newsukraine

Tuesday, December 22

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...

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...

Monday, December 21

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...

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...

Friday, December 18

Following a strategy of modernizing five regional airports a year, the government has budgeted $85 million to renovate in 2021 the airports of Dnipro, Kherson, Rivne, Vinnytsia and Odesa Following a strategy of modernizing five regional airports a year, the government has budgeted $85 million to renovate in 2021 the airports of Dnipro, Kherson, Rivne, Vinnytsia and Odesa. Almost 60% o...

Ukraine’s version of Mary Poppins – the ‘investment nannies’ – were voted into existence by the Rada yesterday Ukraine’s version of Mary Poppins – the ‘investment nannies’ – were voted into existence by the Rada yesterday as part of a wider package of incentives for foreign and domestic investors. The investme...

Signaling that Ukraine is open for business, the new law covers a wide range of sectors, Signaling that Ukraine is open for business, the new law covers a wide range of sectors, including: processing of food and minerals; waste management, transport, logistics, warehouses, package deliver...

With the government planning to recreate an agriculture ministry next month, With the government planning to recreate an agriculture ministry next month, the Rada approved yesterday Roman Leshchenko as the new minister of Agrarian Policy and Food. Most recently head of the Sta...

Leshchenko, aged 32, pledged to make the national farm land registry more transparent Leshchenko, aged 32, pledged to make the national farm land registry more transparent, brining millions of hectares ‘out of the shadows’ into the taxable economy. “Everyone knows that in the Chornobyl...

The Rada also appointed Serhiy Shkarlet as Minister of Education and Science The Rada also appointed Serhiy Shkarlet as Minister of Education and Science. The ruling party failed to muster enough votes appoint Yuriy Vitrenko, former executive director of Naftogaz, as Energy Mi...

Six months ago, it was called the Ministry of Energy and Coal Mining. Six months ago, it was called the Ministry of Energy and Coal Mining. But yesterday, Olha Buslavets, first deputy Ministry of Energy, briefed British officials that Ukraine “soon will join the Coalles...

DTEK rejects as “a politically motivated provocation” DTEK rejects as “a politically motivated provocation” a report by the National Anticorruption Bureau (NABU) that the power company sought have Buslavets installed last spring as Minister to derail an ...

Concorde Capital’s Concorde Capital’s Alexander Paraschiy writes: “It will be extremely hard to prove wrongdoing in the Rotterdam Plus approach implementation, and even harder to claim repayment for any damages from it&...

Today, the foreign ministers and defense ministers of Turkey and Ukraine meet in Kyiv for the first of what are to be regular ‘2+2’ meetings. Today, the foreign ministers and defense ministers of Turkey and Ukraine meet in Kyiv for the first of what are to be regular ‘2+2’ meetings. Today’s meeting comes as both Black Sea nations step a mil...

“Ukraine’s Leader Is Being Broken by the System He Vowed to Crush,” “Ukraine’s Leader Is Being Broken by the System He Vowed to Crush,” headlines a Bloomberg report from Kyiv. “Volodymyr Zelenskiy is flailing as hard-won reforms since the 2014 ouster of the country’s ...

Bloomberg offered hope that President-elect Biden will work to restore the free market reform momentum in Ukraine Bloomberg offered hope that President-elect Biden will work to restore the free market reform momentum in Ukraine. The article cites a recent Razumkov Center survey where 42% of respondents ranked Zel...

Today an agreement is to be signed allowing construction of Lviv’s Northern Bypass Today an agreement is to be signed allowing construction of Lviv’s Northern Bypass, says Oleksandr Kubrakov, head of Ukravtodor. Completing the missing link on Lviv’s ring road, the new highway will c...

Ukraine’s air passenger traffic should return next year to 50% the level of 2019, Ukraine’s air passenger traffic should return next year to 50% the level of 2019, Infrastructure Minister Vladyslav Krikliy predicted yesterday at a press conference in Kyiv. This year, he said, air p...

Thursday, December 3

Ukrzaliznytsia plans to spend almost $1 billion next year on repairing locomotives, cars, and track — almost three times the money spent this year. Ukrzaliznytsia plans to spend almost $1 billion next year on repairing locomotives, cars, and track — almost three times the money spent this year. As posted on the state railroad’s site, financing wo...

Despite the corona recession, cargo handled by Ukraine’s seaports is up by 1% yoy. Despite the corona recession, cargo handled by Ukraine’s seaports is up by 1% yoy. Through November, the ports handled 146 million tons. Confirming Ukraine’s reliance on exports of raw materials, grai...

Kyiv’s autumn (September-November) was the warmest since local record keeping started in 1881 Kyiv’s autumn (September-November) was the warmest since local record keeping started in 1881, reports Ukrinform. “The calendar autumn is over but the meteorological winter has not come yet,” reports ...

Ukrainians can look forward to a normal shopping this weekend and, probably through Friday December 25, Catholic Christmas. Ukrainians can look forward to a normal shopping this weekend and, probably through Friday December 25, Catholic Christmas. Prime Minister Shmygal said November’s weekend shopping bans had cut the spr...

Yesterday morning, 13,141 new cases were announced, down from a daily average of 16,500 late last week. Yesterday morning, 13,141 new cases were announced, down from a daily average of 16,500 late last week. However, in Kyiv Mayor Klitschko said yesterday that a record 1,735 new coronavirus cases had be...

With a big budget funding gap looming, Ukraine may tap the international Eurobond market for up $1 billion in short term financing With a big budget funding gap looming, Ukraine may tap the international Eurobond market for up $1 billion in short term financing, Prime Minister Shmygal told the Korrespondent news site. He asserts ...

Timothy Ash writes from London Timothy Ash writes from London: “Surprised it took them so long given the strength of global beta which has seen Ukraine’s borrowing costs in the Eurobond market crash 200bps lower over the past month...

Through October, Ukraine has attracted $221 million in new direct foreign investment — 5% of the $4.5 billion attracted during the first 10 months of last year Through October, Ukraine has attracted $221 million in new direct foreign investment — 5% of the $4.5 billion attracted during the first 10 months of last year, the National Bank of Ukraine reported y...

Corporate raiding — stealing companies through forgeries or force — is up slightly this year compared to last year Corporate raiding — stealing companies through forgeries or force — is up slightly this year compared to last year, reports Ukrinform, citing data from Opendatabot, an online registry. Through October...

Monday, November 23

Mylovanov, a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate, is known for advocating forceful, generally free market policies. Mylovanov, a University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate, is known for advocating forceful, generally free market policies. Two weeks ago on the Svoboda Slova program he advocated a hard lockdown to slow...