On Tuesday, the Kyiv Academic Puppet Theater hosted a gala concert dedicated to the legendary Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, entitled “Tango Freedom.” The event was timed to coincide with the 215th anniversary of the May Revolution in the Argentine Republic, an event that marked the beginning of the struggle for Argentina’s independence in 1810.
The celebration was organized by the Embassy of Argentina in Ukraine with the participation of representatives of the Ukrainian authorities, the diplomatic corps, artists, and the cultural community. The guests of honor at the event were First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Serhiy Kyslytsya, Deputy Head of the Office of the President Ihor Zhovkva, as well as deputies, ministerial officials, and ambassadors of foreign states.
“Dear compatriots, welcome to the celebration of the 215th anniversary of the May Revolution of 1810, which marked the beginning of the path to our independence. Today, we honor that same spirit of freedom here in Ukraine, in a country that is defending its sovereignty, its territorial integrity, and its right to choose its own path with impressive courage and dignity,” said the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Argentine Republic to Ukraine, Ms. Elena Leticia Mikusinski, addressing the guests.
The ambassador also quoted a statement by the Argentine Minister of Foreign Affairs:
“Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, we have always stood by Ukraine. We have supported its legitimate right to defend its territory and sovereignty. We will continue to support Ukraine,” the statement said.
In his speech, Serhiy Kyslytsya drew historical parallels between the revolutionary movement in Argentina in the early 19th century and Ukraine’s current struggle for freedom.
“215 years ago, a powerful impulse was born in Buenos Aires – the May Revolution. In 1810, Argentinians chose freedom, dignity, and independence. Today, Ukraine is fighting for these very principles. That is why the slogan of this event is so close to our hearts: Tango de la libertad,” he emphasized.
The diplomat also recalled that Argentina was the first country in Latin America to recognize Ukraine’s independence in 1991, and even earlier, in 1921, recognized the Ukrainian People’s Republic.
“Today, Argentina stands with Ukraine once again in condemning Russian aggression and providing humanitarian aid, in taking a clear stance for the truth and freedom of Ukraine. This is not just diplomacy. This is true friendship. Amistad valiente. Amistad verdadera,” Kyslytsya emphasized.
The cultural program included the performance of the national anthems of Ukraine and Argentina by Yana Tatara, a buffet with traditional Argentine empanadas and Malbec wine, as well as performances by tango artists Oleg Syryka, Natalia Zavadskaya, Dmitry Kuyun, and Natalia Luzan.
The highlight of the evening was the “Tango Freedom” concert dedicated to Astor Piazzolla, a composer who radically changed the world’s perception of tango by combining it with elements of jazz and classical music in the nuevo tango style.
“Tonight we will witness the unity of wonderful Ukrainian musicians who will perform the works of our beloved Astor Piazzolla. May the same music always sound in this tango of two nations — the music of freedom,” said Ms. Mikusinski.
The May Revolution (Spanish: Revolución de Mayo) took place in Buenos Aires on May 18–25, 1810. As a result, the Spanish colonial administration was removed, and the national government — the First Junta — became the first step towards Argentina’s independence, which was declared on July 9, 1816.
Astor Piazzolla (1921–1992) was an outstanding Argentine composer and bandoneon player, founder of the nuevo tango style, which combined traditional tango with elements of jazz, classical music, and avant-garde. His work is known throughout the world and is considered one of the symbols of Argentina’s cultural identity.
ARGENTINA, Elena Leticia Mikusinski, Kyslytsia, May Revolution, UKRAINE, танго
The number of transfers via payment systems in Ukraine in 2024 increased by 28.5% to almost 1.1 billion transactions, and their amount increased by 83.7% to UAH 1.34 trillion. NovaPay handled the most transactions, while PrivatMoney was the leader in terms of volume, according to the NBU.
“During 2024, money transfer services were actually provided by 24 payment systems, including 15 systems created by residents and 9 systems created by non-residents,” the National Bank said in its 2024 financial market infrastructure oversight report.
