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

“The United States will respond positively to this request. We have done this in the past, and we must do it again in the future, because this is truly about saving lives. When we saw the destroyed shopping center and the devastated residential building, it became clear that putin is deliberately targeting women, children, and other civilians,” said US Senator from the the Democratic Party Richard Blumenthal commenting on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s letter to his counterpart Donald Trump.

“Europe will never be a neutral mediator between russia and Ukraine, because we stand with Ukraine and are defending our own key security interests,” said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.

“Despite threats from russia, all G7 countries remain in Kyiv and continue their activities in support of Ukraine,” says the G7 ambassadors’ statement.

Minister of Defence of Sweden Paul Jonson has pointed out that training for Ukrainian pilots and technical personnel on Swedish Gripen fighter jets is already underway and will be expanded this autumn.

“russia’s latest massive strikes on Kyiv, including the deployment of ‘oreshnik’ hypersonic ballistic missiles, constitute an inexplicable, dangerous, and barbaric escalation,” – Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Tammy Bruce called for a ceasefire and reminded russia of its “legal obligations” and diplomacy.

The World Bank has approved a new SPIRIT project aimed at modernizing Ukraine’s social protection system, supporting vulnerable groups, and strengthening community resilience. Project financing includes an $860 million World Bank loan and $20 million in grant co-financing from the United Kingdom and Germany through the Ukraine Relief, Recovery, Reconstruction and Reform Trust Fund (URTF).

“russia’s war of aggression has crossed yet another line. A russian drone invaded Romania’s territory and struck a densely populated area, resulting in civilian casualties. On EU territory,” said President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen regarding the incident involving a russian drone crash in the Romanian city of Galați.

“We will continue to improve our readiness to deter and defend against all threats, including UAVs. russia’s irresponsible behavior is a threat to us all,” NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said he spoke with President of Romania Nicușor Dan after a russian attack drone had crashed into a residential building in the country.

“Last night’s incident falls into the category of incidents that justify the use of such tools. This refers to consultations among NATO member states when one of them believes that its security is threatened. It is clear that invoking Article 4 is a joint decision. “This is part of the discussions regarding the options we have at this moment,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Romania Oana Cioiu regarding the response to the situation with the russian drone that entered the country’s territory.

“russia continues to pose a threat to civilians and test NATO’s ‘red lines’. Lithuania stands firmly with our ally Romania. We must strengthen our support for Ukraine and increase pressure on russia,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys regarding the UAV’s entry into Romanian territory.

Minister of Defence of Italy Guido Crosetto has stated that the incident involving the crash of a russian drone in the Romanian city of Galați is a dangerous escalation that cannot be tolerated.

The State Chancellery of Estonia and the State Service for Special Communications and Information Protection of Ukraine have signed a memorandum of cooperation aimed at exchanging knowledge and practical experience in the field of critical infrastructure protection.

The Ministry of Defense of the Netherlands has extended the deployment of the Patriot air defense system in Poland, which protects a key logistics hub for aid to Ukraine.

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Officials of Lithuania are considering a possibility of legally banning citizens of russia and belarus from participating in international scientific and sports events taking place in the country..

russia is one of the top five countries with the largest outflow of wealthy citizens: according to estimates by Henley & Partners, 1,500 high-net-worth individuals left the country in 2025.

Since the beginning of 2026, not a single new foreign retailer has entered russia.

In moscow, only 52% of the total space announced by developers will be commissioned by 2028. Rising property costs and competition among developers are significantly impacting the implementation of new projects.

Flight delays in russia have doubled. The number of flights delayed by 60 minutes or more increased 1.9-fold (to 48,600), by two hours or more – 2.1-fold (26,500), and by three hours or more – 2.3-fold (17,300). Besides, the number of cancellations has quadrupled, and the number of cancellations following delays has more than tripled.

The cost of the monthly minimum basket of goods for russians has risen by 3.3% since the beginning of 2026.

In russia, the average monthly supply of investment goods in the economy in the first quarter of 2026 was by 2.7% lower than in the fourth quarter of 2025. The current level of investment activity is lower than not only the figures for 2024 (by 16%), but those for the crisis months of 2022 as well.

The russian gold mining company “yugk” has recommended not paying dividends for 2025.

In April, agricultural tractor production in russia fell by 19% compared to the same month last year.

In April 2026, metallurgical production in russia fell by 9.2% year-on-year and by 8.7% compared to March of this year.

The average age of cars in tatarstan has reached 12 years, while 57% of vehicles are over 10 years old. The reasons for this include extremely high prices for new vehicles (twice as high as in 2021), a key interest rate that has made car loans unaffordable, and the withdrawal of Western brands.

In belarus, another 16 people who had been charged with criminal offenses have been recognized as political prisoners. As of today, according to the Viasna Human Rights Center, 854 people in belarus have the status of political prisoners.

In April, belarusian organizations fired by 15,000 more people than they hired.