newsaboutukraine

Wednesday, December 23

During this decade, Ukraine’s electricity production from nuclear will rise from 53% today, to 57% in 2030. During this decade, Ukraine’s electricity production from nuclear will rise from 53% today, to 57% in 2030. At the same time, the electricity share from coal will drop almost in half, to 12%. These we...

In a radical corporate turnaround, DTEK wants to be Ukraine’s leader in decarbonization, In a radical corporate turnaround, DTEK wants to be Ukraine’s leader in decarbonization, Timchenko said during his presentation of DTEK’s strategy to 2030. “We want to change, we want to move fr...

After investing about $1 billion in Ukraine wind and solar projects in the last three years, DTEK now redirects its renewables investments to the EU. “ After investing about $1 billion in Ukraine wind and solar projects in the last three years, DTEK now redirects its renewables investments to the EU. “Today our investments in European countries are i...

Offering government bonds of 10 different tenors and two different currencies, the Finance Ministry raised the equivalent of $782 million yesterday Offering government bonds of 10 different tenors and two different currencies, the Finance Ministry raised the equivalent of $782 million yesterday at its weekly bond auction, the Ministry reports on ...

As foreign investors re-enter the government bond market, the hryvnia strengthens As foreign investors re-enter the government bond market, the hryvnia strengthens, write analysts from Alpari, Dragon and ICU. The dollar now buys 28 hryvnia, a rate little changed in nine months. ICU...

Tuesday, December 22

Aiming to cut road deaths by 30% by 2024, Aiming to cut road deaths by 30% by 2024, the government has approved spending $85 million in 2021 on the first year of an international highway safety program. The money will be spent on 400 illumina...

Ridership of the Kyiv Metro is down 40% yoy, to 250 million this year, Ridership of the Kyiv Metro is down 40% yoy, to 250 million this year, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko told reporters yesterday. Referring to the 2-month lockdown last spring, he said: “For the first tim...

The The government last night appointed Yuriy Vitrenko, the former Naftogaz executive, as acting Energy Minister and First Deputy Minister of Energy. Vitrenko replaces Olha Buslavets, who ran the Energy M...

More litigation with Russia and more openness to Western investment may emerge under Vitrenko. More litigation with Russia and more openness to Western investment may emerge under Vitrenko. Interspersed with stints at Naftogaz, Vitrenko worked for Pricewaterhouse Coopers in Kyiv, Merrill Lynch ...

Yulia Kovaliv, a familiar face to foreign investors, Yulia Kovaliv, a familiar face to foreign investors, resigned yesterday as deputy chief of staff to President Zelenskiy. Kovaliv also headed the Office of the National Investment Council, an organizat...

The government also appointed Vadym Melnyk as head of the State Fiscal Service The government also appointed Vadym Melnyk as head of the State Fiscal Service. The previous fulltime head of the service, Serhiy Verlanov, was dismissed last April.

The Kyiv Economic Court accepted last week a lawsuit alleging that Roman Leshchenko The Kyiv Economic Court accepted last week a lawsuit alleging that Roman Leshchenko, Ukraine’s newly appointed Agriculture Minister, embezzled $430,000 from a Ukrainian farming company owned by Kurt J...

While the US government labors to determine damage done by cyber infiltrators, Ukraine’s government faces almost daily hacker attacks on its government resources and is strengthening its cyber security, While the US government labors to determine damage done by cyber infiltrators, Ukraine’s government faces almost daily hacker attacks on its government resources and is strengthening its cyber securit...

With Ukraine recording its first infection with new highly contagious coronavirus strain, the government decided last night not to suspend flights between Ukraine and Britain With Ukraine recording its first infection with new highly contagious coronavirus strain, the government decided last night not to suspend flights between Ukraine and Britain. First identified in Brit...

While France, Germany, Turkey and Poland stop flights from Britain While France, Germany, Turkey and Poland stop flights from Britain, Ukraine’s Cabinet of Ministers decided not to suspend air traffic with the UK, Infrastructure Minister Vladyslav Krykliy wrote on hi...

Today, there is only one flight from Kyiv to Britain Today, there is only one flight from Kyiv to Britain: a Wizz Air flight from Sikorsky Airport to London Luton. Last week, UIA inaugurated flights between Boryspil and London Heathrow. At that time, UI...

With passenger flights unreliable, logistics company Meest China has started weekly cargo flights between Hong Kong and Boryspil With passenger flights unreliable, logistics company Meest China has started weekly cargo flights between Hong Kong and Boryspil. “Regular flights are canceled, delivery times are difficult to predict...

