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

The Council of the EU has decided to extend the mandate of the European Union Military Assistance Mission to Ukraine (EUMAM Ukraine) for another two years – until November 15, 2028. Funding of nearly EUR 300 million has been allocated for this period.

The European Commission is working to allocate an additional EUR 45 billion to Ukraine in 2027 to cover about two-thirds of the EUR 70 billion funding shortfall, on top of the already planned loan funds totaling EUR 90 billion. This was announced by European Commissioner for Economic Affairs Valdis Dombrovskis.

Denmark is sending Ukraine a new aid package in the form of military equipment worth 4.8 billion Danish kroner (about EUR 643 million). This was announced by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lars Løkke Rasmussen.

Denmark is also providing additional assistance in the form of emergency grant support totaling 150 million kroner (EUR 20 million) for Ukraine’s energy sector.

“At the high-level donor conference organized on November 9 in Paris by the governments of France, Ukraine, and the EBRD, 14 countries and international organizations pledged a total of EUR 303 million to the International Chornobyl Cooperation Account (ICCA), which is managed by the EBRD, to support recovery efforts. Further funding commitments are expected in the coming months,” says the EBRD statement.

France is allocating EUR 40 million for the restoration of the protective sarcophagus at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant following damage caused by a russian drone. This was announced by French Minister for European Affairs Benjamin Haddad.

The European Commission is preparing aid for Ukraine through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, with coordination taking place at the highest levels. This was stated by European Commission Spokesperson Eva Hrnčírová. “Work is still ongoing, but one thing is clear: we will ensure the electricity supply in Ukraine, the operation of hospitals, and the functioning of essential services. This is already provided for in our plan for this winter,” said Hrnčírová.

Italy has prepared a new package of military aid for Ukraine. “Italy will continue to support Ukraine, hoping that peace will be achieved soon,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy Antonio Tajani.

“Using frozen russian assets for Ukraine’s reconstruction is crucial. moscow must pay for the destruction it has caused,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna.

“A ceasefire must be immediate for peace talks to succeed. We reiterate that no lasting peace on the European continent can be achieved without full European representation,” said Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia Baiba Braže.

“Increasing pressure on russia, combined with stronger support for Ukraine, remains a necessary condition for forcing moscow to the negotiating table,” said European Union’s Permanent Representative to the UN Stavros Lambrinidis, who told russia that its systematic attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure constitute a war crime.

“We once again strongly call for an immediate end to attacks on energy infrastructure, which, if not stopped, will cause immense suffering to Ukraine’s civilian population and lead to further displacement of people,” – Director of the Europe and Central Asia Division of the UN Department of Political Affairs Kayoko Gotoh called on russia to immediately cease strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

Representatives from the EU, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, the United States, and NATO have emphasized that any future peace agreements must respect Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and right to make its own decisions, as well as provide robust security guarantees for Ukraine.

The European Union will allocate EUR 50 million to speed up the establishment of the Black Sea Maritime Security Hub.

53% of German citizens support providing aid to Ukraine until the end of the war.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland is urgently preparing another tightening of visa policies regarding russians, as the government seeks to prevent russian athletes from entering the country. A decision on this matter is expected on Thursday, November 12, at a government meeting.

Starting next week, wheat, barley, sunflower seeds, and corn exported from russia or belarus through the port of Klaipėda (Lithuania) will not undergo customs clearance until the results of origin checks are received. These checks may take two months or longer. If fraud is detected, the cargo will be returned to the sender or destroyed. All costs associated with storage, testing, return, or destruction of the grain will be borne by the exporters.

Moldova has aligned with 91% of the EU’s sanctions policy. Full compliance requires the implementation of the remaining sectoral restrictions concerning belarus and russia. Currently, Moldova’s authorities are actively seeking the necessary solutions and mechanisms to achieve this. This was stated by Minister of Foreign Affairs Mihai Popșoi.

As of November 1, 2026, the liquid assets of russia’s national wealth fund had fallen to 3.58 trillion rubles, or $44.4 billion (1.5% of GDP). A month earlier, the fund’s available funds amounted to 3.8 trillion rubles, or $45 billion (1.6% of GDP).

russia continues to increase its gold exports to China, which, following the start of the war and the imposition of Western sanctions, has become the main market for russian gold. From January through September, 165 tons of gold bullion of russian origin were shipped to Hong Kong. Compared to the same period last year, shipments from russia have more than tripled, and compared to the pre-war period, they have increased more than 55-fold. By comparison: throughout 2021, Hong Kong imported only 3.3 tons of russian gold. Currently, russian gold accounts for 15% of the bullion entering China via Hong Kong – that is, one in seven.

Only 1.1% of russian companies with annual revenue ranging from 2 to 20 billion rubles in 2020–2025 demonstrated revenue growth exceeding the inflation rate and a return on assets higher than the rf central bank’s key rate. At the same time, 86% of small and medium-sized enterprises failed to meet either of these two performance metrics.

The board of directors of the aluminum giant “rusal” has recommended not paying dividends based on the results for the first nine months.

The russian diamond mining company “alrosa” has suspended production at a number of deposits to cut costs. In particular, the suspension affected the deposits of its subsidiary, “almazy anabara”, which is the world’s largest alluvial diamond mining company and accounts for 11% of the “alrosa” group’s total production. In the first half of the year, the company incurred losses of 9.5 billion rubles. “alrosa”’s cash shortfall for this period amounted to 16.9 billion rubles, and over the past 12 months it reached 33.2 billion. “alrosa”, which has been subject to Western sanctions since 2022, reduced its production by 10% last year – to 29.8 million carats. In 2026, the company forecasts a further decline of 13–16% – to 25–26 million carats.

Operators of russian commercial data centers (DCs) will be required to disconnect existing customers if they are unable to set aside 10% of their capacity at putin’s request. This reserve will be used to ensure the operation of services included on the “whitelist” of resources authorized by the government. If a data center fails to comply with these requirements, its property may be seized and placed under temporary administration.

Amid rumors of mobilization, more than one million russians have left the rf over the past three months.

In buryatia, tuva, and the trans-baikal territory, about one-third of men aged 18 to 49 who died between the start of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and mid-2024 perished from war-related causes. By comparison, in moscow and st. petersburg, the proportion of such men was 10%. tuva, buryatia, and the trans-baikal territory are among the ten most economically disadvantaged regions in russia. More than 20% of tuva’s population, nearly 16% of buryatia’s, and about 13% of the trans-baikal territory’s population live below the poverty line. According to the results of the year 2025, those regions ranked 85th, 82nd, and 81st, respectively, in the ranking of russia’s regions by quality of life.

In buryatia, located approximately 4,500 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, mobile internet began to be consistently blocked in the summer of 2025. Despite the region’s considerable distance from the front lines, these restrictions will remain in place until the end of the war, stated the republic’s head, aleksei tsidenov.

As of November 9, the total area affected by wildfires in russia stood at 11.5 million hectares. This is one and a half times more than last year. The area affected by wildfires increased the most over the past year in yakutia – from 0.2 million to 2.8 million hectares – as well as in the krasnoyarsk territory – from 0.1 million to 1.78 million hectares.

One in four of the 200,000 units of machinery in the belarusian agro-industrial complex’s vehicle and tractor fleet needs repair.