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

The European Union plans to establish a European Security Council with the participation of the United Kingdom, Canada, Norway, Ukraine, and possibly other countries.

The Netherlands has ratified the Council of Europe Convention on the establishment of an International Compensation Commission for Ukraine.

The government of the Netherlands also intends to allocate an additional EUR 327 million for the recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine in 2027–2029.

“We will strengthen sanctions against russia. We must continue to put pressure on russia,” said President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. She has also pointed out  that the European Union is funding the purchase of Patriot missiles for Ukraine and aims to strengthen its air defense and develop a joint missile defense system based on the “Freya” project.

The European Union is preparing new measures against russia’s economy, particularly targeting the “shadow” fleet, and is also discussing new restrictions on the movement of russian diplomats, a visa ban for former combatants, and a revision of the policy on tourist visas for citizens of the rf. This was stated by EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas.

“An integrated, democratic, and stable Ukraine within European structures is the best guarantee of security for all of Central Europe. Ukraine currently has the best Army in Europe – an army battle-hardened in real combat,” said the Deputy Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies (the lower house of Parliament) of the Czech Republic.

Italy has provided Ukraine with nine state-of-the-art ultrasound diagnostic systems and a mobile X-ray unit worth over EUR 720,000.

The Graham-Blumenthal bill proposing “punitive” tariffs on countries that purchase russian energy carriers has passed another procedural vote in the US  House of Representatives.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen has announced an amendment to Article 4 of the NATO Treaty with a new security strategy in response to russia’s escalating hybrid attacks.

Dutch analyst and defense expert at the Hague Center for Strategic Studies (HCSS) Patrick Bolder believes that the term “hybrid war” should no longer be used to describe russian attacks and sabotage in Europe, as this allows to avoid the need to respond to russia’s  actions.

“This is yet another irresponsible act by russia aimed at intimidating the allies. But russia is not succeeding. We continue to defend our territory and continue to support Ukraine,” said NATO Spokesperson Allison Hart regarding the russian frigate’s firing at Denmark’s Armed Forces helicopter in international waters near Gedser.

Kyrgyzstan’s economy grew by 11% last year, while exports of goods to the European Union reached $2.5 billion in 2025. The key driver of this growth was the re-export of goods to russia after sanctions restricted direct shipments. According to estimates by the Asian Development Bank, re-exports accounted for up to 40% of economic growth over the past four years.

russian coking coal exporters reduced shipments to Türkiye by 30% over seven months and did not ship a single shipment in July. In terms of coking coal shipments to Türkiye, russia ranks third behind the USA  and Australia, but it may now lose a portion of this market.

At least three of the six largest russian refineries have significantly reduced or completely halted diesel fuel production.

russia’s government has worsened its inflation forecast for the current year in response to the fuel crisis that has swept across regions and major cities. According to a new estimate by the ministry of economic development, consumer price inflation this year will reach 6.8 %, which is by nearly one-third higher than the ministry’s initial projection of 5.2%.

The indexation of the  housing and utility rates, scheduled to take effect on October 1, 2026, will add 0.7 percentage points to annual inflation and bring it closer to the upper limit of the  rf central bank’s July forecast of 7%.

russian consumers are switching to increasingly cheaper types of meat due to a surge in inflation, which rosstat estimates at 45% since the start of the full-scale war, while citizens themselves estimate it at over 100%. russian retail chains are reporting a sharp increase in turkey sales, as russians are substituting turkey for beef and pork, which are rapidly becoming more expensive. In the first half of the year, demand for turkey rose by 17% in volume terms and by 22% in value ones. Turkey has become the only meat category to post double-digit growth. Meanwhile, sales of beef steaks fell by 7.5% over the same period, and pork steaks – by 24%. Sales of chicken – the cheapest of all available meats – also rose by 5.2%.

The potato crisis of 2024–2025 – when the harvest fell by 20%, prices soared to a 20-year high, and russia, to avoid a shortage, began large-scale imports, particularly from China and Mongolia – may repeat itself in the coming months. The area planted with potatoes for commercial production has fallen this year to an 18-year low. This year’s potato harvest will drop to 7.5 million tons from last year’s 8.5 million tons – a decrease of approximately 12%. This is by 0.5–1 million  tons less than consumption, which is estimated at 8–8.5 million tons annually. Potatoes are already becoming noticeably more expensive on supermarket shelves: by the end of August, their price had risen by 35%, and wholesale prices had jumped by 33% year-on-year.

The deteriorating economic situation has changed russians’ attitudes to “under-the-counter” wages. The share of people who “tend to be understanding” of the fact that some employers pay their employees informally, “in envelopes”,  exceeded the share of those who “tend not to be understanding”: 46% versus 45%, according to a VTsIOM poll. Negative attitudes had prevailed over the past five years: 49% versus 42% who were supportive in 2023.

The losses incurred by the “eksmo-ast” publishing group due to the destruction of marketplace warehouses have amounted to approximately 400 million rubles.

In russia, the number of hotel reservations for the autumn  has fallen  by 9% compared to the same period last year.

russian companies use materials of russian origin in 84% of their microelectronics production. However, 90% of those products are manufactured using foreign raw materials.

russian manufacturers of finished polymer products reduced exports by 21.8% over the past year and by 47.7% compared to 2021 – nearly halved them.

The net profit of plastic product manufacturers in tatarstan has halved.

leningrad region has approved a ban on dispensing more than 30 liters of fuel per vehicle. Every fifth  private filling  station in the region has ceased operations.

Medical universities in russia are facing a shortage of students entering residency programs. Across the entire rf, there is a shortage of approximately 1,500 residency students. The main reason is the new rules for targeted job placement after graduation, which have reminded many of the practices from the soviet era, when students were required to “serve” 1.5–3 years in medical facilities in specific regions after completing their education.

The past two and a half decades have been a period of school closures in russia on a scale unprecedented in modern history. Since 2000, the number of operating elementary, middle, and high schools in the country has nearly halved (decreased by 45%). Of the 68,800 schools with which russia entered the 21st  century, only 37,900 remained as of the 2025–2026 school year.

The federal institute for pedagogical measurements has published methodological recommendations for teachers, prepared based on an analysis of typical mistakes made by participants in the 2026 unified state exam.  The results of the analysis showed that russian high school graduates do not understand the powers of the president of the rf, cannot distinguish them from the functions of the state duma, and do not know the basics of russia’s constitution.