EU job offerings for Ukrainians have grown by 40% since coronavirus travel controls started to lift in June EU job offerings for Ukrainians have grown by 40% since coronavirus travel controls started to lift in June, reports Jooble, the Kyiv-based job search engine that aggregates international job postings...

Starting last Thursday, Wizz Air resumed flights from Kharkiv to all its German and Polish destinations. Starting last Thursday, Wizz Air resumed flights from Kharkiv to all its German and Polish destinations. Ukrainian tourists are not allowed to travel to Poland and Germany. With the exception of Ukrai...

A 150 km ring road around Kyiv and a 1.7 km suspension bridge over the Dnipro at Kremenchuk A 150 km ring road around Kyiv and a 1.7 km suspension bridge over the Dnipro at Kremenchuk are to stem from Cabinet of Ministers’ recent approval of an infrastructure agreement with China. “With this...

Monday, December 21

President Zelenskiy President Zelenskiy promises The New York Times to “reformat” the Constitutional Court as part of “global judicial reform in Ukraine, which we will start implementing next year.” In a video link inter...

Sales of electronics and home appliances during last month’s ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’ were up 28% yoy to $235 million Sales of electronics and home appliances during last month’s ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Cyber Monday’ were up 28% yoy to $235 million, reports the Ukraine unit of GfK, Germany largest market research institu...

Ending a 9-month suspension, Qatar Airways resumed flights Friday between Doha and Kyiv Boryspil Ending a 9-month suspension, Qatar Airways resumed flights Friday between Doha and Kyiv Boryspil. Flights will be four times a week on Airbus A320 jets. From Doha, Qatar flies to 100 destinations, sai...

European development banks are providing €900 million to rebuild the southern half of the Kyiv-Odesa highway and a 24 km northern bypass around Lviv, European development banks are providing €900 million to rebuild the southern half of the Kyiv-Odesa highway and a 24 km northern bypass around Lviv, reported the Infrastructure Ministry. “This projec...

Work is to start next year on the projects Work is to start next year on the projects which are both sections of the Trans-European Transport Network, or TEN-T. Of the money, two thirds goes to rebuilding 275 km of the Kyiv-Odesa highway, and ...

Ukraine plans to build by 2022 a EU-standard highway on the 72 km section of the M-10 between Lviv and the closest crossing with Poland, at Krakovets, Ukraine plans to build by 2022 a EU-standard highway on the 72 km section of the M-10 between Lviv and the closest crossing with Poland, at Krakovets, Ukravtodor’s Kubrakov tells Interfax-Ukraine. Thi...

Weekly container trains are to start rolling next year between the Baltic and the Black Seas, Weekly container trains are to start rolling next year between the Baltic and the Black Seas, Lukasz Greinke, President of Gdansk Port, tells The Maritime Executive, a Florida-based news site. Gdansk ...

Germany will spend €255 million to help Ukraine improve energy efficiency in schools, rebuild roads, and modernize its vocational education system Germany will spend €255 million to help Ukraine improve energy efficiency in schools, rebuild roads, and modernize its vocational education system, the Finance Ministry announces. The money will be a ...

Today, the IMF starts video link talks with Ukraine Today, the IMF starts video link talks with Ukraine, reviewing the $5 billion Stand-by Arrangement signed last June. Only one tranche of the 18-month deal has been delivered, also last June. Holding u...

Americans bought half of Ukraine’s $600 million Eurobond placement that settled Friday Americans bought half of Ukraine’s $600 million Eurobond placement that settled Friday, reported the Finance Ministry. The breakdown was: US –52%; UK – 37%; and EU – 10%. The breakdown of institutions...

Foreign holdings of Ukrainian government hryvnia bonds increased by 6.8% last week Foreign holdings of Ukrainian government hryvnia bonds increased by 6.8% last week as foreigners joined the government record auction of $1.8 billion in equivalent of bonds on December 15. After nine ...

To keep the hryvnia from gaining value, the Central Bank bought $300 million last week To keep the hryvnia from gaining value, the Central Bank bought $300 million last week, the largest one-week purchase since June. With travel abroad difficult during the upcoming holiday season, deman...

Elena Bilan, Dragon Capital’s Chief Economist noted that the export price for Ukrainian steel has risen by 150% this year Elena Bilan, Dragon Capital’s Chief Economist noted that the export price for Ukrainian steel has risen by 150% this year, to almost $700/ton. She wrote: “Favorable prices for export goods and foreign...

