Switzerland has expanded its sanctions lists targeting Russia and Belarus, partially aligning itself with the European Union’s 20th sanctions package, adopted in response to Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
According to the Swiss government, the Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education, and Research expanded the sanctions lists against Russia and Belarus on May 22.
An additional 115 individuals and entities have been subject to the new restrictions. Asset freezes and a ban on the provision of funds are being imposed on them. Individuals are also prohibited from entering Switzerland and transiting through its territory.
The Swiss government specified that the new sanctions apply, in particular, to individuals and organizations linked to the Russian military-industrial complex and the energy sector.
In the trade sector, Switzerland is imposing stricter export controls on an additional 60 companies, including entities in third countries. The aim of this measure is to prevent the supply of critically important goods to the Russian military-industrial complex.
Bern has also adopted some of the EU measures targeting Russia’s “shadow fleet.” The restrictions have been extended to 46 additional vessels, with bans on their purchase, sale, and the provision of services to them. At the same time, in accordance with the EU decision, previously imposed bans on 11 vessels have been lifted.
In addition, Switzerland has imposed a ban on transactions involving two Russian ports and one port in a third country that are used for the transport of Russian petroleum products.
At the same time, Switzerland has not yet included seven companies from a third country, which were mentioned in the EU decisions, on its sanctions list. Bern stated that operational measures are being applied to prevent the circumvention of sanctions.
The final of the All-Ukrainian Boxing Tournament “Kyiv Cup” for the Klitschko brothers’ prizes will take place on May 31 at Stereo Plaza in Kyiv and will be timed to coincide with the celebration of Kyiv Day.
The tournament will be held from May 26 to May 31 and will bring together the strongest boxers from all over Ukraine. On the final day of the competition, spectators will see 15 final bouts featuring the country’s best athletes.
In addition to the final fights, the event program includes a solemn award ceremony for the winners, as well as performances by Ukrainian artists.
Among the honored guests of the event, Volodymyr and Vitali Klitschko, Denys Berinchyk, Oleksandr Gvozdyk, Viktor Postol, Serhiy Dzinziruk, Ukrainian and world boxing champions, representatives of the public sector, influencers, artists and other media personalities are expected.
The organizer of the tournament is the Kyiv City Boxing Federation.
“For us, the ‘Kyiv Cup’ is much more than a sports tournament. It is about the strength of Ukrainians, about a character that cannot be broken, and about the young generation of athletes that is already shaping the future of Ukrainian boxing today. We want such events to inspire young people, popularize sports and once again show: Ukraine is a country of strong people. That is why we are glad that the final of the tournament will take place precisely on Kyiv Day,” said Oleksandr Nehoda, president of the Kyiv City Boxing Federation.
Athletes born in 1986-2007 who have a sports qualification not lower than the 1st rank will take part in the tournament. According to the organizers, this will ensure a high level of competition and the spectacular nature of the bouts.
As a result of the tournament, the best boxer will receive a special award — a bronze statuette of the Klitschko brothers. All finalists will also be awarded gifts.
The “Kyiv Cup” for the Klitschko brothers’ prizes is a sports event aimed at the development of Ukrainian boxing, support for young athletes and popularization of a healthy lifestyle in Ukraine.
Tickets for the event are available at the link: https://ticketsbox.com/checkout/554f0ec1104b1bc3110bbab6c526c9b05c122279/
Open4Business is the official information partner of the tournament.
Oleksiy Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture, announced the government’s decision to amend the rules governing exemptions for conscripts at critical enterprises, one of which requires raising the average wage at the enterprise to nearly 26,000 UAH.
According to him, the changes consist of three main components. “The first is raising the requirements for the average wage level. To confirm the status of a critical enterprise and reserve an employee, the wage must be at least three times the minimum wage, which is currently 25,941 hryvnias, or nearly 26,000 hryvnias. However, this change does not apply to frontline territories, for which the requirement remains at the current level—21,600,” Sobolev said during a televised marathon on Friday.
According to Fixygen, PJSC “Kharkivenergosbyt” has scheduled a general meeting of shareholders for June 15, 2026, as indicated in a filing on the SMIDA disclosure system. The meeting will be held remotely.
Kharkivenergosbyt PJSC was registered on June 7, 2018, with EDRPOU code 42206328. The company’s primary activity is electricity trading.
According to OpenDataBot, the company’s profile lists the following financial indicators: return on sales—2.02%, current ratio—1.01, financial leverage ratio—61.88, and current solvency—minus 4.948 million UAH.
Previous public reports indicated that the Ukrainian government, represented by the State Property Fund, held a 65% stake in “Kharkivenergosbyt,” while Smart Holding (Cyprus) held 29.79%.
“Kharkivenergosbyt” is an electricity supplier in the Kharkiv region. Since the start of full-scale war, the region’s energy companies have been operating under heightened risks due to shelling of infrastructure, debt burdens in the electricity market, and poor payment discipline among consumers.
Walking and other simple body movements may promote fluid circulation in the brain and potentially help it eliminate metabolic waste, according to a study published in the journal *Nature Neuroscience*.
