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

The government of Australia will provide Ukraine with additional $100 million in aid for critical military equipment to defend against the rf’s aggression. “Australia remains steadfast in its support for Ukraine as it defends itself against russian aggression,” the country’s Ministry of Defense emphasized.

“Air defense remains our top priority. We have delivered another IRIS-T system to Ukraine. Recently, we have also sped up the delivery of IRIS-T SLS and SLM guided missiles… In addition, we will supply a three-digit number of air-to-air missiles from our own stockpiles,” said Minister of Defence of the FRG Boris Pistorius. The Minister also pointed out that European partners have much to learn from Ukraine, which has now gained unique combat experience and innovative capabilities.

“Diplomatic channels with russia do not matter if russia does not want to engage in diplomacy. Therefore, first of all, there must be clear signs that russia is ready for this. Today there are no such signs, so there is no point in opening diplomatic channels,” said Prime Minister of Latvia Andris Kulbergs.

“I am very grateful that decisions have already been made this week and that the European Commission has opened so-called Cluster 1 for negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova. These are clear steps toward the enlargement of the European Union,” said Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz.

At its annual meeting, on June 18–19 in Ankara, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ) unanimously adopted three resolutions in support of Ukrainian journalism amid russian aggression: “On the Strategic Role of Local and Frontline Journalism During War”, “On Support for Journalistic Solidarity Centers in Ukraine”, and “On Continuing Solidarity with Ukrainian Journalists Illegally Detained by the rf”.

Greece will cover the costs of restoration research at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra after a russian drone damaged one of Eastern Europe’s most important Orthodox Christian landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – the Cathedral of the Assumption.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development has approved a EUR 15 million loan to Kharkiv for the restoration of the centralized heating system, backed by a EUR 17 million grant from the European Union.

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For the first time since the start of russia’s aggression, EU leaders have agreed to a proposal to extend sanctions against russia for 12 months, rather than 6 as had been the case until now.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas has expressed hope that EU member states will be able to quickly finalize the 21st package of sanctions against russia.

President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda has called on Europeans to increase pressure on russia by imposing increasingly tough sanctions.

russia’s economy is in an “explosive state” as a result of the transition to war rails, which is why a large-scale sanctions package against banks or a steady drop in oil prices could play the role of a trigger. This is stated in the assessment by European intelligence circles. According to the report, russia’s banking sector is especially at risk. The report points out that banks’ balance sheets are “artificially inflated”.

Petrol and diesel prices in russia rose 2–4 times faster in the first five months of this year than during the same period in 2025.

The association of russian tour operators points out a drop in demand for tours – the number of bookings is by 10–12% lower than in early June 2025 due to the rising cost of domestic tourism. The main reasons are general economic factors, unstable airport operations, rising prices for hotels and airline tickets, as well as a shortage of railway transport.

Sales of clothing and footwear have fallen in russia after citizens had switched to a frugal lifestyle. According to results for January–March 2026, the volume of fashion goods sold, both online and offline, decreased by 15% compared to the same period last year.

In russia, 75% of the lamb market operates within the gray economy. In monetary terms, this amounts to approximately 90 billion rubles.

russians’ spending on new passenger cars fell by 7.4% in May.

The government of the rf will develop a professional standard (GOST) for writers. Only those who are knowledgeable about russian history and culture will be eligible for official status. The initiative comes amid increased censorship in the publishing industry.

The government of the rf has stated that there are too many people with higher education in russia.

On the federal TV channel “ntv”, host of the talk show “meeting place” andrey norkin suggested “planting drugs on Black Americans” at the border to replenish the “exchange fund”.

In st. petersburg, widespread disruptions to mobile internet service have been reported for the second day in a row.

Residents of the city of moscow and moscow region are reporting en masse that air raid alerts and sirens are not sounding.

Residents of several districts in moscow region have also reported petrol shortages, queues at filling stations, and limited fuel options.

Authorities in the town of kotelniki, near moscow, refused to disclose the locations of shelters and bomb shelters to residents. Officials stated that this information would be available to residents only “during mobilization and in wartime”.

Authorities in voronezh region have begun turning off streetlights to prevent them from serving as “light beacons” for drones.

By the end of the year, the vacancy rate in moscow region’s warehouse real estate market could reach 8.2% – subleases included – which would be the highest level since 2016.

Panic has broken out among residents of penza due to mass roundups of people carried out with the participation of military commissariat staff.

Private filling stations in some municipalities of tula region have run out of fuel.

In nizhny novgorod, workers halted construction of metro (underground railway –Transl.) due to unpaid wages.

In its summit conclusions on Ukraine, the EU once again mentioned belarus. European leaders again “strongly urged russia and belarus to immediately ensure the safe and unconditional return to Ukraine of all illegally deported and displaced Ukrainian children and other civilians”. Besides, the EU condemned the military support provided to russia by iran, belarus, and north korea, and called on all countries to immediately stop any assistance to russia in its aggressive war against Ukraine, whether direct or indirect.

The release of all political prisoners and an end to repression remain essential preconditions for any meaningful political dialogue or economic cooperation with belarus. This is stated in the European Parliament’s resolution of June 18.

The Court of Justice of the European Union has upheld the legality of the sanctions imposed against “belaruskali”, the company’s CEO ivan golovaty, and the “belarusian potash company”. The court rejected the appeals filed by the companies and the top executive, upholding the rulings of the EU’s general jurisdiction courts from September 2024.

belarus has been ranked among the world’s ten worst countries for workers. This conclusion is contained in the new Global Rights Index 2026.

Latvia’s Saeima has passed amendments to the immigration law in its final reading, which prohibit citizens of russia and belarus from obtaining temporary residence permits through the investment program.

The basketball federations of Denmark, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia have warned FIBA against allowing athletes from belarus and russia to compete while wearing national symbols.

In belarus, at least 159 people have been convicted for making monetary transfers to solidarity funds and other initiatives deemed “extremist” and “terrorist” by the authorities.