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

“russia’s illegal seizure and subsequent occupation of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, Europe’s largest nuclear facility, significantly increases the risk to human life and environmental protection,” the European Commission and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas emphasized in a statement marking the 40th anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster.

European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis has stressed that russia will be held accountable for the strike on the shelter at the Chornobyl NPP, but restoration of the damaged facility must begin immediately to avoid catastrophic consequences for Ukraine and the EU.

Ukraine has signed an agreement with the EBRD for EUR 30 million to begin the first phase of restoring the protective structure at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

During the “Energy Ramstein” meeting, Ukraine’s partners announced that they would allocate EUR 100 million to our country’s energy sector.

European Commission Spokesperson Guillaume Mercier has stated that the Ukrainian government has submitted the necessary documents to the EC to receive EUR 2.7 billion under the Ukraine Facility, for which our country is eligible following the recent completion of a series of reforms.

Ukraine and Norway are establishing the first joint production of Ukrainian drones – they plan to manufacture several thousand mid-strike drones in Norway.

Ukraine will assist Poland in building a modern drone fleet. “I am proud that today I can join you in opening this new chapter in the development of Polish security, and I am proud that our partner in this project is a country that has the greatest experience in what today determines the outcome in the air,” said Prime Minister of Poland Donald Tusk.

European Commission Spokesperson Anitta Hipper has announced that on May 11 in Brussels, during a high-level meeting involving Canada, the EU, and Ukraine regarding the return of Ukrainian children deported by russia, specific steps will be discussed to return the children to Ukraine and hold russia accountable.

European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius believes that the EU’s strategy toward russia should focus on ensuring Ukraine’s prosperity and transforming it into Europe’s new “economic tiger”. “Ukraine’s success could inspire ordinary russians to demand a return to normal life,” he said.

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Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Guillaume Mercier has pointed out that russia will continue to build up its military strength in the near future, so the Alliance is focusing on this in its planning. “The threats to NATO are, of course, russia and terrorist groups. We are working on these two fronts to stay ahead of the curve,” the Admiral said.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has stated that Washington does not plan to extend the exemption allowing the purchase of russian oil.

EU Commissioner for Trade and Economic Security Maroš Šefčovič has also confirmed that the USA does not plan to extend the exemption from sanctions against russian oil, which was introduced due to the war in the Middle East, for a second time.

The EU has begun implementing a ban on imports of russian liquefied natural gas on a short-term basis. Deliveries under long-term contracts may continue until the end of the year.

Prime Minister of Estonia Kristen Michal has called on the EU to impose tariffs on russian goods, particularly steel and fertilizers, and to channel the proceeds toward Ukraine’s recovery.

On the anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna called for tougher sanctions against the russian energy sector and for russia’s isolation at international energy forums.

The Internal Security Service of Estonia has called on European countries to step up efforts to criminally prosecute individuals recruited by russia to carry out hybrid attacks on the continent.

The popular streaming platform Twitch has blocked the accounts of 14 streamers who were broadcasting the  Counter-Strike 2 championship organized by alabuga polytechnic college and promoting the college. The blocked russian streamers were among the top 100 on russian Twitch in terms of viewership.

The administration of President of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa plans to take over the Khmeimim airbase from russia and turn it into a training facility for its military.

Contrary to the triumphant reports from putin and gazprom, russian authorities do not expect the launch of the new “power of siberia-2” gas pipeline to China in the coming years, according to the russian government’s draft macroeconomic forecast. At least until the end of the decade, russia will not be able to significantly increase gas supplies to China.

minister of finance anton siluanov has warned that the budget deficit of russian regions, which set a historic record last year, will continue to grow. This year, according to his estimates, the total “hole” in regional budgets will reach 1.9 trillion rubles.

The central bank of the rf has urged russians not to expect an economic recovery.

Businessmen are already publicly criticizing the kremlin’s statements and reports under the general narrative that “everything is under control”. “Today we see apathy in many sectors of the economy and in many spheres  of human activity,” said president of the “rosspetsmash” association konstantin babkin. director of the cherepovets foundry and mechanical plant vladimir boglaev believes that “the ruling elite has lost touch with the real state of affairs in the country’s economy”.

The supervisory board of the russian diamond mining company “alrosa” has recommended against paying dividends for 2025.

The board of directors of the russian steelmaker MMK has also recommended against paying dividends for last year.

The cosmetics chain Letual plans to close 150 shops in russia this year. In 2025, the retailer already closed 93 shops. Thus, over two years, Letual, which has been operating since the late 1990s, will close about 25% of its retail locations. At the end of last year, the company reported a net loss of over 1 billion rubles for the first time since 2012. The situation faced by  retailers is being affected by declining household incomes and changes in consumer behavior.

russian banks have begun approving mortgages for only half of all applicants. And so far no easing of restrictions is expected. According to the credit bureau, over the past six months, the share of approved mortgage applications had fallen from 61.5% in October 2025 to 49.9% in March 2026.

By the end of 2026, a standard cup of coffee in russia may cost as much as 500–600 rubles. Prices are rising under pressure from several factors at once. These include rising rental rates for coffee shops and higher electricity rates. In addition, logistics costs have risen by 40% since 2022, and packaging has become approximately by 35% more expensive following the replacement of European cardboard with supplies from China and Türkiye.

russia has once again postponed the certification of the domestically produced PD-8 aircraft engine, which is intended to replace the Franco-russian SaM146 engine and be used in the import-substituted Sukhoi Superjet 100 airliner.

By the end of 2025, the number of employees at the 20 largest banking groups in russia decreased by 4%. Staff reductions were recorded at 14 credit institutions, with cuts reaching 40% at some banks.

By the end of 2025, the labor reserve in russia had shrunk to 4.4 million people. This is by 9% or 415,000 fewer than a year earlier.

russians do not trust the government and are reluctant to pay contributions to state funds. According to the country’s ministry of labor, only 25,000 workers have joined the program, representing 0.2% of the 16 million officially registered workers nationwide.

Barbershops in st. petersburg lost some of their customers in the first quarter of this year. Experts predict that up to 20% of establishments may close by the end of the year. In the first quarter of 2026, the average check at barbershops in st. petersburg rose by 16% compared to last year. At this, the average number of transactions per location during this period dropped by 28%, and the average revenue per salon decreased by 16%.

Movies and TV series available on russian online streaming platforms now feature special captions warning that certain scenes have been removed from the film due to censorship.

The blocking of the internet and messaging apps, the worsening economic situation, and the collapse of hopes for a swift end to the war have triggered the strongest surge of anxiety in russian society in nearly two years. As of April 19, 47% of russian citizens had noticed an “anxious mood” among their family, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances. Since the beginning of the month, the proportion of those who notice anxiety in society has increased by 7%.

A lack of money has begun to drive young russians into social isolation: 69% of people aged 18–35 have admitted that they have to cancel plans to meet with friends due to financial difficulties.

russian prisons are ranked among the top 3 government institutions in terms of “convenience of services” for russians.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Germany has confirmed the validity of an official travel warning regarding the dangers of traveling to belarus. The document, updated on April 25, 2026, warns German citizens of the risks of arbitrary detention, criminal prosecution, and travel restrictions.

“Illegal migration will continue as long as it is acceptable to the belarusian side,” said representative of the Lithuanian State Border Guard Service Gedrius Mišutis.