“In 2024, DTEK Kyiv Regional Power Grids invested UAH 1.5 billion in the repair and development of grids, and this year the company plans to invest UAH 1 billion, said Vitaliy Shayda, CEO of the company.
“The amount of investments in network repairs and development in 2024 is UAH 1.5 billion. In 2025, we will invest more than UAH 1 billion,” he said at a briefing in Kyiv.
According to him, the company has repaired and renewed more than 9.5 thousand km of overhead power lines, updated almost 2 thousand power facilities, performed 852 repairs of cable lines, and cleared more than 4 thousand km of routes from overgrowth. He emphasized that thanks to these large-scale preparatory works, the company was able to prepare for the autumn-winter period and successfully pass it, providing reliable electricity supply to the residents of Kyiv region under martial law.
Shaida clarified that in 2024 the company connected almost 13 thousand facilities to its networks, which is 80% of the 2021 figure.
“This is evidence that the Kyiv region is living, building, developing, and this requires a modern electrical infrastructure. Therefore, we are directing all available resources to strengthen the grids to meet the region’s need for a stable and reliable power system,” he said.
According to Shaida, in 2024, five industrial green energy facilities were connected to the company’s grids: two solar power plants, one bioenergy facility, and two thermal power plants.
In addition, 1.5 thousand prosumers – household solar generation stations – have joined the company’s grid.
Shayda also noted that in 2024, a pilot project with a digital twin of the power grids was implemented at the Irpin power center. According to him, this allows for a quicker response to accidents, better load planning, and increased reliability of power supply.
DTEK KREM plans to repair more than 1.6 thousand power facilities and more than 9 thousand kilometers of overhead lines in 2025, and clear more than 4 thousand kilometers of routes from overgrowth.
The Greek residential real estate market 2025 continues to show steady growth despite global economic challenges. Demand for housing remains high among both local residents and foreign investors, which contributes to higher prices and the development of new projects.
Ukraine has received 111.1 thousand doses of diphtheria and tetanus vaccine (DPT) as part of the supply within the framework of the Ministry of Health’s cooperation with the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi).
According to the Ministry of Health, Gavi is funding some of the vaccines to support the national immunization program. UNICEF purchases and delivers vaccines to the country. The distribution of drugs to the regions is coordinated by the Public Health Center.
The vaccine is intended for vaccination of children according to the National Immunization Schedule and will be distributed to medical institutions between the regions.
In the first quarter of 2025, imports of lead and lead products to Ukraine increased 7.4 times to $2.09 million ($863 thousand in March).
Exports decreased by 25.2% to $2.12 million ($773 thousand in March).
In 2024, imports also increased by 2.4 times to $2.39 million, while exports fell by 22.9% to $11.4 million.
Lead is currently mainly used in the production of lead-acid batteries for the automotive industry. In addition, lead is used to make bullets and some alloys.
Logistics remains one of the most difficult problems for Ukrainian exporters of processed grain products since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, said Rodion Rybchynskyi, Director of the PU “Millers of Ukraine” Rodion Rybchynskyi at the Baltic Grains & Oils Conference in Riga on April 16.
“The commonwealth routes, i.e. the open routes provided by European countries to their railways, including here to the Baltic ports and to Polish ports, helped us a lot. But this still does not allow us to fully compensate for the losses we have suffered since the beginning of the war,” APK-Inform news agency quoted him as saying.
According to him, there is a possibility to ship products to the port of Constanta via the Danube, but there are still military risks, insurance companies assess these risks as high, and the cost of logistics remains significant.
“The Baltic ports are interesting, on the one hand, because they have direct container lines and the possibility of shipping to North America, South Asia, and so on. But this is a very large circle for the goods to get there… In fact, we see that compared to 2021, only the port of Ventspils transshipped slightly more Ukrainian products, while all other ports have decreased. For example, the port of Klaipeda actually halved its transshipment volumes in 2023,” Rybczynski said.
At the same time, Polish ports have significantly increased transshipment volumes of Ukrainian products, in particular grain products.
According to Rybczynski, Baltic ports remain important alternative routes for exports from Ukraine. The main advantages include access to Northern and Western Europe, delivery times, climate stability, modern infrastructure, less congestion and, most importantly, safe navigation. The disadvantages include logistics costs that are 2-3 times higher compared to the Danube ports, higher cargo handling costs, and railroad bottlenecks.
The agricultural holding Continental Farmers Group has resumed sowing operations after a forced pause caused by a significant cold snap, the company’s press service reports.
Continental reminded that it started the sowing campaign in the last days of March with sowing sugar beet and planting potatoes, and is currently sowing sunflower.
In total, in the new season, Continental will grow spring crops on an area of almost 96 thou hectares, of which the largest share will be soybeans – 49.5 thou hectares, 26 thou hectares for corn, 15.7 thou hectares for sunflower, 2.5 thou hectares for sugar beet, and 2.1 thou hectares for potatoes.
“Favorable weather conditions and soil preparation, which started as planned in mid-March, helped us to start sowing spring crops early. However, further precipitation slowed down the pace of work, and significant temperature drops in the first half of April even suspended it,” the company said.
Continental expects the peak load of field work in the second half of April, when corn and soybean sowing begins. The company expects to complete the sowing campaign in the second decade of May if the weather does not make any significant adjustments.
Mriya Agro Holding and CFG, united under the name Continental Farmers Group, have been operating as a single business since November 2018, when Mriya entered into an agreement with international investor Salic UK to sell its assets.
Salic was founded in 2012. Its sole shareholder is the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, which invests in agricultural and livestock production.
“Continental Farmers Group is an agricultural company that cultivates 195 thousand hectares of land in 5 regions of Western Ukraine: Ternopil, Lviv, Khmelnytsky, Chernivtsi, and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. The company specializes in crop production: it grows grains, oilseeds and industrial crops and is one of the largest potato producers in Ukraine.
