Politics & Economics

An international arbitration tribunal in Switzerland has ordered PJSC Gazprom to pay $1.37 billion to NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine. According to Ukrinform, the announcement was made by Naftogaz CEO Serhii Koretsky on Facebook. “Since May 2022, Gazprom violated its contractual obligations under the ‘take-or-pay’ principle by ceasing payments. In September 2022, Naftogaz initiated arbitration, which Gazprom tried to block through Russian courts. That attempt failed. Now we have a final decision: the tribunal — made up of arbitrators from Sweden, Switzerland, and Israel — fully sided with Naftogaz,” Koretsky stated. He emphasized that this is a significant victory and thanked…

Exchange prices for gas in Ukraine have increased due to a reduction in the supply after special obligations were imposed on Ukrnafta PJSC and more expensive gas was imported from Europe to meet the market needs. The relevant statement was made by Director of Energy Programmes at Ukrainian Institute of the Future NGO Andrian Prokip in a commentary to Ukrinform. “Previously, Ukrnafta was selling its gas on the market at the price that was set there. After Russians started attacks on Ukrainian gas production facilities, Naftogaz was concerned about a shortage of gas to supply consumers under the PSO obligations…

Wartime realities are forcing Ukrainians to rethink their approaches to purchasing real estate, turning apartments into an ‘emergency fund’ for their families. The relevant statement was made by President of the Association of Real Estate Professionals of Ukraine Olena Haidamakha in a commentary for Ukrinform’s publication. “Since recently, we have been observing the emergence of a new portrait of the buyer: people from Dnipro are buying [housing property] in Ivano-Frankivsk, closing their apartments and going back to Dnipro. In anticipation: if living there gets dangerous, they will at least be able to take their relatives to their own apartment,” Haidamakha explained.…

Ukraine will need $17.3 billion in 2025 to address key recovery needs, including housing, energy, infrastructure, transport, and social protection. This was announced by Deputy Finance Minister Olha Zykova at the Global Borrowers & Bond Investors Forum, according to Ukrinform, citing the Ministry of Finance. Zykova noted that $7.4 billion of the total has already been secured through the state budget and support from international partners. The remaining $10 billion must still be raised. “The main areas that require priority funding are the housing sector, energy, critical and social infrastructure, transportation, and social protection,” she stated. Read also: EUR 1.5M…

Ukraine has signed an EUR 1.5 million agreement with Italy and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) to bolster humanitarian demining efforts. That is according to the Economy Ministry of Ukraine, as reported by Ukrinform. “This agreement is vital to implementing the National Mine Action Strategy. It will enable projects that clear agricultural land, rebuild infrastructure, restore economic activity in de-occupied territories, and support the return of displaced citizens,” said First Vice Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. Read also: Russian drone hits sappers during demining in Kharkiv region, one dead, several wounded She emphasized that the funding reflects…

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that investments in the domestic defense industry will reach $43 billion this year. The head of state said this during a meeting with journalists, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "This year we’ve found $43 billion for the defense industry. These are funds that come to support the Ukrainian defense industry, this is the financing of our defense industry," Zelensky said. He added that he has tasked the government with working to ensure that next year, 0.25% of each partner country’s GDP is directed toward supporting Ukraine’s security and defense sector. Read also: Zelensky: 695,000 Russian troops fighting…

Since the beginning of the 2024/2025 marketing year, Ukraine has exported 40.04 million tonnes of grains and legumes. That is according to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, citing data from the State Customs Service, as reported by Ukrinform. As of June 20, Ukraine exported 15.56 million tonnes of wheat, which is slightly below last year’s figure of 18.12 million tonnes. Barley exports totaled 2.31 million tonnes, down from 2.46 million tonnes year-on-year. Rye exports reached 10.8 thousand tonnes, a notable increase from 1.6 thousand tonnes during the same period last year. Corn exports amounted to 21.56 million tonnes,…

Bulgaria has not officially refused to sell Russian equipment from the unfinished Belene NPP for the two power units at the Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plant. This was stated by Energy Minister Herman Galushchenko, who spoke at a Q&A session in Parliament on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "The issue is not closed yet, there is no official refusal," Galushchenko said. According to the minister, the negotiation process has now intensified. Thus, the Ministry of Energy plans to involve the IAEA as one of the leaders in the completion of the Khmelnytskyi NPP. Galushchenko expressed hope that the required documents will…

In the Russian Federation, due to ongoing crisis, discussions are underway regarding a possible operation halt at a number of metallurgical enterprises. This was reported by the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Ukrinform saw. "In Russia, there is talk about the possibility of stopping the operations at a number of metallurgical enterprises. Such outlooks emerge against the background of a significant reduction in metallurgical output due to extremely low domestic demand, loss of multiple foreign markets, as well as due to sanctions and unfavorable conditions in the remaining markets," the report says.…

An investigative judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has imposed pre-trial detention for a Kyiv-based real estate developer, with the option of release on bail set at UAH 100 million (approximately $2.5 million). The decision was announced by the HACC's press service and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), according to Ukrinform. "The HACC's investigative judge partially granted the NABU detective's motion and imposed a preventive measure in the form of detention for a period of 60 days. As an alternative, bail was set at UAH 100,000,000. The suspect was taken into custody in the courtroom," the statement reads.…