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

“Our determination to support Ukraine and its people is stronger than ever. This year, EUR 16 billion have already been disbursed as part of the defense component of the loan to Ukraine. Additionally, EUR 17 billion in budget support will be provided this year. These funds are contingent on the implementation of necessary reforms,” said President of the European Council António Costa.

Ukraine has received EUR 50 million from the Council of Europe Development Bank and the government of Italy: these funds will be used to issue nearly 2,000 certificates under the “eRecovery” program.

Norway has adopted a new package of sanctions against russia, which aligns with the European Union’s 21st package of restrictions.

“russia is not a reliable supplier of energy resources because, as shown by our experience, it can at any moment turn energy dependence into a weapon of blackmail. This is a lesson that Europe will certainly not forget,” said President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen.

Support for Ukraine is in Germany’s interest and aims to bring russia’s war of aggression to an end as quickly as possible; at the same time, Ukraine’s capitulation is unacceptable, as it would mean the capitulation of all its European partners. This was stated by Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz.

In Hungary, mayors of cities that have sister-city relationships with Ukrainian cities have published an open letter calling for assistance for Ukraine ahead of the harsh winter. “…We, the signatories of this statement, pledge to use all available means, to the best of our ability, to assist the relevant Ukrainian communities, paying special attention to preparations for the approaching winter and the most urgent humanitarian needs of the population,” the statement reads. The letter was signed by the Mayors of Szeged, Székesfehérvár, Erd, Gödöllő, Hódmezővásárhely Szombathely, Budaörs, as well as four districts of Budapest.

For 2027, the International Monetary Fund forecasts that belarus’ economy will grow by only 1.2%. This year, belarus is expected to end the year with growth of 1.9%.

russians and belarusians will lose access to two major international cryptocurrency exchanges at once. Within three days, both Bitget and MEXC announced they would stop serving customers from those countries. The former requires assets to be withdrawn by October 21, while the latter has begun the process of discontinuing service to customers from russia and belarus.

The payment service Letim, which allows russian tourists to make purchases in Türkiye using a QR code, will cease operations on November 30.

Azerbaijan has begun offshore construction work as part of the $2.9 billion Shah Deniz field development project, designed to continue gas production and subsequently supply it to Europe bypassing russia’s territory.

Sweden will consider banning russian and belarusian cross-country skiers from entering the country during the 2027 World Cross-Country Skiing Championships. This has been  announced by Minister for Migration Johan Forssell.

For the tenth consecutive month, the central bank of the rf has been selling gold from its reserves as part of operations to cover the budget deficit. In September, russia’s gold reserves fell by another 0.2 million troy ounces (about 6.2 tons), while  their total volume dropped to 72.8 million ounces – the lowest level since the end of 2019. Since December, when the central bank began its largest sell-off in several decades, the amount of gold in its reserves has decreased by 2 million troy ounces – about 62 tons.

russian ports on the Azov and Black Seas lost 95–100% of their cargo and 85% of their passenger traffic in September. The combined monthly losses to budgets at all levels and to businesses exceed 200 billion rubles.

Loan delinquencies among developers and real estate agencies have risen by 43% since the beginning of 2026, reaching 592 billion rubles. At this, delinquencies on all corporate loans increased by 362 billion rubles (by 13%) to 3.24 trillion. This situation in the russian real estate market threatens buyers with delays in the handover of new buildings or a complete halt to construction due to the developer’s bankruptcy.

In August 2026, a kilogram of red caviar in russian retail shops cost a record 23,500 rubles. Against the background of rising prices, demand for cheaper caviar made from pollock, herring, and cod increased by nearly 20% over the year.

The situation surrounding “yandex”’s data centers led to a large-scale failure in the operation of cloud-based video surveillance systems at order pickup points across russia.

russia’s geriatric care service is facing a shortage of professionals to provide care for elderly patients. Currently, the number of doctors stands at 46% of the established standard, and by the end of 2026, this figure will drop to 32%.

“avtovaz” has begun closing dealerships in moscow after Chinese brands captured 60% of the market.

The number of shopping centers that opened in moscow has fallen 2.5-fold over the past nine months. Developers are postponing openings due to rising construction costs, expensive loans, and a decline in the number of brick-and-mortar shops.

In st. petersburg, the number of rally sites will be reduced from eight to two. A bill to this effect was passed in its first reading by deputies of the legislative assembly.

Residents of st. petersburg complained to the authorities that they could not hear alerts during drone threats. They were told that the city does not activate – and does not plan to activate – sirens during UAV attacks.

In khabarovsk, the city duma abolished direct mayoral elections in its new charter. This city in the Far East was one of the last three regional centers in the rf where the mayor was elected by popular vote. Now there are only two remaining: anadyr in chukotka and abakan in khakassia.

At the morozov plant in leningrad region, workers have not been paid for nearly two months. The plant manufactures weapons, ammunition, and explosives for the russian occupying army.

Authorities in smolensk region have cut regional payments to russian military servicemen who were wounded during the war against Ukraine. This involves a reduction in compensation by hundreds of thousands of rubles. Besides, payments to the families of the killed during the full-scale invasion have been reduced – from 1 million rubles to 700,000 rubles. smolensk region has become at least the eighth region in russia to decide in 2026 to cut compensation to the families of those killed in the war against Ukraine.

The tomsk region authorities redirected nearly 800 million rubles from a reserve intended to increase salaries for public sector employees toward servicing the national debt. In September and October, the arkhangelsk region authorities also redirected funds earmarked for salary increases for public sector employees toward servicing the national debt.

In 2025, there were an average of 6 births per 1,000 residents in belarus; in 2015, this figure was 12.5. Over the course of ten years, it has fallen by 52%.