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

President of the European Council António Costa has emphasized that the European Union will continue to increase pressure on russia until it stops the killings and demonstrates a genuine commitment to peace. “Ukraine, Moldova and the Western Balkans belong inside our Union: each moving forward on its own merits, and each of them treated equally. It is the most important geopolitical investment the European Union can and should make,” said Costa.

“Our task is to advance this process (EU enlargement). We have done this and continue to do so with Montenegro. We have done this and continue to do so with Albania. And we are also working diligently on Ukraine and Moldova to open the remaining negotiation clusters for them,” said Ireland’s Minister of State for European Affairs and Defence Thomas Byrne.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos is confident that, through dialogue with all parties, it will be possible by the end of the year to overcome Hungary’s blockade on opening the remaining negotiation clusters for Ukraine and Moldova.

United Kingdom Prime Minister Andy Burnham and President of France Emmanuel Macron have discussed next steps regarding the production of SCALP missiles in Ukraine.

Ukraine has received $60 million under a World Bank education project aimed at improving the accessibility and sustainability of education.

52% of Germans support arms deliveries to Ukraine.

Mass production of more than 5,000 long-range combat drones for Ukraine has begun in Germany.

Lithuania is stepping up inspections of russian grain transported through the port of Klaipėda to verify its origin. The inspections are taking place amid suspicions that the grain may have been stolen from Ukraine.

President of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly Annalena Baerbock has stated that the next Secretary-General must, regarding russia’s war against Ukraine, uphold the provisions of the UN Charter concerning the maintenance of peace and the territorial integrity of nations.

“It seems to me that this is not just a political signal, but also very specific legal instruments at the EU level that need to be discussed. An organization that has been accused – not for the first time – of orchestrating such attacks – using explosives, and at a civilian airport, no less – what is this if not terrorism, an attempt to sow terror and tension in society?” Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys has called for russian intelligence to be designated a terrorist organization.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Radosław Sikorski has called on the European Union to expel up to 40% of russian diplomats working in EU member states – a figure amounting to nearly 1,000 people. The recent wave of hybrid attacks indicates that the EU must impose stricter restrictions on russia. “After all, russia is trying to destroy the EU from within, and it should not be allowed to enjoy the privileges of free movement,” he said.

Germany has rejected the possibility of transferring staff from the rf’s consulate general in Bonn and the “russian house” in Berlin to the russian embassy. Employees of both institutions must leave Germany.

Air Tanzania has suspended flights to moscow due to “security concerns”. The direct route was officially launched just two months ago.

Lithuanian Seimas Speaker Juozas Olekas has criticized the International Basketball Federation’s (FIBA) decision to lift individual restrictions on belarusian and russian athletes. “I disagree with this approach: if restrictions have been in place for a long time, they should be eased. It seems to me that neither in belarus nor in russia have there been changes that would allow us to alter the situation,” he said.

Finland has begun testing a new type of railway sleeper that can change the track gauge from the current wide gauge of 1,524 mm to the European standard of 1,435 mm. The Finns refer to the current track gauge as “russian” and “tsarist”. Finland’s transition to the Western European track gauge standard is necessary to ensure military mobility.

In August, russia’s federal budget received 424 billion rubles in taxes from the oil and gas sector. Compared to August 2025, revenue from resource rents fell by 16%, and compared to the average for March–July, it fell by 43%.

Investment in fixed capital in russia during the first half of 2026 fell by 9.9% year-on-year.

Basic food items, which form the core of the russians’ consumer basket, continue to rise in price faster than the official inflation rate. The minimum basket of 33 products, which rosstat uses to compare inflation across regions and allocate subsidies for free school meals, rose in price by 8.5% from January through July of this year. With inflation at 4.75% over the first seven months of the year, prices for rosstat’s “minimum basket” – which includes meat, milk, grains, eggs, fruits, and vegetables – rose nearly twice as fast, while prices for some items rose five times or more. For example, chicken and fish have risen in price by 11%, beef – by 10%, sugar – by 26%, and vegetables (potatoes, cabbage, onions, carrots) – by 27–36%. Since the start of the full-scale war, the “basic basket” has become 1.5–fold more expensive.

The bulk of spending by visitors to large shopping centers in the European part of russia goes toward grocery shops and liquor shops. The increase in the share of spending on groceries in shopping centers indicates a decline in purchasing power. Consumers are reallocating their spending toward the most essential categories.

More than half – 54% – of retailers believe that business will be more difficult in 2027. Currently, 67% of retailers assess the state of their business as “challenging”, while 21% describe it as “complicated”. A decline in foot traffic has been observed among 68% of retailers.

The net loss of “alibaba.com (ru)” – the russian operator of AliExpress – has amounted to 1.7 billion rubles, compared to a net profit of 1.7 billion rubles a year earlier.

Payments to top management at real estate development companies in russia may decline by 20–30% in 2027. Wages in the construction sector will not grow significantly until 2030 due to a decline in the volume of work. In a shrinking market, there are virtually no prerequisites for growth, aside from inflationary pressures.

russian book publishers lost 6 billion rubles due to attacks on the “ozon” and “wildberries” warehouses. A total of up to 20 million books were destroyed in the marketplaces’ distribution centers.

Sales of new passenger cars in russia in August 2026 fell by 6.5% compared to the same month last year.

Sales of the belarusian car brand BelGee in russia fell again in August. Sales have been declining for the second month in a row. In August, 4,414 BelGee cars were sold – by 43.5% fewer than in the same month last year.

russian companies in the Far East have begun fleeing to China due to high taxes and expensive loans.

In ulyanovsk region, children from large families have been deprived of free lunches due to a budget shortfall. By the end of 2025, the “hole” in the region’s budget had exceeded 3.4 billion rubles. For 2026, the deficit was initially projected at 984 million rubles, but after several adjustments, it has been increased to 2 billion rubles.

Closed filling stations and petrol shortages in August made life more difficult for 55% of russians. According to sociologists, during the last month of summer, the fuel crisis had a greater impact on russians’ lives than problems with the internet and messaging apps.

russian conscripts are increasingly being denied permission to leave the rf. In some cases, the travel ban was imposed directly during border control.