A team of scientists studied brain movement in awake mice using high-speed two-photon microscopy. The researchers found that during movement, the brain shifts slightly within the skull, and this process is closely linked not to breathing or heart rate, but to the contraction of abdominal muscles during movement.
According to the study’s authors, the contraction of abdominal muscles creates mechanical pressure that is transmitted to the brain via vascular connections between the abdomen, spine, and central nervous system. The scientists describe this mechanism as a kind of “hydraulic” connection: body movement and muscle tension can trigger micro-movements of the brain and influence the movement of cerebrospinal and interstitial fluid.
Simulations have shown that such gentle brain movement may facilitate the removal of cerebrospinal fluid from brain tissue into the subarachnoid space. The authors emphasize that the direction of this flow differs from that observed during sleep, when the so-called glymphatic system—associated with clearing the brain of metabolic waste—is more active.
The popular science publication ScienceDaily, citing this study, notes that the contraction of abdominal muscles during movement may aid the circulation of cerebrospinal fluid, meaning that simple physical activity could potentially be linked to maintaining brain health. One of the study’s authors, Patrick Drew, explained that body movement may be an important physiological mechanism that affects the brain through a mechanical connection with the abdominal cavity.
However, the study does not prove that walking directly “cleanses” the human brain or treats neurological diseases. The study was conducted on mice, and conclusions regarding humans require further research. However, it demonstrates a possible biological mechanism through which routine physical activity may be beneficial not only for the heart, blood vessels, and muscles, but also for fluid exchange processes in the brain.
This is important for medicine and the wellness market because walking remains one of the most accessible ways to maintain health. Unlike complex workouts, it requires no equipment, special conditions, or high physical fitness. If future studies confirm a similar mechanism in humans, regular walking could gain another scientific rationale as a tool for preventing cognitive decline and maintaining normal brain function.
The study also notes that brain movement during walking has a very small amplitude—we are talking about microscopic displacements that cannot be felt. However, it is precisely these mechanical oscillations that may be sufficient to influence the movement of fluid in brain tissues.
The key conclusion of the study is that the brain is not completely isolated from the rest of the body, as was often previously thought. It is mechanically linked to the body’s movements, and contractions of the abdominal muscles during walking and other activities may be part of a system that helps move fluids within and around the brain.
Hungary is reinstating a ban on imports of Ukrainian agricultural products, which had earlier temporarily ceased to be in force due to the expiration of emergency decrees. The new decision is intended to maintain restrictions on Ukrainian goods in the domestic Hungarian market, while the transit of products through the country’s territory, as before, may remain permitted.
According to Hungarian media, the previous ban on the import of more than 20 categories of Ukrainian agricultural products ceased to be in force on May 14 after the expiration of the legal regime on the basis of which it had been introduced. The list of restrictions included grain, oilseeds, flour, poultry meat, eggs and a number of other goods.
After that, Budapest announced its intention to restore the ban, explaining the decision by the need to protect Hungarian farmers and the domestic market. Earlier, Hungarian Minister of Agriculture István Nagy repeatedly stated that the country would not open its market to Ukrainian agricultural products even after the renewal of the trade agreement between the EU and Ukraine.
Hungary’s position remains part of a broader conflict around Ukrainian agricultural exports to the EU. After the start of the full-scale war, the European Union abolished duties and quotas for Ukrainian goods in order to support the Ukrainian economy and compensate for problems with maritime logistics. However, EU border countries, including Hungary, Poland and Slovakia, have stated that cheap Ukrainian products were putting pressure on local farmers.
The Hungarian ban is not a general ban on all Ukrainian exports. It primarily concerns supplies to Hungary’s domestic market. The transit of Ukrainian products to other EU countries or beyond the union had previously been maintained, since for Ukraine land and Danube routes remain an important part of export logistics.
Hungary explains the restrictions by the need to protect farmers from sharp price fluctuations. In 2022, flows of Ukrainian grain and oilseeds to neighboring countries increased sharply due to the reorientation of exports from the Black Sea to European routes. Reuters noted that before the war Hungary annually imported up to 50,000 tonnes of grain and oilseeds from Ukraine, while in 2022 the volume of such supplies rose to 2.5 million tonnes, and in 2023, before the introduction of the ban, amounted to up to 300,000 tonnes.
Corn became the main problematic category for Hungary. According to The Cattle Site, citing customs statistics, during the year after the start of the full-scale war, Ukraine exported 1.7 million tonnes of corn to Hungary, compared with about 30,000 tonnes before the war.
For Ukraine, the Hungarian decision has more political and logistical significance than critical trade significance. The main markets for Ukrainian agricultural exports in the EU are not in Hungary, but in larger consumer and processing countries. However, for border trade and certain commodity groups, the ban limits exporters’ flexibility and increases dependence on licensing, transit routes and agreements with the European Commission.
In 2025, the EU had already revised trade conditions with Ukraine, increasing quotas for a number of goods: for wheat — from 1 million to 1.3 million tonnes, sugar — from 20,000 to 100,000 tonnes, barley — from 350,000 to 450,000 tonnes, and poultry meat — from 90,000 to 120,000 tonnes. These changes were intended to balance support for Ukrainian exports and the interests of farmers in EU countries.
