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

Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium Maxime Prévot has announced Belgium’s contribution of EUR 4 million to the Veteran Interoperable Service Platform (VISP). “Ukraine is building a new veteran support system on its own, and Belgium is helping to make it simpler, more reliable, and more accessible. By fully funding this platform, we are specifically helping veterans gain access to the medical care, services, and rights they deserve,” Prévot emphasized.

Belgium is also investing $6 million in Ukrainian businesses.

Since the beginning of 2026, international partners have provided Ukrainian energy companies with 4,658 pieces of energy equipment.

Switzerland will maintain temporary protection status (Status S) for Ukrainians who left Ukraine due to russia’s full-scale invasion until March 4, 2028. At the same time, Status S will be granted to new applicants who do not violate military obligations.

“The pressure on russia must be stepped up. The isolation must continue. The cost of aggression must rise until the kremlin changes its calculations.,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna.

National Security Advisor to the President of Lithuania Marius Česnuliavičius has stated that he sees no reason to object to the proposal to reduce the permitted transit time through the country for russian citizens from 24 to 6 hours.

In Kyrgyzstan, authorities have begun mass closures of bank accounts and forced liquidations of companies that help circumvent sanctions against russia.

The russian company “volga-dnepr” lost a court case in Canada seeking to lift sanctions imposed due to the war in Ukraine. “A federal court judge rejected a request to lift sanctions filed by a russian company that owns a cargo plane seized by Canada after the war in Ukraine began,” the report states.

Price expectations among russian companies rose to 21.0 points in August, while the business activity indicator remained in negative territory.

The overall result of a survey of 12,300 enterprises participating in the central bank of the rf’s monitoring program – asked how their investment activity would change in the next quarter – was negative. The worst situation is observed in trade, the service sector, mineral extraction, and construction. Last year, investments declined by 2.3%, and in the first quarter, they fell by 14.3% – a record drop since 2009.

The period when russia increased crude oil exports because it could not fully process it at its own refineries has come to an end. Exports of raw materials have been declining for five weeks in a row. The surplus oil could not be shipped abroad because the port in novorossiysk was forced to halt shipments.

In August, wheat exports from russia are expected to total 1.8 million tons, which is the lowest level for this month since 2010.

The record cash outflow, which began in the early months of the full-scale war and which the russian banking system faced in 2026, affected nearly all of the country’s largest financial institutions. In early March, when demand for cash in the economy surged and the monthly outflow began to exceed 300 billion rubles, 5 out of 7 banks – where russians held more than 1 trillion rubles of their money – faced an outflow of deposits. In total, according to the central bank of the rf, 2.4 trillion rubles have flowed out of the russian banking system into cash since the beginning of the year. The central bank recorded a record outflow in July – 643 billion rubles – and nearly 300 billion more in the first half of August. These developments reflect growing fear within russian society, as well as a loss of confidence in the banking and financial systems.

russia has been hit by a second wave of the fuel crisis: as of August 16, petrol or diesel fuel was available at only 28.1% of filling stations nationwide, whereas a week earlier that figure stood at 41%.

Following the fuel shortage, russia has now faced a shortage of motor oils. Over the past two months, prices for lubricants have risen 1.5–2 times, while delivery times have increased from two days to two weeks.

moscow has imposed restrictions on petrol sales, despite the authorities’ efforts to supply the capital by redistributing volumes from russia’s east.

Counterfeit auto parts have flooded russia’s market after foreign manufacturers left the country. Currently, counterfeit products account for 40% of the market.

The number of completed but unsold homes is rapidly increasing in russia. In July, only 55% of the units in buildings scheduled for completion this year were sold.

Eight countries have joined the EU’s latest sanctions against the belarusian authorities. This is stated in a declaration issued on behalf of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. “Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, and Ukraine are aligning themselves with this Council Decision,” the declaration reads. The sanctions expand the list of goods that could contribute to belarus’ military-technological development or the development of its defense and security sectors. Restrictions have also been expanded on the import of goods and on the participation of belarusian citizens and individuals residing in the country in the capital of organizations providing services in the field of crypto-assets.

belarusians complain that they have been waiting for weeks for orders from “wildberries”.

The number of flats built in belarus over the past year has decreased by nearly 22%.