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

Switzerland has joined the European Union’s 20th package of sanctions against russia and belarus. The new sanctions target 115 individuals and entities – first of all those linked to russia’s military-industrial complex and energy sector, as well as entities that support them.

On May 24, the EU ban on transactions involving the digital ruble, established in the 20th package of anti-russian sanctions, went into effect.

President of the Czech Republic Petr Pavel has called on NATO to “show its teeth” in response to russia’s repeated attempts to test the Alliance’s “resolve” on its eastern flank. Pavel called for “sufficiently decisive, potentially even asymmetric” measures in response to moscow’s provocative behavior toward the Alliance, warning that otherwise there is a risk the kremlin will escalate its actions.

Minister of Defence of Estonia Hanno Pevkur has stated that his country is “better prepared than NATO as a whole” for russia’s possible aggression.

Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, and Iceland have condemned russia’s threats to use force against Latvia and other countries in the region. In a statement, they emphasized that incidents involving drones entering NATO airspace are a direct consequence of russia’s illegal war against Ukraine.

A bipartisan group of US Senators has sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth demanding the release of $600 million in military aid to Ukraine and the Baltic states. It was signed by Democrats Dick Durbin, Michael Bennet, and Catherine Cortez Masto, as well as Republicans Chuck Grassley, Kevin Cramer, and Tom Tillis. “Ukraine has been resolutely and courageously repelling the russian onslaught for four years now – its army needs and deserves America’s continued support,” reads the letter.

US President Donald Trump has extended sanctions against the belarusian leadership for one year. “The actions and policies of certain members of the government of belarus and other persons continue to pose an extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” the document states.

During a phone call, President of France Emmanuel Macron warned aleksandr lukashenko against further involving belarus in the rf’s war against Ukraine.

“Last night, russia deployed the ‘oreshik’ missile system and launched massive strikes across the entire territory of Ukraine – this is a ruthless display of brutality directed against the civilian population and civilian infrastructure,” President of the European Council António Costa condemned the latest massive russian attack on Ukrainian cities.

“Accountability for past actions must be an integral part of any future settlement. In this context, the recent decision on the Council of Europe’s Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression, supported by 36 countries and the EU, is an extremely important step,” said Secretary General of the Council of Europe Alain Berset regarding russia’s airstrike on Ukraine on the night of May 24.

“I strongly condemn the heavy russian shelling, which has once again struck Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, with the level of weaponry used constantly increasing,” said Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni in response to russia’s massive missile and drone attack against Ukraine on May 24.

“We call on russia to immediately cease these strikes and put an end to this illegal and aggressive war. They only prolong human suffering and do nothing to change the fact that russia is losing this war. Canada will continue to work closely with international partners to ensure a just and lasting peace for Ukraine and Europe,” said Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney regarding the russian airstrike on May 24.

“France condemns this attack and the use of the ‘oreshnik’ ballistic missile, which above all demonstrates … the dead end of russia’s war of aggression,” said President of France Emmanuel Macron regarding the russian attack on Ukraine on the night of May 24.

“On the night before Pentecost Sunday, russia launched massive strikes against civilian targets in Ukraine. Once again, the ‘oreshnik’ missile system was used. The German government strongly condemns this ruthless escalation. Germany continues to stand firmly by Ukraine’s side,” said Chancellor of the FRG Friedrich Merz.

“russia will be held accountable. Meanwhile, we must step up our support for Ukraine to stop the war and russia,” said President of Latvia Edgars Rinkēvičs, condemning the latest massive russian attack on Ukrainian cities.

President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda believes that russia will be held accountable for the terror against the Ukrainian civilian population, particularly for airstrikes on civilian infrastructure.

“The killing of civilians is a war crime. The free world’s response must be to strengthen support for Ukraine and increase pressure on russia. Moldova stands in solidarity with Ukraine and its courageous people,” said President of Moldova Maia Sandu.

“These attacks only underscore what is at stake: Ukraine’s freedom, Europe’s security, our shared values. russia will not be able to break the Ukrainian people. Our support remains unwavering,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria Beate Meinl-Reisinger, condemning the russian attack on Ukraine on the night of May 24.

“This is state terrorism and must be treated as such,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Oana Čoiu regarding the russian attack on Ukraine on the night of May 24.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Tom Berendsen has stated that russia’s large-scale attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities “once again demonstrate that the kremlin prioritizes war over peace”. At the same time, he said, the Netherlands stands in solidarity with Ukraine.

“The problem is that we have to force putin to stop. And this is only possible with military support for Ukraine,” said Nico Lange, a former advisor to the Ministry of Defense of the FRG.

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President of Finland Alexander Stubb has emphasized that the border between his country and russia can only be opened when there is confidence that the rf is not using immigrants or refugees as a weapon against Finland.

For the first time in a long while, russian authorities plan to sell a large stake in a state-owned company to replenish the federal budget, which ran a deficit of 5.8 trillion rubles in the first four months of this year. “rosimushchestvo” has announced a tender to select an organizer for the sale of a 23.76% stake in aeroflot, the national airline, which serves over 50 million passengers annually.

40% of consumers in russia expect a reduction in shop product ranges by 2026. Compared to the autumn of 2025, the share of such respondents has increased by 13%, and on an annual basis – by 14%, having reached its highest level since the spring of 2023. Against this background, consumer behavior is also changing: shoppers are cutting back more often, switching to discount shops, and making greater use of online services and AI to select goods.

Member of the state duma sergei mironov believes that russia needs to raise the dividend tax rate to 35% to bring in over 200 billion rubles to the budget. He added that most of russia’s wealthy and ultra-wealthy individuals live off dividends from  various companies, including those with state ownership.

russia is short of about 14,500 professionals in the field of civilian drones. Thus, the industry is already facing not so much a shortage of technology as a shortage of trained specialists. In 2026, the greatest demand for personnel is expected in agriculture (4,600 people), forestry (2,300 people), construction and housing and utilities (1,800 people), and the fuel and energy sector (1,900 people).

International trucking has become unprofitable for russian companies. In the first quarter, each truck generated an average net loss of 108,000 rubles per month, compared to a net profit of 236,000 rubles in 2023. Statistics shows an increase in the share of unprofitable companies: 32% compared to 25% in the first two months of 2025.

In russia, the volume of mortgage lending has fallen sharply following the termination of a preferential program and the tightening of conditions for granting home loans to families. In January through April, the number of loans issued fell by 56%, while their total value decreased by 54% compared to the same period last year.

The average monthly mortgage payment for a one-bedroom flat in a new building in moscow has reached nearly 300,000 rubles (≈ EUR 3,500).

The russian developer of “myoffice” (the russian  equivalent of Microsoft Office) has warned employees of mass layoffs. The company plans to retain only technical support staff. Everyone else faces dismissal. It is worth noting that in 2025, “myoffis” more than tripled its net loss – from 1.2 billion rubles to 4 billion rubles.

In the krasnodar territory, authorities will not pay compensation for cars damaged during UAV attacks.