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

Sweden will provide Ukraine with modern Tridon Mk2 air defense systems. A total of EUR 400 million will be allocated for their purchase – nearly one-third of the EUR 1.2 billion military aid package announced in February.

The UN Development Program’s 2025 initiative has improved access to reliable electricity for over 6.6 million Ukrainians. Total investments in Ukraine’s energy sector since 2022 have already exceeded $550 million. “We were able to procure and deploy critically important energy equipment in a number of regions, including Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Lviv, Chernihiv, Volyn, and Sumy,” said Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Europe and Central Asia Ivana Živković.

In March, the Ukraine Energy Support Fund received grant contributions from Iceland and Slovenia totaling EUR 3.2 million.

President of Türkiye Recep Erdogan has confirmed his readiness to host the next round of negotiations in Istanbul aimed at ending russia’s war against Ukraine.

“The Baltic countries are considering various public initiatives to be implemented during the Biennale itself, which will allow for a consistent and clear expression of opposition to russia’s participation,” reads a statement from the Ministry of Culture of Lithuania regarding protests against russia’s participation in the 2026 Venice Biennale.

The Ministry of Education, Science, and Sports of Lithuania has announced its intention to resume discussions on legal options for banning athletes from russia and belarus from participating in competitions held in the country. This decision was prompted by a petition from 31 sports federations to Lithuanian authorities.

An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease detected in China has spread into the country via the northwestern border adjacent to russia.

“Every fifth developer risks defaulting on loans due to a lack of funds,” has warned president of the national association of builders anton glushkov. According to him, they may not have enough funds in their escrow accounts: “About 20% of housing under construction in russia is at risk.”

Up to 20% of beauty salons in major russian cities risk not surviving past 2026. This forecast was made by president of the association of beauty industry enterprises and professionals lalla sadykova. The reason is a sharp rise in service costs amid tax reform, rising utility bills, rent, and salary expectations of stylists, which has led to a loss of clients.

russian agricultural producers have begun closing farms due to the mandatory labeling of dairy products introduced by the government. Similar cases have been reported in the krasnoyarsk and perm territories, karelia, leningrad region, and other areas. Border and remote areas are particularly hard hit, as they lack stable internet access; food products cannot be legally brought to market, they spoil, and farms lie idle. Farmers also point to a sharp rise in costs. Businesses are forced to hire additional staff, purchase printers, scanners, and software, and pay for cryptographic protection and membership fees. As a result, production costs have risen by 30–50%, and in some cases, profitability has dropped to zero. At the same time, the system itself, as manufacturers note, only verifies the movement of packaging but does not guarantee the authenticity of the contents.

In 2025, the total revenue of russian companies specializing in the production of coke and petroleum products decreased by 20.8% compared to 2024.

russia’s largest oil producer ended 2025 with a net profit of 293 billion rubles. A year earlier, “rosneft” earned over one trillion. At this, in the fourth quarter of 2025 alone, profits plummeted tenfold – 16 billion rubles compared to 158 billion in September–December 2024. Moreover, the decline in profits is accelerating – in the first quarter it was 170 billion, in the second – 74 billion, and in the third – 32 billion.

As of January 2026, russians’ loans and credits reached 45 trillion rubles for the first time. Over the quarter, the figure increased by 2.2%, or by 988 billion rubles. Mortgage loans accounted for nearly half (48.1%) of the total (21.7 trillion rubles). Another 29.7% was accounted for by consumer loans (13.4 trillion rubles), and 6.8% – by auto loans (3 trillion rubles). The remainder consisted of interest-bearing claims, loans from microfinance institutions, and other loans.

The minimum cost of furnishing a two-room apartment for consumers in russia rose by 5.3% over the year, to 258,600 rubles. Prices are rising due to increased costs and the tax burden. At the same time, consumer demand for products is declining due to sluggish housing sales and a desire to save money. Manufacturers are forced to cut back on furniture production.

Door sales in russia in 2025 fell by 11% as the overall housing construction market shrinks and many russians have postponed or completely given up renovations due to limited financial resources.

In russia, counterfeit branded goods account for about 40% of the fashion segment and 65% – of the electronics one. Marketplaces contribute to the availability of counterfeit products in russia.

For several years in a row, sales of antidepressants in russia have been growing at double-digit rates. In 2025, russian pharmacies sold 23.6 million packages worth 19.6 billion rubles. In volume terms, sales increased by 24% compared to the previous year, and in monetary terms – by 36%.

Pies, pastries, and puff pastries in russia may become by about 6% more expensive. The reason for the potential price increase will be the introduction of new GOST standards for these products.

From March 2025 to March 2026, the number of restaurants in st. petersburg decreased to 1,700 establishments (-6%), and the number of cafeterias – to 800 (-2%). As for russia as a whole, the total number of cafes in cities with over a million residents has decreased by 5% over the past 12 months, while the number of bars has decreased by 12%.

In 2025, over 120,000 foreign workers effectively left russia’s labor market: approximately 72,000 people left the country under migration control, while another 50,000 were barred from entry. And now this sudden labor shortage is acutely felt in a number of sectors across russia.

In the first three months of the year, teachers in at least 15 regions of the rf faced delayed or partial payment of their salaries.

russia is among the world’s worst countries in terms of internet freedom in a ranking compiled by Cloudwards. It received just 4 points out of 100, placing it second to last. Only north korea, with zero points, ranks lower than russia. Iran, China, and Pakistan also score similarly. The ranking took into account the ability to freely express political and civic views online, as well as the availability of VPN services and torrent sites. russia has not been recognized as “completely free” in any of the categories.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Poland has reported a nearly 96% decrease in the number of attempts to illegally cross the border with belarus.

The state security committee has designated the Belarusian Helsinki Committee – a well-known human rights organization – as an “extremist group”. The BHC was founded in 1995 on the initiative of 52 prominent figures in the country, including Vasil Bykov, Rygor Baradulin, Radim Goretsky, Svetlana Alexievich, and Genadz Buravkin.

The management of “belaz” (a manufacturer of mining dump trucks and transport equipment for the mining and construction industries) doesn’t know how to retain workers without raising their wages. “People are leaving; many simply cannot cope with the high cost of living on our miserly wages, and instead of curbing management’s appetites and raising our wages, the top management has started studying the extent of employees’ burnout”, said a company employee.