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

The EU will transfer EUR 1.4 billion in proceeds from frozen russian assets to support Ukraine.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna believes that now is a historic moment to integrate Ukraine into the EU and NATO. According to him, such a decision would guarantee security for both Ukraine and all of Europe.

A draft law has been presented in the Italian Senate to establish a state mechanism for transferring decommissioned fishing nets to protect Ukrainian cities from russian drones.

Canada is ready to cooperate in establishing Veterans Support Fund in Ukraine.

Ukraine and the Polish bank BGK are working on the practical implementation of the Ukraine Facility to support local communities and investment projects in our country.

Switzerland, following the EU’s lead, has imposed sanctions against nine high-ranking russian military officials. Those are the same military officials against whom the EU imposed personal sanctions on March 16. Eight of them are commanders and former commanders of units involved in war crimes committed by the russian army, particularly in Bucha and other settlements in Kyiv region in 2022. The ninth is viktor filonov, a paratrooper from the pskov division, which is responsible for the killings of civilians in Bucha.

In Kenya, serving in a foreign army without the government’s approval is a criminal offense, as the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Musalia Mudavadi has pointed out. Previously, 47 citizens who had participated in the war against Ukraine on russia’s side were repatriated to the country. “As soon as it is established that the accused are involved in this war, they will face legal liability for committing criminal acts,” the Minister stated. Additionally, the government has revoked the registration of 600 organizations involved in the illegal recruitment of Kenyan citizens.

The rf’s GDP fell for the second month in a row, having declined by 1.8% over two months.

The cumulative net financial result (profit minus loss) of russian organizations in January 2026 fell by 29.1% year-on-year.

The rf’s’s gold and foreign exchange reserves fell by $21.4 billion over the past week.

russia’s authorities have extended the suspension of publication of rosstat’s data on oil and gas production until April 1, 2027. The timing of restrictions on the publication of statistical data has already changed several times..

The share of unprofitable coal enterprises in russia rose in January 2026 to 61.1% from 53.3% a year earlier. In January, 2026, the coal industry’s net loss (before taxes) amounted to 25 billion rubles, compared to 6.2 billion rubles in January 2025.

The vast majority (nearly 94%) of russian catering establishments are operating at or below the break-even point.

The government of the rf has slashed spending on road construction and repair due to a budget deficit. Total funding for the road construction plan for the next six years – which provided for the reconstruction and repair of over 2,000 kilometers of federal motorways – will be reduced by 100 billion rubles.

russian authorities aim to force some small-scale urban and regional telecommunications operators out of the market. In particular, discussions are underway to tighten licensing requirements, first of all regarding the minimum amount of authorized capital and the cost of licenses. Experts point out that such measures could lead to reduced competition and higher telecommunications rates.

The rf’s authorities have officially allowed the construction of five-story wooden buildings in the country.

Amid the shortage of skilled workers and a demand for experience, russian employers are expanding their recruitment of candidates aged 55 and older. At the same time, interest in part-time work remains strong. In the first quarter of 2026, russians over the age of 55 posted or updated more than 903,000 resumes – by 15% more than the previous year.

“rosneft” – russia’s largest oil producer, accounting for every second barrel extracted from the ground – saw its net profit plummet nearly fourfold in 2025.

“magnit” – russia’s largest retail chain by number of shops – ended 2025 with a net loss. By year-end, the company, whose network comprises 32,000 retail outlets across 72 regions, lost 22.5 billion rubles. This loss is the first in “magnit”’s 20-year history.

russia’s largest truck manufacturer, “kamaz”, plans to introduce a four-day workweek starting June 1 and reduce its annual production plan due to a drop in demand. Just days earlier, putin stated that the company was “standing firm on its feet”.

The state-owned holding company “rusHydro” will not pay dividends until its financial and economic situation stabilizes; the year 2030 has been cited as a possible date for resuming payments to shareholders.

“gazprom neft”’s net profit for 2025 fell 1,5 times.

“rostselmash”, russia’s largest manufacturer of agricultural machinery, has forecast difficulties in selling its products for the third year in a row amid a sharp deterioration in market conditions due to a lack of demand. In 2025, the plant’s management postponed the staff’s annual vacation and reduced the production schedule. The machine-building plant laid off 2,000 employees. By the end of 2025, the plant’s sales volume had fallen by 25%.

In 32 regions of russia, snowmelt has flooded private plots, roads, and residential buildings; residents are complaining about the authorities’ inaction.

Prices for new construction near the moskva river have risen by 79% over the past five years.

Residents of okhotsk district in the khabarovsk territory have run out of petrol; fuel has not been sold for about two weeks. Supplies ran out in mid-March. The winter reserve formed earlier proved insufficient and was depleted during the cleanup of heavy snowfall. According to preliminary data, deliveries are not expected until June at the earliest.

On April 1, Latvia’s Saeima passed a draft law in its final reading to extend the ban on imports of agricultural products from belarus and russia. The ban will remain in effect until July 1, 2027.

belarus’s trade deficit with countries outside the CIS increased by 7.2% over the course of the year.