This week, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) arrested a Russian shadow fleet ship in the port of Odesa, Belarus pardoned and released 123 prisoners, and President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on Ukraineʼs state budget for 2026.
Babel has compiled the main events of the week so that you can stay up to date with the news.
SBU arrested a Russian shadow fleet ship in the Odesa port
Law enforcement officers established that the owner of the vessel was under NSDC sanctions. To circumvent the restrictions, he constantly changed the name of the ship and the formal owners in third countries.
The vessel was discovered in the commercial port of Odesa, having entered under the flag of an African state to pick up a shipment of steel pipes. At the time of the detention, there was a captain and 16 crew members on board, all citizens of several Middle Eastern countries.
During the search, SBU seized flight plans, pilot charts, and radio logs with evidence of illegal entries into Crimean ports. The vessel was seized and is being prepared to be handed over to the ARMA.
Zelensky signed the draft budget for 2026
The budget envisages revenues of UAH 2.92 trillion and expenditures of UAH 4.78 trillion. The budget deficit is approximately UAH 1.9 trillion, or 18.5% of GDP. UAH 30 billion will come to the budget from an increase in the tax on bank profits from 25% to 50%.
As for expenditures, about half will go to financing the security and defense sector — UAH 2.81 trillion, or 27.2% of GDP. Of these, UAH 1.3 trillion are financial support for military personnel.
In the 2026 budget, the government, for the first time since 2023, provided for an increase in social standards:
- minimum wage — from UAH 8 000 to 8 647 (an increase of 8%);
- general subsistence minimum — from UAH 2 920 to 3 209 (+9.9%);
- subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons — from UAH 3 028 to 3 328 (+9.9%);
- subsistence minimum for persons who have lost their ability to work — from UAH 2 361 to 2 595 (+9.9%).
Lukashenko pardons 123 prisoners in Belarus, including 5 Ukrainians
The self-proclaimed President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko pardoned 123 imprisoned citizens of various countries, 114 of whom were transferred to Ukraine.
The pardon applies to those convicted of "espionage, terrorist and extremist activities". These are citizens of Britain, the United States, Lithuania, Ukraine, Latvia, Australia and Japan.
This decision was reached as part of the agreements with Donald Trump. In return, the US lifted sanctions on the Belarusian potash industry. Before that, Lukashenko met with US special representative John Cole in Minsk.
The EU has decided to freeze Russian assets indefinitely
Thus, the EU has banned any transfer of frozen Russian assets to Russia. It also allows these funds to be used for the benefit of a reparations loan to Ukraine.
At the same time, the European Union stressed that the decision is temporary and will be in effect until Russia stops the war against Ukraine and does not threaten the EU economy.
If Russia does not fully compensate Ukraine for the damage caused during the war, €210 billion of Russian funds will remain in the EU, said EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
The GUR drones attacked a Russian An-26 aircraft
The Main Intelligence Directorate (known as GUR) drones attacked the An-26 plane at the moment when the occupiers were preparing for takeoff — they hit the left turboprop engine. Because of this, it could not take off. The morning report of the General Staff also mentioned a destroyed plane, but they did not specify which one.
In addition, the GUR drones burned two expensive Russian radar systems in occupied Crimea — the “Nebo-M” radar and the 64N6E radar hidden in the dome, which served as the "eyes" for the enemy S-300 and S-400 complexes.
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