Business of Kyiv Region and Ukraine

Business

Oil at $60: Citi's forecast is not just about gasoline

Citigroup forecasts Brent crude to fall to $60 per barrel by end of 2025 — exactly the price ceiling of the G7 sanctions mechanism for Russian oil.

Business

"12 tons of Lavazza from the EU: not counterfeit, but theft — and this is a substantial difference"

Kyiv customs officials have intercepted a shipment of genuine Lavazza coffee that was stolen from the European Union while in transit to Slovakia. The scheme is simpler than underground production—and therefore more difficult to detect.

Business

Bus Cancelled Due to Drones: How Strikes on Oil Refineries Moved From the Front to Route Schedules

Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries have triggered a fuel crisis that is already canceling bus routes, halting garbage collection, and forcing Putin to publicly acknowledge fuel station queues for the first time.

Business

Cabinet Exempts Damaged Business Property from Inspections — But Only If There's Proper Grounds

The government has canceled inspections of business property destroyed or damaged as a result of combat operations. The decision is part of a broader moratorium by the National Security and Defense Council from July 21 — and differs fundamentally from it in scope.

Business

Saudi Capital Enters Ukrainian Solar Energy: What Stands Behind the FAS Energy Deal

The Antimonopoly Committee approved Saudi Arabia's FAS Energy to acquire four solar power plants in the Kyiv region. The deal is taking place in the midst of war — and this is no coincidence.

Business

One warehouse — two companies, 13 dead in the city: what a rocket destroyed in Kyiv at night on July 2

A direct missile strike destroyed the central warehouse of OKWINE and Wine Hunters distributor — along with stocks of wine, spirits, and offices. The strike occurred during one of the most massive bombardments of the capital in recent months.

Business

503 attack methods — and Vodafone warns of outages: what's behind the disruptions after the night of November 8

Russia struck energy infrastructure with 503 rockets and drones. The result — emergency shutdowns, grid overloads and Vodafone home internet outages.

Business

Head of State Forest Agency Suspended: What Lies Behind the Disciplinary Proceedings

The Cabinet of Ministers initiated disciplinary proceedings against the head of the State Forest Resources Agency and suspended him from his position. Details are being released gradually.

Business

Kazakhstan Gives Russia Gasoline — and Cannot Refuse: Why "Humanitarian Aid" Isn't the Aid One Chooses Voluntarily

Moscow has requested 50,000 tons of gasoline from Astana after Ukrainian drones disabled oil refineries and fuel production in central Russia dropped by 25%. Kazakhstan formally denies the request — but supplies are already being planned.

Business

Moyo warehouse in Obolon district destroyed by strike — one of over 30 targets hit overnight

On the night of July 1-2, Russia launched one of its largest attacks on Kyiv: drones, ballistic missiles, Kalibr and Zircon cruise missiles. A Moyo electronics store warehouse was among the civilian facilities reduced to ash.

Business

Ukrposhta leaves Druzhkivka: city with 56,000 residents reduced to 3-4 thousand

# Translation As of June 30, Ukrposhta closed its last stationary branch in Druzhkivka — a city that comes under fire daily from FPV drones, guided aerial bombs, and artillery. The decision confirms what is already obvious: civilian infrastructure is retreating in the wake of people fleeing the area.

Business

Strike on "Darnitsa": Tens of Millions in Damages — Yet No Interruption in Drug Production

A rocket struck one of Ukraine's largest pharmaceutical manufacturers on June 28. The plant did not halt operations — but this resilience exists despite systemic problems that preceded the attack.

Business

Darnytskyy Combined Heat and Power Plant Destroyed 90% — Its Owner Asks Creditors for Payment Deferral

"Euro-Rekonstruktsiia," owned by Anatolii Skriblyak, has called a creditors' meeting to approve a preventive restructuring plan. The company already had a debt of 1.5 billion hryvnias to Kyivteploenergo before the strike — losses from the destruction of the power station have now been added to this.

Business

Pepco enters Ukraine during the war — and immediately targets first place

Polish discount retailer Pepco officially becomes the network's 20th market of presence. Test stores are planned for October 2026, with the strategic goal of surpassing Sinsay and Modivo, which already have over 500 outlets.

Business

A Billion for a Yacht and Penthouse: How Anti-Communist Rhetoric Became a Tool of the Largest Financial Pyramid in the Chinese Diaspora

# Guo Wengui Convicted in Massive Fraud Scheme Targeting Democracy Supporters For years, Guo Wengui positioned himself as a fighter against Beijing — a reputation that allowed him to raise over a billion dollars from thousands of supporters who believed they were investing in democracy. Thirty years in prison and confiscation of $889 million represent the outcome of a scheme whose mechanism mirrors a classic confidence scam.

Business

McDonald's Opens 128th Location in Ukraine in Cherkasy — Part of Network's Most Ambitious Expansion During Wartime

A Cherkasy restaurant has become the 128th establishment in Ukraine and the third in the city. Over 2022-2025, the company invested 4.84 billion hryvnias in expanding and modernizing its network — despite the fact that 15 establishments remain closed due to hostilities.

