Politics & Economics

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a just transition program for Ukraine's coal regions through 2030, which will cover initiatives in 38 communities linked to coal mining and thermal power generation. Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this during the official launch of the Power4JustTransition program for coal regions and communities, according to an Ukrinform correspondent. "As we move toward EU membership, we are transforming our country and implementing necessary reforms in all sectors. The coal industry is no exception. With the support of the German government, the European Commission, and the World Bank, we are carrying out the transformation…

Canada has significantly expanded its anti-Russian sanctions by imposing restrictions on more than a hundred individuals and entities, as well as announcing trade limitations with Russia. According to a Ukrinform correspondent, this was announced by Canada’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It is noted that the new Canadian sanctions will target 77 individuals and 39 legal entities. “Canada is also implementing sanctions on the trade of almost 1,000 new items with Russia, listing an additional 201 vessels and imposing new prohibitions on listed vessels to further constrain the activities of vessels that are part of Russia’s shadow fleet,” the official statement…

Freight railcars carrying grain were damaged during a Russian attack on the night of June 17. That is according to a Facebook post by Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, Chairman of the Management Board of Ukrzaliznytsia JSC, as reported by Ukrinform. “Kyiv, this morning. Ukrainian railroad, Ukrainian grain. The enemy continues to destroy everything Ukrainian,” Pertsovskyi wrote. He also assured the public that restoration work is already underway and that rail traffic would remain uninterrupted. Read also: Health Ministry: 14 killed, 99 injured in Russian attack on Kyiv As previously reported, during the overnight attack on June 17, Russia launched over 440 drones…

In January–April 2025, Ukraine’s exports of goods totaled $13.31 billion—93.1% of the figure recorded during the same period in 2024—reflecting a 6.9% year-on-year decline. That is according to the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, as reported by Ukrinform. Imports during the same period reached $24.82 billion, or 112.6% of last year’s level, resulting in a negative trade balance of $11.51 billion. The export-import coverage ratio stood at 0.54, down from 0.65 a year earlier. Ukraine maintained trade relations with 217 countries during the reporting period. Despite the overall decline, the country saw notable export growth in several categories: pharmaceutical products…

Strengthening sanctions against Russia and Austria's readiness for a mediation role were the main topics of the meeting President Volodymyr Zelensky had with Austrian Federal Chancellor Christian Stocker. The head of state reported this on X, Ukrinform saw. "Strengthening sanctions against Russia and Austria’s readiness to act as a mediator were the key topics of my meeting with Federal Chancellor of Austria Christian Stocker. We are grateful to Austria for its support since the very beginning of Russian aggression, for its humanitarian assistance, and above all, for supporting our citizens. We appreciate the mediation in the return of young Ukrainians…

The German government has no plans to restart the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline for transmitting Russian gas or launch Nord Stream 2. This was stated at a press conference on Monday by the deputy spokesman for the German government, Sebastian Hille, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. “You know our position on the issue: the federal government clearly assumes that Nord Stream will not be put into operation,” the spokesman said, adding that such a short answer indicates the government’s attitude to the issue. Read also: Putin's ally pushing deal to revive Nord Stream 2 with U.S. support - FT The…

Russia has been illegally transshipping oil between tankers in the open sea off the coast of Greece and Cyprus. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry (HUR), Ukrinform learned. Since July 2024, Russia has been using an Aframax tanker, IMO 9247443, which has no Western insurance, as a floating transshipment hub for the supply of sanctioned oil. As noted by the intelligence agency, such operations pose an environmental threat, allow the Russian Federation to conceal the origin of oil, evade international control, and ensure supply to third countries, bypassing sanctions. Read also: Ukraine's HUR launches…

In the first quarter of 2025, Russian banks allocated about $2.7 billion — equivalent to $25 million per day — to cover bad loans. This was reported on Telegram by Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under the National Security and Defense Council, according to Ukrinform. “According to the Central Bank of Russia, in Q1 2025, the risk of loan defaults in the retail lending sector rose to 3.6%, well above the normal level of 2%. This indicates a decline in loan quality, particularly in the consumer sector, where overdue debts are rapidly increasing,” the statement said. The CCD emphasized…

The G7 countries should completely abandon the purchase of natural resources and energy from Russia, replacing them with Canadian ones. The opinion was expressed by the head of the G7 research group at the University of Toronto, John Kirton, who spoke in an interview with Ukrinform. “The G7 must still pressure India to stop buying Russian oil. But equally important, G7 members must fully ban imports of Russian energy - oil, coal, natural gas, uranium. Canada, with the world’s fifth-largest oil reserves and as a top-three uranium producer, can help fill the gap,” Kirton said. Read also: G7 summit on…

The load on Russian Railways (RZhD) has been falling for 20 consecutive months, effectively bringing the national operator to the verge of bankruptcy. This was reported by Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service (FISU), Ukrinform saw. Last year, the decline reached 4%, and in the first five months of 2025, it exceeded 7%. Some 300,000 carriages, or almost 20% of the entire fleet, stand idle. According to intelligence analysts, Russian Railways suffers chronic staff shortage as thousands of locomotive crews are understaffed due to military mobilization, emigration, and lack of migrant workers. The company falls short of 2,500 train drivers and nearly…