April 26, 2025 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

“We stand for sovereignty and territorial integrity, respecting international law. We will continue to defend the right of the Ukrainian people to live in peace on their territory and within their internationally recognized borders,” President of France Emmanuel Macron said after russia’s massive missile attack on Ukraine.

“I’m always mindful of the fact that it is Ukraine that must decide on those issues – it’s not for other people to decide on behalf of Ukraine. It is for Ukraine to decide. And russia must come to the table for that unconditional ceasefire,” said Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Keir Starmer.

Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade of Sweden Benjamin Dousa has emphasized that his country is not reducing its support for Ukraine. “Some countries are now reducing their support. Sweden is not one of them. Ukraine still has many friends in Europe,” said B. Dousa.

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Members of the European Parliament from the informal group “Friends of Ukraine” sent a letter to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis calling for putting an end to Greek shipowners’ selling old tankers to russia to replenish its “shadow fleet”.

“We really need to prepare and arm ourselves to the teeth in order to continue living in peace and security,” said King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands.

“We all agree in NATO that russia is the long-term threat to NATO territory – to the whole of the Euro-Atlantic territory,” said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.

The central bank of the rf has again kept the key rate at 21 %, where it has been for six months – since the end of October 2024. It also called not to hope for the rate cut.

There is an acute shortage of labor at russian manufacturing companies, with the industry needing about 1.9 million employees.

In the first quarter of 2025, “russneft” suffered a net loss of 4.34 billion rubles. Revenues decreased by 8.7 %, while the cost of production decreased by 11.5 %. Revenues from domestic oil sales decreased by 35.8 %.

Most of last years’ acquittals by jury courts in russia were overturned.

Demand for anti-stress programs in russian sanatoria and health hotels increased by an average of 20-25 % from January to April 2025. The popularity of anti-stress programs is explained by the high level of anxiety among the population.

russians are pawning cars en mass for microloans at 82 % per annum.

The shortage of teachers in rural schools in russia is over 30%.

Beer prices in russia increased by 15 % over the year.

Attendance at theaters in moscow declined by 60 % after the introduction of passport ticketing.

The spring draft of 2025 is a record in the rf. The ministry of defence of the rf is planning to draft into the army 160,000 people, the most since 2011. Previously, before joining the contract service, one had to graduate from a technical school or university or serve in the army for at least three months, having received initial training, but since 2023, a new law allows 18-year-old school graduates to be recruited for the contract up to the age of 30, not 27 as it was before.

Due to the ongoing hybrid aggression, it is impossible to restore “normality” on the Polish-belarusian border. This statement was made by Minister of the Interior and Administration of Poland Tomasz Siemoniak. “We are dealing with hostile actions against Poland and the EU by the lukashenko regime, which uses innocent people as a tool – those who are trying to make their way to a better life, often paying smugglers for it,” he said.

lukashenko wants to increase the share of labor migrants in belarus to 10 % of the population in order to “preserve our people.”

The average salary of officials in the rb is by 20.9 % higher than the average salary in the country.

The lukashenko regime’s propagandist aleksandr shpakovsky has said that amnesty should not be applied to convicted political opponents.