Politics & Economics

Ukraine has successfully completed the 2024/2025 heating season despite the fact that during this time Russia has carried out 9 massive attacks on the Ukrainian energy system. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced this during a government meeting on April 15, Ukrinform reports citing his Telegram. “Ukraine has successfully completed the third heating season during a full-scale war. During these months, Russia has carried out 9 massive and dozens of smaller attacks against our energy system. And despite all this, we survived. The homes of millions of Ukrainians, schools and hospitals were lit and warm. Our enterprises also operated without significant…

Ukrainian armored vehicles Djura and Kozak will be produced at the facilities of Spanish defense company Tecnove. That's according to the Spanish defense news site Infodefensa.com, Ukrinform reports. [embedded content] "Tecnove has signed an agreement with the Ukrainian company Practika to manufacture armored vehicles at its facilities in Herencia (Ciudad Real), La Mancha. The alliance contemplates the production of two Practika models," the report said. According to the news story, the Spanish factory will launch serial production of the Djura multi-purpose armored vehicle --  designed for operations in extreme conditions and adaptable to various mission configurations -- and the Kozak…

Ukraine’s pavilion ‘Not For Sale’ has officially opened at the World Expo 2025 in Japan’s Osaka, presenting a unique concept of a “store where nothing can be bought”. The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian Economy Ministry, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. The opening ceremony took place on April 13, 2025, as the exhibition itself kicked off. The event was attended by Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Japan Yoshihiko Okabe, Japanese Economy Minister Morita Kentaro, and other special guests. About 5,000 persons visited the pavilion on its opening day. “Ukraine’s pavilion created such a buzz that the organizers had to…

The Ukrainian delegation has submitted its proposals on a minerals deal to the United States and hopes to continue negotiations to reach an agreement. Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration and Minister of Justice, Olga Stefanishyna, said this on Ukrainian television, according to Ukrinform. "It is already a positive sign that consultations are taking place. As of now, I can say that the Ukrainian delegation had the opportunity to present to the American side all the proposals that we prepared in Kyiv and which were agreed upon. All of them were subjects of discussion," she said. She…

The Ukrainian Deposit Guarantee Fund is planning to gradually raise guaranteed refund payments to the European standard of EUR 100,000. The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Deposit Guarantee Fund Managing Director Olha Bilai in an interview with Ukrinform. “We are making calculations to ensure that the Fund has the appropriate financial capacity. Steps to increase the guaranteed amount must be reasonable. After all, any changes can be implemented only when the system is ready for them financially,” Bilai emphasized. The list of entities covered by guarantees will also be expanded. In particular, credit unions will join the system, which…

The Kherson region needs investments and grant projects to process small-seeded crops, such as flax, which is grown in frontline areas, as well as to build and restore grain elevators. The relevant statement was made by Director of the Department for Agriculture and Irrigation Development at Kherson Regional State Administration Dmytro Yunusov in a commentary to Ukrinform. “Last autumn farmers sowed over 110,000 hectares with winter crops. In addition, we are planning to sow another 136,000 hectares for the 2025 harvest. Thus, the total area will be 246,000 hectares. Now, we primarily need to sow sunflowers (more than 90,000 hectares),…

Last year, a total of UAH 3.8 billion was transferred to the accounts of insolvent banks controlled by the Ukrainian Deposit Guarantee Fund, and 40% of this sum came from the sale of assets through auction on the Prozorro.Sale platform. The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Deposit Guarantee Fund Managing Director Olha Bilai in an interview with Ukrinform. “We see that the assets are in demand, even despite the risks and lack of confidence in the long term. But, here everything depends on the quality of the assets that we sell. We see that there is less demand from…

Over three years since full deposit guarantee refund payments were introduced in April 2022, the Ukrainian Deposit Guarantee Fund has transferred more than UAH 9 billion to the depositors of insolvent banks. The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Deposit Guarantee Fund Managing Director Olha Bilai in an interview with Ukrinform. “In April 2022, at the President’s initiative, a full guarantee was introduced in Ukraine, which provides for the entire deposit amount and accrued interest to be refunded in case of the bank’s bankruptcy. Over three years, full guarantee refund payments have been transferred to the depositors of seven banks,”…

This year, a leasing mechanism is expected to be added to the financial support programs aimed at developing Ukraine’s domestic defense industry. This was announced by Herman Smetanin, Minister for Strategic Industries of Ukraine, during the Ukrainian Weapons 2024 briefing in response to a question from Ukrinform. “Currently, we have a preferential loan program with a 5% annual interest rate. Additionally, just recently, together with the Ministry of Economy, we launched the grant program Made for Victory. Right now, we are working on a leasing program. I hope we will complete its development in the coming months. This way, we…

Ukraine will receive EUR 50 million from the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) to finance a subsidized mortgage program for families of internally displaced persons (IDPs). The Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine announced this on Facebook, according to Ukrinform. "The Ministry for Communities and Territories Development will sign a framework agreement with the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) for EUR 50 million to finance a subsidized mortgage program for IDP families. These funds will enable around 1,100 displaced families to access affordable housing as early as 2025," the statement reads. Read also: EIB commits EUR…