April 28, 2025 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the European Union has provided Ukraine with EUR 50.5 billion in budget support. Since the beginning of 2025, Ukraine has received EUR 8.5 billion from the EU.

European Commissioner for Defense Andrius Kubilius has stated that denying Ukraine NATO membership will only make it easier for russia to plan its next aggressive actions.

Speaker of the Lithuanian Seimas Saulius Skvernelis sees the possibility that occupied Crimea may be recognized as part of russia as a threat to international order.

“Now it's up to president putin to prove that he really wants peace,” President of France Emmanuel Macron commented on the process of preparing for potential peace talks. Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni shares the same opinion.

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“As to additional sanctions on putin’s russia, I have bipartisan legislation with almost 60 cosponsors that would put secondary tariffs on any country that purchases russian oil, gas, uranium or other product,” US Senator Lindsey Graham reminded of the possibility of imposing new sanctions if the rf refuses to sign a peace agreement.

“The detention of russian “shadow fleet” vessels in Estonia and in Finland recently shows that the actions of such vessels do not go unpunished and that we have the ability to stop them,” Minister of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Margus Tsahkna promised to fight the rf’s “shadow fleet”.

russia has begun large purchases of potatoes from China to fill the domestic market, which has faced a sharp decline in harvest and a price rise by almost 200 % over the past year and a half. In the first quarter, the PRC exported $10.955 million worth of potatoes to the rf. A year earlier, potato supplies from China were estimated at $432.9 thousand in January-March. In annual terms, purchases increased 25 times. At this, imports of Chinese potatoes soared 160 times in January and February, and 15 times in March. Last year, after droughts and frosts, the potato yield of agricultural enterprises and farms in russia decreased by 15 % to 7.3 million tons. This volume is only enough to cover domestic consumption of 7.5-8 million tons per year. As a result, potato prices have soared by 90 % over the past year and by 45 % since the beginning of this year. In early April, the wholesale price of potatoes for retailers increased by 285.5 % year-on-year – from 11.4 to 42.4 rubles per kilogram.

In the first quarter, civilian production in the rf was declining by 0.8 % per month, including by 1.1 % in March, to its lowest level since April 2023. The decline in civil engineering and electrical equipment production continues. Following the construction sector, the decline in the production of construction materials and ferrous metallurgy (especially of long steel used mainly in construction), finished metal products has accelerated, and at this, in general, not just of defense products.

russian companies need system analysts and website developers – 44 % of jobs in this sphere remain unfilled. Every tenth job in the field of web development and multimedia programs remains vacant. 11 % of vacancies are in the field of system analytics. There is also a need for system administrators, database professionals, and user support staff.

In Kursk, Belgorod, Bryansk and Lipetsk regions of russia, May 9 parades have been canceled.

Parents of cadet school students in Irkutsk are forced to buy uniforms for 13,000 rubles for their children at their own expense for the May 9 parade.

In belarus, starting June 1, heating and water heating will go up by 10.2 % – to 27.2323 rubles per 1 Gcal.

The management of a belarusian metallurgical plant has recognized catastrophic losses associated with the 10 % decline in production volumes compared to last year. In particular, they pointed to the high cost of scrap metal that the plant buys in different regions of russia. Sanctions, the war and the ban on travel to the Baltic Sea increase transportation costs.

There is an acute shortage of dairy products in belarus, especially belarusians are dissatisfied with the lack of cottage cheese.