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

The European Commission has presented its annual Enlargement Package 2026, in which it assessed the progress of ten candidate countries seeking EU membership: Ukraine is among the four countries showing the greatest progress.

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos has stated that the European Commission could present an interim report to the EU Council on Ukraine’s compliance with the rule of law criteria (IBAR) in the first half of 2027, provided that Kyiv speeds up the pace of reforms. According to her, the European Commission expects that if Ukraine meets the interim criteria in the sphere of the rule of law, it will be able to close at least seven of the 35 clusters in the accession negotiations as early as next year.

As part of the 2026 Enlargement Policy Document, the European Commission has published an official Roadmap for Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations, which sets out key milestones and a timeline for the interim closure of negotiation chapters in 2027.

“We will continue to provide Ukraine with full support. As winter approaches, two areas are particularly important: air defense and energy. During our meeting in Kyiv, we agreed on additional assistance. We are now implementing these agreements,” said Chancellor of the FRG Friedrich Merz.

The EU’s Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Maternová has emphasized that the European Commission’s enlargement report confirms the irreversibility of reforms in Ukraine and that our country is among the leaders in European integration. At the same time, the Ambassador called on foreign journalists and leading Western media outlets not to turn a blind eye to events in Ukraine but to continue covering the escalation of russian terror.

Ukraine and the European Commission are negotiating the conclusion of a “Drone Deal”.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Baiba Braže has announced the convening of an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council after russia carried out airstrikes on the village of Komyshuvakha in Zaporizhzhia region.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland have sent a joint statement to the European Commission calling for the termination of investment protection agreements with russia, which remain in effect in 17 EU member states.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Canada has released a joint statement by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada Anita Anand, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Lena Metlege Diab, and Secretary of State for Sport Adam van Kouverden. The document states that russia and belarus should not be officially represented in international sports as long as russia continues its war against Ukraine with belarus’ support.

Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney has stated that Canadian authorities will not issue visas to athletes from russia. The World Junior Hockey Championship will begin in December in Canada’s province of Alberta.

Six countries have already refused to play against russia’s national team at the 2027 World Hockey Championship. Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Denmark have joined Finland, Norway, and Latvia.

Prime Minister of Finland Petteri Orpo has announced that measures are currently being prepared – both at the national level and through international cooperation – to enable the denial of visas to russian athletes.

The Finnish tyre manufacturer Nokian Tyres and the Czech automaker Škoda may stop sponsoring the 2027 World Hockey Championship if russia’s national team is allowed to participate in the tournament.

The Finnish city of Turku has announced that it will refuse to host the 2027–2028 World Junior Championship if russia participates. Another city – Tampere – is also prepared to relinquish its right to host the U-20 World Hockey Championship. Besides, russian skiers may be barred from entering the country to participate in the World Cup stage to be held in Ruka. This has been stated by President of the Finnish Ski Association Sirpa Korkatti.

According to President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda, the term “hybrid threats” has become a “convenient euphemism”. He said that calling russian sabotage and other operations “hybrid threats” has become “a way to avoid directly acknowledging what is happening”,  and that “some of the recent attacks are, in fact, kinetic attacks”.

France will deploy 1,100 troops to the “Koalicija 26.2” exercises on November 9–22 in Poland, where, under joint French-British command, the possible deployment of multinational forces to support Ukraine after the cessation of hostilities will be simulated.

In the city of Kirkenes, near the border with russia, Norway is  deploying an aerial surveillance system for the early detection of drones.

Hungary intends to phase out russian energy carriers, said the country’s Minister of Foreign Affairs  Anita Orbán.

Latvia’s Saeima  has decided not to establish parliamentary groups to develop cooperation with the parliaments of belarus and russia. This decision will remain in effect for the current parliamentary term. The Saeima has emphasized that, in doing so, Latvia reaffirms its unwavering support for Ukraine and solidarity with the Ukrainian people.

Montenegro’s Ministry of the Interior has reported widespread abuses in the processing of residence permits for foreigners and announced inspections. The statement came amid the introduction of a visa regime for russian citizens effective November 1, 2026.

The German defense startup Stark Defense plans to launch a 24-meter unmanned vessel in 2027 to protect undersea cables and monitor russia’s “shadow fleet” in European waters.

The sale of gold from reserves, which the bank of russia began in 2026 to cover the deficit in the kremlin’s record-breaking military budget, has made it the world leader in the rate of gold reserve depletion among central banks for the second consecutive quarter. In the third quarter, the central bank of the rf sold 18.66 tons of gold, far outpacing other sellers.

In September, russian grain exports through Black Sea and Azov terminals fell by 93.7% compared to September of last year.

In the rf, from January through September 2026, the number of companies  declared bankrupt rose by 13.3% compared to the same period last year – to nearly 5,400. The number of new bankruptcy cases involving legal entities filed over the nine-month period increased even more significantly – by 23.6%, to 4,600. In the third quarter alone, 1,800 organizations were declared bankrupt, which is by 18.5% more than during the same period last year.

russia has raised import duties on hard liquor from “unfriendly” countries. It is noted that import duties will now amount to up to 35%.

The government of the rf has put up for sale its state stake in PJSC “sovcomflot” –7.8% minus one share. The decision to sell the stake was attributed to the company’s success. At the same time, “sovcomflot’s financial statements suggest the opposite: for January–September, the company’s net loss totaled 787.8 million rubles, which is by 17% higher than during the same period last year.

The “mosgorlombard” pawnshop chain, which has been in operation for over 100 years, is on the verge of bankruptcy. The company’s total public debt amounts to 6.5 billion rubles, while  its bonds have fallen to 10–27% of their face value. Over the course of five days, the company’s shares lost 52% of their value.

In vladimir region, at the largest sausage factory, “vladimirsky standart”,  2,200 workers are owed more than 165 million rubles in wages. Employees have not been paid since July. During this time, the number of employees at the plant has decreased by 771.

A revision of the sanctions regime against belarus would be possible only if minsk changed its policy – first of all by ceasing its support for russia in the war against Ukraine. At the same time, Vilnius has no “illusions” about this, stated Davidas Matulionis, the Chief National Security Adviser to the President of Lithuania.

belarus’ gold and foreign exchange reserves fell by $376.5 million in October. In September, they had decreased by $609 million.