May 31, 2023 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

On May 31, the United States will announce a new $ 300 million military aid package for Ukraine. In particular, the aid will include: anti-aircraft missiles for Patriot air defense systems; Avenger self-propelled air defense systems; Stinger man-portable anti-aircraft missile systems; missiles for HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems; tank ammunition; Zuni unguided air-to-surface rockets; AIM-7 Sparrow radar-guided air-to-air missiles; anti-tank weapons.

russia's increased attacks on Kyiv “are not unexpected”, said United States President Joe Biden. “That is why we must continue to provide Ukraine with everything they need”, he said.

US President Joe Biden has said that the issue of providing Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles is still under consideration.

Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte has said his country is ready to support Ukraine in all possible ways: from strengthening air defense systems to starting F-16 pilot training as soon as possible.

President of Slovakia Zuzana Čaputová has said that Western countries should not violate unity in their attitude to russia amid its war against Ukraine. Čaputová is convinced that thanks to unity, Western countries have coped with the consequences of russia's war against Ukraine “better than expected”, and Ukraine is successfully resisting russia’s aggression.

The EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, has called “the most important lesson from the war” the impressive ability of the Ukrainian military to adapt and effectively counter a quantitatively stronger enemy through motivation, ingenuity and training.

Peter Stano, European Commission Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, bluntly called the new russian attacks on Ukraine “terrorist attacks” and said they “once again demonstrate that russia continues its indiscriminate terror of the Ukrainian population in a terrible and barbaric way”.

James Cleverly, Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, has said Ukraine has a “legitimate right” to defend itself and may “use force beyond its borders. Legitimate military targets beyond its own border are part of Ukraine's self-defense”.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic Jan Lipavský believes that russian imperialism is a problem of the future, and the European Union should be prepared for a cold confrontation with russia.

In Poland, a detachment of Canadian sappers-instructors within the framework of Operation UNIFIER trains servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in mine safety.

Italy is preparing a new, seventh package of military aid to Ukraine, Minister of Defense of the Republic Guido Crosetto said during a special parliamentary committee on security.

Australia will transfer Hawkie armored vehicles to Ukraine as part of military aid.

Ukraine has received from the Swindon Humanitarian Aid Partnership (SHAP) (United Kingdom) a bus-hospital for the military.

The reception center for refugees from Ukraine at the former Tegel airport in Berlin will continue to work in 2024.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced a grant program for Ukrainian business in the amount of funding of two million dollars.

Vinnytsia has received 16 Tram 2000 trams from Switzerland, another 19 are expected.

The new member of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO), Finland, has begun air exercises involving more than a dozen countries and a total of 150 aircrafts.

“We will not give up our presidency because russia can dictate who suits them”, Margus Tsahkna, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, said of the position of the rf, which opposes Estonia's presidency of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) planned for next year.

Lithuania has added 15 employees of the law enforcement and judicial systems of the rf to the list of undesirable persons.

In the capital of Latvia, a monument to pushkin has been dismantled.

Poland is stopping freight traffic for russian and belarusian vehicles across the border of belarus since June 1.

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According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), russian military spending in 2022 increased by 9.2% to $ 86.4 billion. This equals 4.1% of russia's gross domestic product.

The decline in the consumer capacity of the population of the rf has led to a reduction in sales of fast food products, which usually grows during crisis periods: in the first quarter, sales of soups and main courses decreased by 12.8% (rose by 3.9%), noodles – by 9.5% (rose by 11%).

Daily oil refining in russia in May decreased by 6.4 % compared to April, to 715.3 thousand tons.

russia is preparing to return the soviet practice of forced distribution of graduates of medical universities. Every year, 35-36 thousand students graduate from higher medical institutions, but only 2-3 thousand graduates work according to their diploma. According to the ministry of health care, the rf is short of 25-26 thousand doctors and almost 50 thousand nursing staff.

A bill has been introduced into the state duma of the rf to punish employers for hiring workers without military registration documents.

39% of russians admitted that they drink tap water – according to a study of the network of vending machines for the sale of drinking water “nalei vody” (“pour some water”- Transl.), 29% of the population consider bottled water to be expensive.

In the rf, the Izhevsk plant “donward – hydraulic systems”, which produces components for armored vehicles of the rf, was subjected to a large-scale cyberattack, work was stopped.

The State Inspectorate for Nuclear Energy Safety (SINES) of Lithuania has sent a letter to the ministry of emergencies of belarus calling to stop the operation of the belarusian NPP due to available information about defects. The Lithuanian Ministry asks to explain why the cooling circuit of the reactor of the 2nd power unit of the plant was contaminated with organic substances, and the secondary circulation circuit of the 1st power unit was contaminated with radionuclides. The inspection would also like to receive information from belarus on the established limit values of the activity of radionuclides emitted into the environment.

In belarus, cases continue when those who donated to help victims of violence by security forces in 2020 are summoned to the kgb, interrogated and fined. But now the kgb has gone further and, threatening with criminal prosecution, demands that people give away acquaintances who participated in protests.

According to the deputy minister of internal affairs of belarus gennady kazakevich, the regions leading in drug use include minsk, minsk region and gomel.