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Hesburger, the leading fast-food chain in Finland, plans to open at least 10 outlets in western Ukraine over the next five years. The total investment for the project will reach €12M. Founded in 1966, Hesburger has grown to include over 480 restaurants across nine countries as of 2025. In Ukraine, Hesburger operates seven locations in Kyiv and the surrounding region. In March 2025, Hesburger invested €7.3M to establish a production and warehouse facility near Kyiv for the preparation of hamburger

The Opos-Torg company, which is involved in wholesale trading of meat and fish, invested €5.5M, including €4M during the war, to build a new plant in the Volyn region. The plant will produce frozen semi-finished meat products and freeze-dried animal feed under the Cosset brand. There will be two types of production: semi-finished products for people and treats for animals. About 60% of the products are expected to be exported to the EU, Great Britain, Canada, and Scandinavian countries. The

WB analysts pointed out that Ukrainian Railways (UZ) needs to enhance and reform its operations to meet upcoming economic shifts and the opening of the rail freight market. “In the medium term, demand for raw materials and goods traditionally transported by rail may decline, while shipments of higher-value goods are expected to rise. To mitigate potential income losses, UZ should focus on improving container logistics, developing intermodal terminals, and boosting operational efficiency,” the experts stated. They also mentioned the anticipated

The war has caused a significant decline in the country’s workforce. Currently, around 1.7 million Ukrainians who used to work domestically are now abroad, according to Deputy Minister of Social Policy Daria Marchak. She highlighted a severe demographic crisis characterized by rapid aging, with the proportion of people aged 65 and older rising from 12% in 1991 to 22% in 2024. Demographers estimate that due to ongoing challenges and threats from the war, Ukraine’s population might fall to 28.9 million

In early May 2025, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko signed a historic agreement with the United States of America that established a reconstruction investment fund on behalf of Ukraine. This document went through several stages of preparation and withstood many rounds of discussion. Its content was widely discussed in numerous Ukrainian and foreign media channels, so we decided to talk to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Committee on Environmental Policy and Environmental

Unlike the Trump administration, few in Europe believe Moscow will agree to a ceasefire. One Ukrainian official believes Russia’s main goal now is to seize Odesa, which Putin sees as a historically Russian city, and without it, Ukraine will lose access to the Black Sea. Ukrainian officials are increasingly calling for a ceasefire in closed meetings with Western allies, although a year or two ago such calls would have been seen as defeatist. Experts say the situation for the Ukrainian

To end the conflict, Russia demands Ukrainian authorities stop training soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Western countries. “The participation or complicity of other countries in the military conflict is a key point that must be stopped. Both in the form of supplying weapons and in the form of training Ukrainian militants. A demonstration of a desire to resolve the conflict is the termination of these programs,” said Ambassador-at-Large of the Russian Foreign Ministry Rodion Miroshnyk. Over 200,000 Ukrainian

Natural gas reserves in Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities (UGS) exceeded eight billion cubic meters as of June 28. These facilities are now at 25.9% of their capacity. Compared to last year, UGS stores currently hold 19.6%, or 1.95 billion cubic meters, less gas. This year’s reserves are the lowest in at least 11 years, but the gap with last year’s figures is narrowing. Since early June, 1.25 billion cubic meters of gas have been injected into Ukrainian UGS, which

The IMF’s baseline scenario assumes the end of Russia’s war against Ukraine by the end of 2025. According to IMF expectations, if peace is reached Ukraine’s economic growth will rise to 4.5% in 2026. However, Ukraine needs guarantees and resources for economic growth. “A peaceful settlement without reliable security guarantees and/or sufficient financial resources for reconstruction and defense could lead to adverse economic and social consequences,” experts warn. The IMF notes that uncertainty will hinder the return of refugees, the

As of mid-2025, at least eight foreign companies have already opened or plan to open arms production facilities in Ukraine. These includes research, assembly, maintenance, and repair operations, as well as full-scale production of armored vehicles, artillery, ammunition, strike drones, small arms, and even air defense systems. Companies from Germany, the Czech Republic, Canada, and Turkey have already invested in local manufacturing. Other countries are currently in the planning stage. Facilities that have already opened in Ukraine: Atlas Aerospace (Latvia)

