The Central Bank of Russia has developed a concept for regulating the cryptocurrency market, which provides for strict control over digital assets. Cryptocurrencies are recognized as currency values, but their use as a means of payment in the Russian Federation is prohibited.
The Russian ruble has strengthened by 45% since the beginning of the year, trading at around 78 rubles per dollar, which is the strongest growth since 1994. This poses a threat to the country's war economy, despite falling oil prices and new sanctions.
The Trump administration has developed a plan to reform the immigrant detention system, envisioning the conversion of industrial warehouses into deportation centers. The new system is designed to accommodate over 80,000 people simultaneously, with a network of seven "super-warehouses" and 16 smaller facilities.
The US State Department has signed memorandums of cooperation with four African countries, investing $1. 4 billion, while recipient countries have pledged to invest more than $900 million of their own resources. The new US approach requires financial discipline and a gradual phasing out of donor aid, with clear benchmarks and consequences for non-compliance.
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced that institutions hosting IDPs will receive compensation for utility services. The changes include compensation without IDP status, accounting for the actual period of stay, simplifying expense verification, and increasing the norm for social housing area.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a number of draft laws concerning economy and defense. Among them are the creation of financial inclusion banks, the extension of special operating rules for "Pivdenmash", and the introduction of bank taxation.
The funds are directed to the energy support fund and are crucial for getting through the heating season.
The Russian authorities are considering postponing the construction of an Arctic railway worth over $10 billion due to uncertainty regarding funding sources. The Northern Latitudinal Railway project, which involves connecting railways and building a bridge, could be delayed by three years.
The Ministry of Development has decided on the mandatory evacuation of children from 19 settlements in Donetsk Oblast. About 200 people with limited mobility are also being evacuated from Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Law enforcement officers served a notice of suspicion to a group of individuals for seizing 70 million hryvnias from the Kharkiv city territorial community. This happened during the procurement of goods in the energy sector at prices inflated by 2.5 times.
Russia planned to build 2062 vessels by 2035, but funding has been secured for only 593, casting doubt on over 1500 projects. Ship construction in Russia is 2.5–3 times more expensive than in China due to low labor productivity and technological backwardness.
President Zelenskyy stated that new direct support programs for Ukrainian citizens will be implemented in 2026. Almost 18 million Ukrainians have applied for this year's winter support.
The Ministry of Defense has identified the comprehensive renovation of the military rehabilitation system as a priority area of work, which requires about UAH 8 billion. Next year, the state budget will allocate over UAH 700 million for the development of the network of military hospitals, and the NATO project "RENOVATOR" has already accumulated 80 million euros.
France has approved a temporary law to prevent a government shutdown from January 1, as they failed to agree on a full budget. This measure allows the state to collect taxes and make critical expenditures, duplicating the fiscal parameters of 2025.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a conversation with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. They discussed the decision on 90 billion euros in financial aid to Ukraine for 2026-2027, adopted on December 19.
Prosecutors reported suspicion to officials due to violations of sanitary norms and E. coli in school food. Dangerous bacteria were found in products supplied to schoolchildren.
Law enforcement officers have notified a Dnipro city council official and three individuals of suspicion for causing UAH 3. 3 million in budget losses. They organized a scheme to embezzle funds by entering into contracts for the supply of windows and doors at inflated prices.
Over 11 months of this year, local budgets received UAH 41. 4 billion in land payments, which is 15.3% more than last year. Dnipropetrovsk region, Kyiv, Odesa and Lviv regions provided the largest revenues.
In 2025, the trend towards nationalization sharply intensified in Russia, with the authorities actively seizing private companies and subsequently reselling them to Kremlin-loyal investors. The total value of assets transferred to state ownership exceeded 3 trillion rubles, which is 4.5 times more than in 2024.
Rating agency Fitch upgraded Ukraine's long-term foreign currency issuer default rating to "CCC" from "restricted default. " This reflects the normalization of relations with commercial creditors and the restructuring of 94% of commercial external debt.
Banks in a number of countries around the world have begun to massively block accounts of Russians and tighten checks on their transactions. This is happening after Russia was included in the list of high-risk countries by the European Commission.
Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, stated that Russia's economy allows it to produce weapons and hire mercenaries, which enables the Kremlin to continue the war. He emphasized that Putin and his elites do not see Russia's future without Ukraine.
Almost 6,300 people will receive eRecovery housing certificates worth UAH 8. 8 billion. In total, over 67,000 families have already received compensation worth UAH 31.5 billion.
The former head of the Central Department for the Provision of Fuel and Lubricants of the Rear of the Logistics Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is accused of illicit enrichment of over 17 million hryvnias. He also illegally stored weapons and ammunition seized during the search.
The Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine is developing four different models for increasing teachers' salaries, which could be implemented from September 1. These models involve an increase in workload, no increase in workload, proportional and disproportionate increases for different categories of teachers, with an emphasis on young professionals.
A Politico columnist predicts that the Russian-Ukrainian war will end next year on terms extremely unfavorable to Ukraine. This is due to the EU's inability to agree on the use of frozen Russian assets and insufficient funding.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte called for further support for Ukraine to prevent a Russian attack on NATO countries. He emphasized Germany's importance in increasing defense spending and rapidly building up armaments.
As of early December 2025, official delegations led by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy have made over 50 foreign visits. The accounting of expenses for their organization is not kept separately, and information about the preparation of visits is restricted.
As of November 2025, communities and regions have allocated UAH 47 billion to support the Defense and Security Forces. Of this amount, over UAH 41 billion has already been financed, which accounts for almost 90% of expenditures.
The price of Russian Urals oil has fallen to $34 per barrel, while Brent remains at $61. This drop may indicate the impact of US sanctions and negatively affect the Kremlin's revenues.
