allocated EUR 20 million in funding to 41 Ukrainian startups and small and medium-sized businesses as part of the European Innovation Council (EIC) competition.

The European Union has transferred more than 50 pieces of equipment to Ukrzaliznytsia.

In a joint statement marking the fourth anniversary of the russian shootings in Bucha, Ministers of Foreign Affairs of 26 countries of the European Union and Ukraine emphasized the need to ensure that russia bears full responsibility for war crimes.

“russia is trying to achieve at the negotiating table what it failed to achieve on the battlefield. We all know that the Donbas is not russia’s ultimate goal. This morning (March 31) in Bucha, we were reminded of exactly what is at stake. There is no better example of russia’s brutality than what happened there four years ago,” said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas. She also emphasized the importance of Europe’s participation in “peace talks” aimed at ending the russian-Ukrainian war.

Germany, the United Kingdom, and Moldova have announced their readiness to join the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine. A total of 14 countries have publicly confirmed their intentions: the United Kingdom, Estonia, Spain, Costa Rica, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, Germany, Slovenia, Ukraine, Croatia, and Sweden.

Canada has extended the Canada-Ukraine Authorization of Emergency Travel, which allows Ukrainians to live and work in the country.

rf

“The 20th package is ready for implementation, and we will tighten the noose even further, especially around russia’s ‘shadow fleet’”,  said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.

France does not rule out the possibility that russia might test NATO’s readiness to respond at a time when the USA’s attention is focused outside Europe. “Therefore, we must build up our weapons stockpiles and prepare our Air and Space Forces for a possible high-intensity conflict,” said Deputy Commander of the Air and Space Forces of France Dominique Tardif.

In March 2026, russia’s manufacturing sector shrank at the sharpest rate of the year, as production volumes and new orders fell more rapidly amid weakening consumer demand. This is evidenced by data from a business survey. The S&P Global PMI (Purchasing Managers’ Index) for the russian manufacturing sector fell to 48.3 in March from 49.5 in February, according to an S&P Global survey. A reading of 50 separates expansion from reduction.

Every fifth developer in the rf who builds housing using project financing and escrow accounts may fail to repay the loan.

In March 2026, the cost of tyre-changing services in russia was by 13% higher than the previous year. Motorists are trying to cut costs by increasingly purchasing used tyres – for some brands, used tyres account for as much as 69% of sales.

russia’s largest oil company, “rosneft”, has reduced the net profit of shareholders at the end of last year by 73%.

In 2025, “surgutneftegas”, one of russia’s five largest oil companies, reported a net loss of 251.2 billion rubles, compared to a net profit of 923.3 billion rubles the previous year. The pre-tax loss from continuing operations for the past year amounted to 389.2 billion rubles, compared to a profit of 1.37 trillion rubles in 2024.

“vkusvill” was the first of russia’s major grocery retailers to begin winding down its retail network: by the end of 2025, the company had closed 286 shops As a result, the retailer’s total number of retail outlets decreased by 12.7%.

The economic slowdown, russians’ tightening their belts, and shop closures across the rf have reduced demand for retail workers in the country’s largest cities with populations exceeding one million. In moscow, the number of sales associate job openings posted between October and December of last year fell by 15%, in st. petersburg – by 10%. Demand for support staff fell even more sharply: warehouse worker vacancies decreased by 33% in moscow and by 29% – in st. petersburg. Demand for couriers fell by 28% and 41%, respectively.

moscow is short of construction workers, cooks, nurses, designers, electrical engineers, and plumbers. 75% of the vacancies are for specialists with vocational education.

The directorate of the ministry of internal affairs in samara region has established a special department to investigate crimes against participants in the war against Ukraine and their families. Meanwhile, the number of offenses committed by the participants of the “special military operation” themselves is rising in russia. Since the beginning of 2022, courts have handed down at least 8,000 convictions against former and current military servicemen. At least 900 of these were in cases involving violent crimes. The number of such convictions is rising as soldiers return from the front lines.

In the krasnoyarsk territory, utility companies had been including excessive costs in their service rates for two years, resulting in residents overpaying 2.3 billion rubles.

In January–February 2026, cement consumption in tatarstan amounted to 155,300 tons, which is by 25.5% less than during the same period in 2025. Overall, cement consumption in russia in January 2026 dropped by 20–30% compared to the same period last year. Shipment volumes reached their lowest in over 15 years.

The average price of tyre-changing services for residents of st. petersburg in March was 3,116 rubles, which is by 31% higher than last spring.

russia’s authorities have set a recruitment quota for higher education institutions for the armed forces of the rf: every fiftieth students must enlist under contract. minister of science valery falkov has communicated the corresponding target – 2% of students – to the rectors of the largest universities at a closed-door meeting in early 2026.

Between January and March 2026, russians purchased 4.1 million packs of antidepressants – a 21% increase year-on -year.

Authorities of the rf have threatened IT companies with removal from the registry and loss of tax breaks, and employees – with loss of military deferments, if they allow VPN traffic. Being on the registry entitles companies to a 5% income tax rate instead of 25%, zero VAT, and reduced insurance contributions. In other words, removal from the registry would kill the business; it would not be able to compete with those remaining on the registry.

“rostelecom” has announced its readiness to implement “white lists” for wired internet at the request of government officials.

The ministry of digital development of the rf will make businesses and self-employed individuals use the state-run email service. It will be a paid service.

The association of cross-border e-commerce and express delivery has appealed to the prime minister to prevent the adoption of the ministry of digital development’s draft law on supporting “russia’s post”. According to the association’s estimates, up to 80% of private operators could exit the market due to the new requirements. The consequences could include rising rates, reduced competition, and a decline in service quality. The ministry of digital development’s draft law calls for the creation of a unified digital channel for message delivery, expansion of post office functions, and new demands to logistics operators. Market participants estimate that marketplaces could face additional costs of up to 90 billion rubles per year.

“russia’s authorities have begun mass culling of livestock due to the intrigues of the ‘Anglo-Saxons’, ” stated deputy of the legislative assembly of sverdlovsk region vyacheslav vegner.

Latvia’s State Security Service (VDD) recommends that citizens refrain from traveling to belarus and russia for Easter and warns of a high risk of intelligence activities, recruitment, and provocations in those countries. VDD recommends not bringing a cell phone there, especially if it contains work-related or confidential information, as data may be seized at the border and spyware may be installed on the phone.

belarus, Lebanon, Sudan, and Venezuela top the global ranking of the world’s riskiest markets in 2026. In those countries, the risks for investors are assessed as much higher than the global average.

In 2025, belarus began spending more than it earned. Expenditures rose significantly, and the budget became increasingly dependent on funds from russia. In 2026, analysts expect the budget deficit to increase to 1–1.5% of GDP. Revenues will grow slowly due to the economic slowdown, while expenditures will most likely remain high.

In January–February, belarus purchased by nearly $900 million more in goods than it sold.