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

The US House of Representatives has passed a bill imposing sanctions on russia, co-authored by the late Republican Senator Lindsey Graham (the “Graham Act”). The bill will now be sent to US President Donald Trump for his signature. The “Graham Act” would allow the President to impose tariffs of up to 100% on countries that purchase russian energy carriers or help russia circumvent sanctions. The bill also provides for sanctions against russian officials, banks, the “shadow fleet”, and extends sanctions against Iran.

“We will not rest until Ukraine becomes a secure, free nation. The only way to stop bullies is to push them back and punch them in the face,” said US Democratic Senator and co-author of the “Graham Act” Richard Blumenthal regarding the bill’s passage.

“This bill sends a powerful message of American unity and gives the administration every tool in the toolbox to help bring this war (war in Ukraine) to a just end, and we are proud to send it to the President's desk,” said US House Speaker Mike Johnson regarding the “Graham Act”.

“By passing the Graham bill, Congress is sending a clear message to russia: every source of revenue that finances its war against Ukraine is now subject to US sanctions. I welcome this step, which aims to increase pressure to end the war being waged by russia,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany Johann Wadephul.

India has “taken note” of the bill named after Senator Lindsey Graham on “hellish sanctions” against russia and will not only take measures “to protect its trade and economic interests” but also “diversify its sources of supply in light of market conditions,” reads a statement from the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Holding the aggressor accountable for its crimes is key to peace, as russia is violating every conceivable law of war. This was stated by the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas. “Even wars have their laws, and putin’s regime is violating them all – absolutely all of them,” she said. In this context, Kallas has pointed out that she is actively mobilizing support for both the International Claims Commission and the Special Tribunal on the Crime of Aggression against Ukraine.

Kaja Kallas has added that it is russia, not Ukraine, that stands in the way of peace, and those who fail to see this must finally acknowledge this fact.

As part of the Omnibus V package, the European Parliament has approved changes that will allow the European Defense Fund to finance the testing of defense projects in Ukraine and will also speed up defense investments and procurement within the EU.

The European External Action Service (EEAS) has presented a new proposal for a sanctions package targeting russia’s military-industrial complex at a meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER). The document contains 1,576 entries. This is the largest list ever added to the sanctions regime for violations of Ukraine’s territorial integrity in the entire history of the regime (since the start of the war in 2014).

russian state assets frozen in Europe will never be returned to russia and may be used in the future as war reparations or for the reconstruction of Ukraine. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Radosław Sikorski.

“The use of russia’s frozen assets should be an important step in supporting Ukraine. And decisive progress on EU enlargement would strengthen not only future members but also the EU itself, expanding the single market and making Europe a stronger global player,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna.

Deputy Speaker of the Czech Chamber of Deputies Barbora Urbanová intends to raise the issue of the return of Ukrainian children abducted by russia, as well as other humanitarian projects, as part of her political activities.

“NATO will not be intimidated by russia’s campaign of hostile actions. russia wants us to stop helping Ukraine. But this will only force us to do more for Ukraine. russia’s actions are a sign of weakness and a symptom of putin’s defeat in Ukraine,” said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius has stated that Europe needs to prepare a “painful response” to russian hybrid threats.

France and other European countries must directly join in defending Ukraine’s airspace. This was stated by Raphaël Glucksmann, a Member of the European Parliament and candidate for the French presidency.

“Kyiv has become a frontline city. Since 27 August, we have had nighttime and daytime attacks. The russians struck us heavily last night, with a massive combined missile and drone attack,” said EU Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternová, reacting to the russian shelling of Ukrainian cities, particularly Kyiv, on September 17.

67 members of Estonia’s Parliament (Riigikogu) have added a draft statement in support of Ukraine’s victory to the parliamentary agenda, in which, among other things, they call for the allocation of military and financial aid to Ukraine each year amounting to at least 0.25% of Estonia’s GDP.

Norway will allocate EUR 90 million to the Ukraine Facility program to support reforms in the areas of anti-corruption and energy.

The United Kingdom has allocated 800,000 pounds to preserve Ukraine’s cultural heritage.

The Ministry of Education of Ukraine has reached an agreement with UNICEF on compensation of approximately $300,000 (about 13 million hryvnias) for the reprinting of school textbooks destroyed by russia during shelling.

The Latvian Saeima has begun consideration of a draft law, which provides for the introduction by the end of the year of an accelerated procedure for revising the fee for the use of infrastructure during the transit transportation of grain from russia.

The belarusian regime remains unchanged. Lithuania supports the sanctions imposed by the European Union on the export of potash fertilizers. This was stated by the country’s President Gitanas Nausėda.

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has called on the belarusian authorities to release the media representatives who remain in custody “immediately and unconditionally”.

In Kazakhstan, shipments of russian passenger cars have ceased following Astana’s imposition of a disposal fee. In June, imports from russia totaled just $72, compared to $5.5 million in April.

russian power companies are proposing to increase rates for citizens to get money to defend against a “new threat” in the form of drones attacking infrastructure.

Sales of flats in russia are continuing to decline. The ratio of sales of housing under construction to housing ready for occupancy stood at 68% in August. This is the lowest figure since 2020. In buildings scheduled for completion this year, 56% of the total floor area had been sold by the end of August; for next year – 38%; and for 2028 – 21%.

The supply of flats on the primary market in major russian cities decreased by 6.2% over the past year.

The developer “samolet” – russia’s largest real estate developer by construction volume, with a portfolio of 4.4 million square meters of residential space under construction and a land bank of over 40 million square meters – is on the brink of financial collapse and may become the first major victim of the crisis in russia’s economy.

russian farmers have begun to stop planting winter wheat en masse due to a lack of funds.

In the second quarter of 2026, 15.2 million russians were working not on the staff – the highest figure for this period in the last seven years. This segment accounted for 20.4% of all the employed in the country, or roughly one in five.

The net worth of “wildberries” founder tatiana kim has decreased by $1.5 billion since the beginning of the year. The decline in kim’s net worth occurred amid drone attacks on the marketplace’s warehouses.

russian sellers have lost confidence in “ozon” and “wildberries” and have become much less likely (by 27% compared to last year) to register with domestic online shops.

st. petersburg’s iconic trade corridors are losing their status as premium locations. The composition of tenants is also gradually changing. Whereas these spaces used to be occupied by large shops with display windows and flagship locations, they are now most often occupied by retailers of consumer goods, bakeries, and other brands of everyday demand.

The outflow of cash continues in russia. Specifically, in April–June, residents of st. petersburg made by 15% more cash withdrawals compared to the first quarter. Nearly 400 billion rubles were withdrawn from ATMs – a 19% increase compared to  January–March of this year.

Since the beginning of the year, passenger traffic through moscow’s airports has decreased by 3.5%. The sharpest decline – 13.2% – was recorded at domodedovo airport.

In an effort to increase the number of hours of basic military training, russian schools have canceled classes on mental health and conflict resolution. They have also reduced the number of lessons on traffic safety and behavior during fires.