The IMF Executive Board approved an additional tranche to Ukraine under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). As a result, Ukraine has already received the ninth tranche of approximately $500M under the program. In total, payments under the program amount to $10.6B out of the planned $15.5B for 2023-2027. “The IMF noted the progress of the Ukrainian side in fulfilling the conditions of the EFF program as of the end of March 2025. The Ukrainian economy remains resilient, and the program

The Ministry of Agrarian Policy is working to create a storage network, as currently 35% of the Ukrainian vegetable harvest does not reach consumers due to poor storage conditions. Many storage facilities have been destroyed by the Russians, resulting in the loss of more than 281,000 tons of storage capacity. The total deficit now exceeds 1.1 million tons. It’s important to note that vegetable storage facilities are not just warehouses. They also serve as: opportunities to store the harvest and

According to analysts, in the 2024/2025 marketing year (July-June) Ukraine exported 40.1 million tons of grain, which is 10.5 million tons, or 21%, less than in the 2023/2024 marketing year. The physical volume of corn exports dropped by 7.6 million tons, and wheat by 2.7 million tons. Key reasons for the decline include a decrease in the corn harvest caused by summer drought and the depletion of stocks built up in 2022 due to the forced restriction of exports from

The European Investment Fund, part of the EIB Group, and Finnvera, Finland’s export credit agency, are initiating this pilot program to assist Finnish companies in exporting to Ukraine. The agreement enables Finnvera to offer export credits to Finnish companies trading with Ukraine, backed by the European Investment Fund (EIF) guarantee through the InvestEU export credit guarantee instrument. The project aims to support Finnish businesses with fewer than 500 employees by reducing risk when expanding into the Ukrainian market. The EIF

During talks with EU representatives, President Zelenskyy emphasized investment in domestic weapon production, focusing on long-range UAVs, interceptor drones, and similar equipment. “This is crucial. Russia is investing in unmanned systems and plans to increase drone strikes on our territory. We are developing countermeasures,” he stressed. Zelenskyy also noted Ukraine’s plans to co-produce weapons with German companies, with three already operational in Ukraine and more expected soon. Furthermore, Danish Ambassador Ole Egberg Mikkelsen highlighted that Kyiv’s allies are adopting the

The State Property Fund of Ukraine (SPFU) refused to approve the results of an auction to sell a large privatization asset with 100% of the shares of the state joint-stock company Construction Company Ukrbud. The Petro Oil and Chemicals company, owned by Georgian businessman David Bezhuashvili, bid ₴805M for Ukrbud but was disqualified on June 30. This came after the Department of Economic Security issued a memorandumthat established restrictions on the winner according to the privatization law: “Individuals and legal

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, who arrived in Kyiv on June 30, stated that Germany is attempting “by all means” to ensure Ukraine receives additional air defense systems to counter Russian attacks. Negotiations are ongoing with European allies and the US, and Germany is also considering transferring some of its reserve air defense systems. Wadephul stated that Putin aims to use force to seize Ukraine and seeks its surrender. As well, Russia depends on its allies to weaken international support. 

After concluding discussions on humanitarian issues, Ukraine aims to focus on a summit between President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin, said Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, emphasizing the need for a “substantive” meeting between the presidents. “Ukraine has always remained consistent in its pursuit of peace. We supported the US initiative for a full ceasefire from the beginning and have shown this through multiple negotiation rounds. However, dialogue is only possible without ultimatums and with respect for our sovereignty,”

Polish oil refinery Orlen will cease buying Russian oil for its Czech refinery after June 30, according to CEO Ireneusz Fafara. “Today we have freed Central Europe from Russian oil,” he stated. In April, the Czech Republic announced it had become completely independent of Russian oil after completing the modernization of the TAL pipeline, which transports oil from Trieste, Italy, through Germany to the Czech Republic. Norway has joined the EU’s 17th sanctions package against Russia, effective June 27, imposing

Before the full-scale invasion, Ukraine fed 400 million people worldwide and supplied agricultural products to the EU, North Africa, and Asia, providing about 10% of the world’s grain. However, due to occupation and mining 20%, or around six million hectares, of Ukraine’s farmland is currently inaccessible for cultivation. Restoring it to productivity is essential, said Dmytro Salimonov, a top manager at Global Clearance Solutions (GCS), a company that specializes in eliminating explosive hazards. There are 138,500 square kilometers still potentially