Wednesday, September 23, 2026English edition
TheBinational

Country risk, from the local press

Ukraine · Country watch

Latvia Blocks Sanctions, Power Outages Hit Ukraine

Latvia blocks EU sanctions deal; Russian strikes cause power outages in Ukraine, affecting energy and logistics sectors.

The picture Deteriorating

Business conditions in Ukraine are deteriorating due to Latvia blocking EU sanctions on Russia and ongoing disruptions from Russian strikes causing power outages and impacting wheat exports.

In this briefing Ukrenergo · Black Sea · Alisher Usmanov · Mikhail Fridman · European Union

Regulation

Nothing significant reported today.

Disruption

  • energy
  • logistics

Russian Strikes Cause Power Outages in Seven Oblasts

a row of power lines in the middle of a field
Chris Weiher / Unsplash

Russian attacks on September 22 led to power outages in seven Ukrainian oblasts, according to Ukrenergo. The state grid operator reported that the outages were caused by drone and artillery strikes, and repair works are underway where the security situation permits, Censor.net reports.

Impact Energy providers and logistics companies face operational challenges due to disrupted power supply in affected regions.

Sources: Censor.net ↗

Internal tension

Nothing significant reported today.

Safety & health

Nothing significant reported today.

Companies

Nothing significant reported today.

Markets

Nothing significant reported today.

Trade

  • agriculture
  • logistics

Black Sea Blockade Threatens Wheat Exports

Russian and Ukrainian wheat exports are expected to fall to about half of last year's volume during the July-to-September harvest period due to disruptions in Black Sea shipping, according to KyivPost. The crisis has driven wheat prices to three-year highs, strained Ukraine's storage capacity, and increased food-security risks for countries dependent on affordable grain.

Impact Wheat importers face higher costs and supply shortages as Black Sea shipping disruptions reduce export volumes.

Sources: KyivPost ↗

Politics

  • public-sector

Latvia Blocks EU Sanctions Extension on Russia

Latvia has blocked an EU proposal to lift sanctions on Russian-linked billionaires Alisher Usmanov and Mikhail Fridman while extending restrictions on about 3,000 other individuals and entities for three years. The sanctions require unanimous approval from all 27 EU members and are due to expire at midnight on Tuesday unless an agreement is reached, according to KyivPost and Newvoice.

Impact Companies linked to sanctioned Russian individuals face continued restrictions, affecting their operations and investments.

Watch The sanctions are due to expire at midnight on Tuesday unless an agreement is reached.

Sources: KyivPost ↗, Newvoice ↗

Also today in Ukraine

Sources in this briefing

Sources: each headline links to the original article on the publisher's site.

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