According to its data, the volume of transactions through PrivatMoney, operated by PrivatBank, grew in dollar terms to $19.24 billion from $3.65 billion in 2023, while NovaPay’s volume grew to $7.12 billion from $6.37 billion. The NBU clarified that while NovaPay conducts all transactions within Ukraine, PrivatMoney’s share of Ukrainian transactions amounted to 87.15% last year.
The payment system “Financial World” of the operator Ukrainian Payment System LLC closes the top three, with volumes growing last year to $3.98 billion from $3.0 billion in 2023.
The growth of the leaders is partly explained by the departure from the market of the Moneycom payment system operated by Swift Garant LLC, which ranked third in 2023 with a volume of $3.50 billion.
In terms of the number of transactions, NovaPay remains the leader with 411 million, although PrivatMoney is close behind with 403 million, and Financial World has 165 million transactions.
The average amount of a single transfer within Ukraine in 2024 increased by 42.8% to UAH 1,231.3. At the same time, the volume of transfers from abroad remained almost at the previous year’s level.
In 2024, Mastercard and Visa were also included in the National Bank’s list of important payment systems.
Among these card payment systems, Mastercard remains the leader in terms of the number and amount of payment transactions, with 7.22 million transactions worth $120.22 billion, while Visa has 6.29 million transactions worth $95.47 billion. At the same time, Visa’s lag narrowed: according to the results of 2024, its share of transactions was 46.51% compared to 43.07% in 2023.
In total, the amount of payments through card systems grew last year in dollar terms by only 1.3% to $216.4 billion.
On May 22, 2025, the P. L. Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education hosted the National Healthcare Forum of Ukraine – 2025.
The event was attended by the Minister of Health of Ukraine, Viktor Lyashko, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Health, Medical Assistance and Medical Insurance, Mykhailo Radutsky, the Commander of the Medical Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Anatoliy Kazmirchuk, and the Acting President of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Director of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery named after Mykola Amosov of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Academician of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Academician of the National President of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, Director of the State Institution “National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery named after Mykola Amosov of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine” Vasyl Lazoryshynets, Head of the National Health Service of Ukraine Natalia Gusak, Mayor of Lviv Andriy Sadovyi, international and Ukrainian experts, directors of health departments and institutions, rectors of higher medical education institutions.
The forum, organized by the Ukrainian Federation of Professional Medical Associations, became a platform for open dialogue between government representatives, experts, and the medical community on key challenges in the healthcare system.
“The forum is a space where the right questions are asked and answers are sought together. We often talk about reform, but we rarely stop to look back at what has been achieved and what needs to be reviewed. It is precisely such discussions that lead to important changes. We have strategic documents, the main one being the Health Care System Development Strategy for the period up to 2030. It is important that they do not remain on paper. My request to the community is to work according to these documents,” said Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko.
“We propose to create a permanent discussion platform within the National Forum to develop proposals for improving the Strategy and ensuring the protection of the interests of both doctors and patients. We call on everyone to join forces for a healthy future for Ukraine,” said Vyacheslav Kaminsky, Rector of the P. L. Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education.
Financial protection for both patients and medical workers became one of the key focuses of the Forum. According to the Minister, these two areas should be given equal priority in state policy.
The Forum included a ceremony to award young doctors under the age of 40. Twenty-eight talented specialists from different regions of Ukraine received the “Future of the Medical Profession” award from the Ukrainian Federation of Professional Medical Associations.
The awards were presented by the rector of the P. L. Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Vyacheslav Kaminsky, the chair of the board of the NGO MedGlobal Ukraine, Oleksandra Kozlovska, and the secretary general of the UFPMO, Igor Shkrobanets. Each nominee received a commemorative plaque and the opportunity to attend a master class from experienced mentors to improve their professional skills.
The forum was an important step towards deepening the dialogue between all participants in the healthcare system, with a focus on patient needs, support for healthcare workers, and the implementation of solutions that will truly change medicine in the country. Following the forum, the participants agreed to draft a resolution.
Source: https://interfax.com.ua/news/press-release/1074188.html
Ukrainian tour operator Join UP! plans to launch franchising in the Baltic States and Kazakhstan in 2024, according to Marina Dayneko, head of the Join UP! sales office, in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
“Currently, more than 100 agencies are operating under this model in Ukraine, and four in Moldova, two of which opened this year. We are continuing to develop franchising in Poland and are currently signing agreements with both Polish and Ukrainian partners. This year, we are launching franchising in Kazakhstan and the Baltic states,” she said.