Business

Moscow on Rations: Why Russia's Capital Limited Petrol Sales — and This Is Just the Beginning

Gas stations of "Gazprom Neft" and "Lukoil" in Moscow and the region have introduced fuel limits — not due to logistics issues, but because the region's main refinery will not be operational for at least until the end of 2026.

Business

Microsoft Builds Cloud for OpenAI — and Pays for Its Losses: What's Behind the $530 Billion Collapse

Microsoft's market capitalization fell by $530 billion in June 2025 — the worst month since 2008. But the real problem isn't the size of AI spending, but rather who it has been made for.

Business

Ukrposhta Cancels Rural Surcharge, But Courier Delivery Gets More Expensive: What Changes From July 1

From July 1, a 45 UAH delivery surcharge for villages served by mobile branches will be eliminated — the tariff will be equalized with urban rates. At the same time, courier delivery will increase by 5 UAH due to rising fuel costs.

Business

7.4% in three days: air conditioners pushing power system to brink of deficit

Ukrenergo has recorded a sharp increase in electricity consumption due to the heat wave and is calling on consumers not to switch on powerful equipment in the evening — that is when the power system is most vulnerable.

Business

Arctic Express: How a 19-year-old tanker became a new link in the sanctions evasion scheme against Arctic LNG 2

# LNG Tanker Arctic Express Loads Gas From Sanctioned Saam Storage Near Murmansk The LNG-tanker Arctic Express has for the first time loaded gas from the subsanctioned Saam storage facility near Murmansk following a flag change to Russian and transfer to St. Petersburg-based company SMP Techmanagement. This is part of a system that Novatek is building to sell Arctic LNG 2 despite U.S. and EU bans.

Business

Former Ukrenergo Chief Builds "Anti-Drone" Power System: EBRD Provides €50 Million for Power One Phase Two

160 MW of batteries and 9 MW of gas generation will be distributed across six sites throughout Ukraine — to ensure that a single missile strike cannot disable the entire system. The total budget for this phase is over 90 million euros.

Business

Pesa wants to assemble trams in Kyiv: Polish business converts URC into concrete negotiations

At the reconstruction conference in Gdańsk, Klitschko met with the leadership of Pesa Bydgoszcz — the discussion now covers not only new trains, but also localization of assembly and a service center directly at the Kyivpastrans facility.

Business

"Viliya" Builds Second Seed Plant in Zvynyache — the Same Facility Where It Launched the First One Back in 2016

Agricultural holding "Volyn-Zerno-Product" has opened a new seed processing line with a capacity of 12 tons per hour based on its existing elevator complex. This is not a startup from scratch — it is scaling up the vertical integration of the company, which processes 52 thousand hectares across four regions.

Business

Two Companies Bid from Same IP Address — and Won 20-Year Granite License. Court Cancels Deal

The Kyiv Commercial Court has invalidated a 2021 auction in which two participants—effectively linked to each other—simulated competition to obtain a special license for the Nataliv deposit at an artificially reduced price. This is part of a broader problem: the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has been investigating over 50 similar auctions.

Business

Oman Warns Europe: Strait of Hormuz Will No Longer Be Free

After four months of war, mining and double corridors, Oman made it clear to its allies: the pre-war rules of the game are over — and vessels may have to pay for passage.

Business

"16% savings transformed into tens of thousands of shells — Ministry of Defense launches second competitive tender for 155mm"

The first competitive tender for long-range 155-mm ammunition has allowed Ukraine to save billions of hryvnias and contract more ammunition than originally planned. Now the State Arms Company is scaling up the model for a new batch — and according to Fedorov, drones are next in line.

Business

EU agrees to ban Russian gas — and promises to eventually tackle oil

# Baltic States Demand EU Commission Move from Words to Legislative Proposal on Oil The Baltic countries are calling on the European Commission to move beyond rhetoric and submit a legislative proposal regarding oil. So far, there is only a commitment to submit it "no later than the end of 2027" — along with exemptions for Hungary and Slovakia, which are purchasing more Russian oil than before the invasion.

Business

One participant is not a competition: ARMA begins searching anew for manager of "Morshynska" while court decides if one is needed at all

# ARMA Competition for IDS Ukraine Collapsed Over Single Bid, But the Real Problem Runs Deeper The ARMA competition regarding IDS Ukraine fell apart due to receiving only one application, but the company claims the underlying issue is more serious: any management contract would be void due to a legal loophole, and within two to three months, the VAKS (anti-corruption court) could confiscate the asset in favor of the state.

Business

Berlin wants to postpone climate requirements for gas — and it's not alone

The EU's methane regulation was supposed to reduce emissions, but from 2027 onwards it could make the import of 94% of global gas and oil products illegal. Germany is demanding the rules be rewritten — and it has an entire coalition backing it.