Business news, entrepreneurship and startups in Kyiv region
Closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the US and Israeli war with Iran has driven Norwegian oil prices to $107 per barrel. Oslo has received the largest oil revenue in its history—and has publicly expressed no moral discomfort whatsoever.
The company has launched a rating system for electric scooter users. A poor rating may restrict access to the service.
Orest Mandziy came to the State Customs Service from NABU — with experience in investigations, but without the leverage that actually determines who pays what at the border.
Gazprom has delivered a second shipment of LNG from Portuarny to the Beihai terminal on a vessel under US sanctions. China is now being recorded in public vessel tracking data and no longer masks the route.
# Uzhhorod: Middle-Income Resident Spends 92% of Earnings on One-Bedroom Apartment In Uzhhorod, a middle-income resident spends 92% of their earnings solely on a one-bedroom apartment. This is not just a record — it is a systemic trap.
Maine became the first state in the US where lawmakers voted for a complete moratorium on large data centers. However, Governor Janet Mills has not yet signed the bill — and her hesitation reveals a real rift in debates over AI infrastructure.
The United States has completely blocked Iranian ports following the collapse of negotiations in Pakistan. The economy, which relies on oil exports, has now been deprived of its main source of hard currency — and this, rather than bombing, could prove to be the real pressure on Tehran.
Washington has abandoned a practice that allowed "hostile" oil to reach the market. Prices, allies, and geopolitics are directly dependent on one decision.
# Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar Promises to Halt State Media Broadcasts, but Media Landscape Remains Dominated by Orbán Allies Newly elected Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar has pledged to suspend news broadcasting on state media immediately after government formation. However, the problem remains that 80% of Hungarian media is controlled by Orbán supporters — a situation no single law can change overnight.
# Translation: A few days before the official termination, an independent arbiter of the international FIDIC federation ruled that the actions of "Zelenе Misto" housing and communal enterprise contradicted the contract terms. The Polish diplomat leveraged this as a means of pressure — but the problem runs deeper than a diplomatic scandal.
Sales of designer matches at Selfridges have surged 121% — and this is not a whim of the wealthy, but a symptom of an economy in which people seek affordable luxury as a permitted minimum.
The Cabinet of Ministers allowed Ukrsoibbank to use the state mine clearance compensation program. For the state land lessor, this means savings of hundreds of millions — for farmers, potential access to new plots in front-line regions.
On April 15, a cinema in the Magellan shopping center closes, which opened as one of the first in the Kyiv network. The closure is not a network collapse, but rather appears to be a regrouping: while one theater goes dark, another one in Vyshneve is already operating with laser projection.
Rich Starry, a Chinese tanker under US sanctions, crossed the strait unobstructed on the second day after Trump imposed the blockade. This is the first practical test of the new maritime operation — and it has revealed its limitations.
# Translation The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and a doubling of gas prices did not change Rome's position: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called economic pressure on Russia "the strongest weapon" for achieving peace — and gave Moscow time until January 2027.
Naftogaz has appointed five members of the supervisory board of "Gas Distribution Networks of Ukraine": three independent directors and two representatives from the shareholder. This is part of a systemic response to Mindigcheygate — a corruption scandal that revealed that the lack of independent oversight in state-owned companies costs more than implementing it.
# Russia's Oil Revenues Surge to $19 Billion in March 2025 Russia's oil revenues reached $19 billion in March 2025—double the figure from February, which had been the worst month since the full-scale invasion began. The resilience of the shadow fleet and the redirection of maritime routes have again proven stronger than attacks on these systems.
# NABU Achieves Extradition from Germany of Igor Trushenko The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has secured the extradition from Germany of Igor Trushenko, a businessman whom the Specialized Anti-Corruption Court (SACC) sentenced in absentia to 3 years and 10 months for complicity in a state grain scheme involving 13.4 million hryvnias. The verdict, issued in December 2025, has not yet come into force as the appeal process is ongoing.
Tehran has agreed to open the Strait of Hormuz under ceasefire conditions, but is physically unable to do so — naval mines were laid haphazardly, some are drifting, and neither Iran nor the United States has minesweepers available near the strait.
The White House has presented the "Arches of Independence" project, a monumental structure that the Trump administration calls "the greatest and most beautiful in the world." On April 16, the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts will formally review the project.
On April 13, train No. 351 will arrive at Revaka station for the first time — a 10-minute ride from Chișinău's central station to the airport. If demand justifies it, the stop will become permanent — and this will change the logic of the entire connection.
Tokyo approved new subsidies worth $4 billion for state-backed startup Rapidus — a company that has yet to release any mass-produced chips but is already in negotiations with over 60 potential clients. The main client and simultaneous shareholder is Fujitsu.
The United States has signed a $4.7 billion contract with Lockheed Martin to accelerate the production of Patriot interceptors. The annual production rate will increase from 600 to 2,000 missiles, but not immediately—rather gradually over seven years.
# Bratinov Group Completes Asset Consolidation Through Additional Share Issuance. What This Means for the Enterprise and the Market The Bratinov Group has finalized the consolidation of its assets through an additional stock offering. This strategic move is expected to strengthen the company's financial position and streamline its operational structure across multiple business segments. The additional share issuance represents a capital restructuring initiative that allows the group to centralize control and optimize management of its various holdings. Such consolidation typically enables companies to improve operational efficiency, reduce administrative costs, and enhance decision-making processes. For the market, this development signals the group's commitment to strengthening its competitive position. The consolidated structure may facilitate better coordination between subsidiary companies and improve overall corporate governance. The move also reflects broader trends in the Ukrainian business sector, where companies are increasingly pursuing consolidation strategies to achieve economies of scale and adapt to challenging market conditions. Industry observers note that such restructuring efforts can attract investor interest by demonstrating management's proactive approach to corporate strategy and long-term sustainability.
After a two-week ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran, fewer than a dozen vessels passed through the strait. Tehran has imposed a traffic limit, collecting tolls exceeding a million dollars per voyage and demanding payment in bitcoin or yuan—a scheme that could itself violate sanctions.
As Brussels prepares a ban on Russian LNG from 2027, European buyers have increased imports from Siberia's Yamal LNG by 17% — and structurally depend on these supplies for at least another year.
# Sheskharis Terminal Resumes Tanker Shipments After Five-Day Halt, But CPC Pipeline Damage Threatens US Oil Assets The Sheskharis terminal has resumed dispatching tankers following a five-day shutdown, but another port facility—the CPC pipeline, which carries 80% of Kazakhstan's oil—has sustained damage that jeopardizes the assets of American companies Chevron and ExxonMobil.
Stefano Gabbana's resignation as head of Dolce & Gabbana occurred in December — and was kept quiet for four months. Now it's clear why: the brand is in negotiations to refinance €300 million in debt, while Gabbana himself is seeking a buyer for his 40% stake.
ARMA discovered people with a "sublease agreement" that has no legal force at the former interior minister Zakharenko's estate. This is the second scandal surrounding the property: previously, a former minister Galushchenko, who is suspected of corruption, was secretly living there.
On April 9, the Russian-flagged supertanker Archimedes passed through the Strait of Hormuz in ballast and changed its destination from Iran's Kharg Island to "for orders" status. For vessels flying the Russian flag, such a route is an exception rather than the norm.