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

The EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas believes that russia is currently in a weak position in the war with Ukraine, so it needs to be pushed to the negotiating table, and China, in particular, could do this.

During their meeting in Paris, G7 Ministers of Finance will discuss russia’s war against Ukraine, the war in Iran, and the situation in the Strait of Hormuz.

Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Baiba Braže has emphasized that the pace of russian troops’ advance in Ukraine is so sluggish that even calling it ‘snail’s pace’ is an understatement. “Saying russia’s army moves at a snail’s pace is an insult to snails. If a snail started in Avdiivka in February 2022 and moved west, it would now be in Czechia. russia is still stuck in Donbas,” pointed out Baiba Braže.

“russia is in a ‘precarious position’, so it is necessary to continue putting pressure on it through sanctions, rather than stepping up negotiations,” stated Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna.

putin has few viable options in Ukraine, as his armed forces are unable to make significant progress on the battlefield, while Western sanctions are gradually depleting his resources. This was stated by Head of the Foreign Intelligence of Estonia Kaupo Rosin.

Slovakia – one of “gazprom”’s last major customers in the European Union – is ready to sign a long-term contract with Azerbaijan for the purchase of natural gas.

The Japanese game developer and publisher Konami will cease providing its services to players in russia and belarus from June 15.

The proportion of russians who are “generally dissatisfied” with domestic policy in the rf had reached 36% by the end of April – the highest figure since December 2021. Over four months, the proportion of dissatisfied people rose by 14%. In December, the share of those who are “dissatisfied” with russia’s foreign policy rose from 16% to 26% – a record high for the two decades for which statistics are available. The proportion of those who are “dissatisfied” with economic policy reached 46%, although in December 31% had given this response. The surge in economic dissatisfaction – up by 15% over four months – was also a record high.

According to the baseline scenario of the ministry of economic development of the rf, agricultural output in russia in 2026 will decrease by 1.4% compared to 2025.

Railway exports of diesel fuel from russia fell by 27% in April.

A significant decline in production is forecast for russia’s alluvial gold deposits in 2026. The main risks are linked to the introduction of mandatory recultivation funds, licensing issues and a shortage of developed reserves. Up to 15% of companies and up to 7% of production volumes could move into the grey market, leading to a shortfall in tax revenues of 7 to 10 billion rubles.

“monokristall” JSC, part of the “energomir” group and one of the world’s leading producers of synthetic sapphires – used, among other things, in the manufacture of missiles and drones – has notified its creditors of its bankruptcy. By the end of 2022, “monokristall” held a third of the global market for synthetic sapphires.

The net profit of one of the rf’s largest mineral fertilizer producers – the “akron” holding company – fell 5.4-fold in the first quarter of 2026, whilst revenue fell by 22%.

russian consumers are increasingly saving on spending on clothes and footwear, reducing the number of trips to shops and postponing purchases until better times. By the end of 2025, the share of consumer spending on clothes and footwear had fallen to 7% – the lowest level in at least the last 11 years.

In russia, the growth in online food sales slowed down in January–March 2026. The number of orders is falling due to disruptions in mobile internet connectivity.

Major russian pasta manufacturers have sharply reduced the protein content in their products. Pasta factories have started using cheaper raw materials due to rising prices for high-quality wheat. At the same time, costs for packaging, delivery and production have risen. Pasta manufacturers have also reduced the weight of their packages by 10–20% without changing the price.

“The financial safety margin for residential developers in russia has practically been exhausted,” stated deputy prime minister of the rf marat khusnullin. High-rise construction relies heavily on funds from investors, which makes the sector especially vulnerable to changes in financial conditions. The decline in construction activity is affecting related sectors – metallurgy and the production of building materials – and is also reducing regional budget revenues.

Against the background of rising property prices in russia, the number of offers for the sale and rental of garages converted into living spaces is increasing.

Due to russians’ lack of funds, sales of package tours for summer 2026 in russia have fallen by at least 16% compared to last year.

This summer, it will be possible to fly non-stop from russia to 31–32 countries, which is by 25% fewer than in the winter schedule, and three times fewer than in the ussr during the era of the “iron curtain”.

Federal budget expenditure on the activities of the federal penitentiary service has risen by 40% during the years of full-scale war against Ukraine, although the number of prisoners has fallen by almost 40% over roughly the same period. While in 2021, 346.4 billion rubles were spent from the budget on the agency’s activity, this figure rose to 485.7 billion rubles by 2025.

Plenipotentiary representative of the president of the rf in the far eastern federal district yuriy trutnev has stated that he was “somewhat disappointed” after viewing the exhibits at the russia–China Expo in Harbin, having compared the russian and Chinese stands. According to him, russia’s contribution to the exhibition consisted of “nothing but honey and crabs”, whilst China showcased “drones and robots”.

The construction of the dzhubga–sochi motorway has been postponed for at least two years due to a lack of funding.

In the city of bugulma (tatarstan), some buses are not running due to a shortage of drivers. Despite pay rises, the transport company has been unable to fill these vacancies for several months.

Latvia, followed by Lithuania, is considering a complete ban on bus services to belarus.

belarus’ industry is failing to emerge from the crisis – it continues to operate at a loss. In January–April, production in this sector fell by 2.5% compared to the same period in 2025.

In belarus, the rate of price growth for services has accelerated to 8.4% year-on-year, up from 6% a month earlier. One of the reasons for this is the March increase in housing and utility tariffs. At this, tariffs for some of these services – heating, hot water, and electricity for home heating – will rise again in June.

MAZ reduced sales of new trucks in russia by nearly 11% in the first four months of 2026.