As reported, the travel company Join UP! LLC was established in 2013 with a registered capital of UAH 72.671 million. The ultimate beneficiaries are Yuriy and Oleksandr Alby. According to the OpenDataBot service, at the end of 2024, the tour operator’s revenue decreased to UAH 376,000 from UAH 16,639,000 in 2023, and its net loss decreased to UAH 217,451,000 from UAH 233,341,000, respectively.
The brand’s international expansion covers eight markets: the Baltic states, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic. Preparations are underway to launch operations in Slovakia and Hungary. Last year, the brand also opened its first franchise agency on the international market in Katowice, Poland.
A large glass container manufacturer, Kostopil Glassworks (KZS, Rivne region), is in the process of acquiring Khmelnytsky Regional Brewery (Khmelpyvo, Proskurivske, Khmelnytske brands), a regional beer producer.
As reported by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) on Thursday, it has granted KZS permission to acquire control over PJSC Khmelpyvo.
According to the disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), the main shareholder of Khmelpyvo, with a 78.0286% stake, is the company’s director, Oleksandr Lysyuk.
The company has convened an extraordinary shareholders’ meeting on June 13, at which the supervisory board headed by Lysyuk will be dismissed and replaced by a new one headed by the chairman of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, Dmytro Oliynyk, who owns 19.46% of KZS and, together with his family, 49.53%.
It was proposed to keep Oleksandr Mazur on the supervisory board and replace Nadiya Kravets with Yuriy Matsak.
In 2024, Khmelpyvo increased its revenue by 2.8% to UAH 146.41 million and reduced its net profit by 3.9% to UAH 76.86 million. At the meeting on April 8 this year, the issue of allocating all profits to the technical re-equipment of the company was raised.
Its equity capital at the beginning of this year amounted to UAH 547.97 million, cash – UAH 326.04 million, assets – UAH 559.4 million, and the number of employees – 125.
Kostopil Glass Factory is one of the largest industrial enterprises in the Rivne region and is one of the five largest manufacturers of glass containers in Ukraine. The company ended 2024 with a net profit of UAH 76.5 million, which is 6.6 times less than in 2023, and its net income decreased by 18% to UAH 1 billion 467.8 million.
The main products of KSZ are beverage containers (91% of last year’s production), with bottles accounting for 9%. According to the plant, last year 51% of its products (UAH 755.3 million) were exported, in particular to Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Moldova, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia.
KZS reported that it plans to increase glass container production by 10-15% annually and increase sales accordingly. As of early 2025, the plant employed 503 people.
According to YouControl, Oliynyk owns 19.46% of KZS LLC, his family members Tetyana, Kyrylo, and Ivan Oliynyk own 16.27% and 6.9% respectively, Another 22% is owned by the Bulgarian company Fisherman Investments, 9.06% by Andriy Rybitsky, 4.85% each by Anatoliy Kucheruk, Leonid Smilyants, Andriy Filimonuk, and a private enterprise, the company Sava.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) fined Bauer Medical GmbH Subsidiary Company (Ivano-Frankivsk) a total of UAH 300,000 for false information on the packaging of Heparin Dr. Bauer cream in 25-gram tubes.
According to the AMCU, the committee concluded that the information stating that this cream is an “anti-varicose, anti-edema, and tonic agent” is false and misleading. At the same time, the company did not provide the committee with sufficient evidence to confirm the information about the properties of the cosmetic product.
At the same time, the company acknowledged the violation, ceased it, and recalled and returned the relevant products, which was taken into account by the committee when calculating the amount of the fine.
The AMCU specifies that the company was fined UAH 100,000 for violating the law on protection against unfair competition and another UAH 200,000 for violating the legislation on protection of economic competition.
LLC “Subsidiary Company Bauer Medical GmbH” was founded in 2001 and is engaged in the retail sale of pharmaceutical and cosmetic products. The ultimate beneficiary of the company is Oksana Shevchenko.