Ukraine is selling less food, but making more money, calculates Alfa-Bank Ukraine. Ukraine is selling less food, but making more money, calculates Alfa-Bank Ukraine. “Decreased crops have been more than compensated by elevated prices for key commodities,” Oleskiy Blinov, Alfa’s head...

Wednesday, December 16

Despite the drops, Minister Petrashko said the 2020 harvest is “three times more than the needs of the domestic market Despite the drops, Minister Petrashko said the 2020 harvest is “three times more than the needs of the domestic market, and also allows us to maintain a leading position in the export of agricultural ...

Thousands of small business owners and workers yesterday protested the impending coronavirus lockdown and end of tax privileges Thousands of small business owners and workers yesterday protested the impending coronavirus lockdown and end of tax privileges, blocking central Kyiv’s Maidan Square and Kreschatyk Street into the ni...

One quarter of Kyiv restaurants have closed permanently due to coronavirus restrictions this year One quarter of Kyiv restaurants have closed permanently due to coronavirus restrictions this year, estimates a new study, “Consequences of the COVID-19 epidemic and quarantine measures for the leading...

Kyiv City has the highest coronavirus infection rate of Ukraine Kyiv City has the highest coronavirus infection rate of Ukraine, reports the Health Ministry. In the first half of December, Kyiv’s infection rate was 746 per 100,000 people. Close behind were: Cherka...

Almost one third of the Rada’s 424 members have had coronavirus since August Almost one third of the Rada’s 424 members have had coronavirus since August, reports Dmytro Razumkov, chairman of Ukraine’s one chamber parliament. Currently, 21 MPs and 55 Rada employees are undergo...

Fueled by foreign investors looking for high yields, the Finance Ministry sold a record $1.85 billion worth of government bonds at auction yesterday Fueled by foreign investors looking for high yields, the Finance Ministry sold a record $1.85 billion worth of government bonds at auction yesterday. Yields on hryvnia bonds ranged from 10% for 3-mont...

The total amount raised was more than three times the amount raised at last week’s auction. The total amount raised was more than three times the amount raised at last week’s auction. With two more weekly auctions scheduled this month, the Ministry is expected to cover the budget shortfall b...

The Rada passed Ukraine’s 2021 budget yesterday. A fiscally conservative document with a deficit of 5.5% of gross domestic product The Rada passed Ukraine’s 2021 budget yesterday. A fiscally conservative document with a deficit of 5.5% of gross domestic product, slightly less than this year. Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko said...

The budget numbers The budget numbers:

In another move to get back on track with the IMF, the Rada overwhelmingly approved yesterday two bills to restore powers to a key agency of Ukraine’s new Western-designed anti-corruption machinery. In another move to get back on track with the IMF, the Rada overwhelmingly approved yesterday two bills to restore powers to a key agency of Ukraine’s new Western-designed anti-corruption machinery. T...

In Washington, Kurt Volker, former special envoy to Ukraine, warned that the incoming Biden administration will not give a free pass to the Zelenskiy administration In Washington, Kurt Volker, former special envoy to Ukraine, warned that the incoming Biden administration will not give a free pass to the Zelenskiy administration due to Ukraine’s strategic value in...

Drought pushed down this year’s national grain harvest by 13% yoy, to 65.4 million tons Drought pushed down this year’s national grain harvest by 13% yoy, to 65.4 million tons, Igor Petrashko, minister of Economic Development and Trade, announced yesterday. The fall ended two years of re...

Tuesday, December 15

Ukraine’s power plants reduced their coal consumption by 32% through October and increased their gas use by 31% Ukraine’s power plants reduced their coal consumption by 32% through October and increased their gas use by 31%, reports Expro.com, citing Energy Ministry numbers. Coal consumption fell to 14.1 millio...

Ukraine is gradually phasing out the use of coal Ukraine is gradually phasing out the use of coal, President Zelenskiy told a UN-sponsored gathering on Saturday, the International Climate Ambition Summit. Promising a “fair transformation of the coal...

With demand dropping for coal, Ukraine’s coal mining industry is a shadow of its With demand dropping for coal, Ukraine’s coal mining industry is a shadow of its peak when it employed 500,000 miners, making Ukraine Europe’s third largest coal producer, after Germany and Poland. La...

All unprofitable mines will be closed in this decade All unprofitable mines will be closed in this decade, Olha Buslavets, first deputy Energy Minister said last week at the First German-Ukrainian Energy Day. “Unprofitable mines will be closed within te...