Structure of import of services for 9 months of 2020 (graphically).
Almost half (46%) of Ukraine’s population see the need for an early presidential election and just over half (54%), for early parliamentary elections this year, according to the findings of a poll conducted by the Ukrainian Institute of the Future (UIF) on January 27-February 5. Corruption was the most cited reason (49%) for such negative attitudes, and unprofessionalism was cited by 27% of respondents, according to the findings unveiled at an Interfax-Ukraine press conference on Thursday.
Respondents in the west tend to see corruption as the main obstacle to development; in the east, unprofessionalism and outside control are seen as the biggest problem. Asked where their country is heading to, 74% said “in the wrong direction” and only 14% said the opposite.
A survey of confidence in statesmen and politicians showed 48% distrusting current President Volodymyr Zelensky.
If a presidential election were to be held this Sunday, he would be favored by 18.4% of respondents. That is a drop from 29.2% in June 2020.
On the other hand, his possible rivals Petro Poroshenko and Yuriy Boiko would fare worse, with 11.4% and 9.5%, respectively.
President Zelensky’s disapproval rating also dropped since June 2020. When asked “Which candidate would you not vote for under any circumstances?” 17.8% said the incumbent; the figures for Poroshenko, Viktor Medvedchuk, Boiko and Yulia Tymoshenko were 24.8%, 10.3%, 9% and 6.5%, respectively.
At the same time, Zelensky remains the most trusted politician, with 12% trusting him fully.
Were a parliamentary election held this Sunday, 15.8% of all respondents would vote for the Opposition Platform – For Life, 13.1% for Servant of the People (a significant drop from 27.1% since last June), 11.8% for European Solidarity, and 8.6% for Batkyvschyna.
At the same time, a survey of disapproval ratings of the parliamentary parties found that under no circumstances would 22% vote for European Solidarity, 17.8% for Opposition Platform – For Life, and 15.6% for Servant of the People.
Data suggest that confidence in local authorities was higher overall than in the central government. A quarter (26%) of respondents said their local authorities represented the interests of the population; 35%, the interests of local elites, and 27%, the interests of big business. The highest level of confidence was in mayors, at 48%.
The most trusted institution is the army (53%), followed by mass media (34%) and national police (31%). The least trusted were anti-corruption agencies: National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor (SAPO), 10% each, and the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court (8%).
When asked “What could raise the efficiency of authority?” 39% were inclined for its full reset with young and competent people with no experience in politics but in other areas. A third (34%) wants to see a strong leader, 19% want the current central government to be reinforced with new professionals and 17%, with experienced professionals who were in government before.
The face-to-face survey of sociopolitical sentiments was conducted among 2,400 respondents aged 18 and older by the UIF in conjunction with New Image Marketing Group in every region (except the temporarily uncontrolled territories).
National bank of Ukraine’s official rates as of 19/02/21
Source: National Bank of Ukraine
Official rates of banking metals from national bank as of February 19
One troy ounce=31.10 grams
The construction of a new airfield at the international airport in Dnipro has begun, the work is to be completed in 36 months, the head of the State Agency for Infrastructure Projects of Ukraine (Ukrinfraproekt), Kyrylo Khomiakov, said on Facebook.
He said the new terminal of the airport, in turn, will be built and put into operation in 18 months.
“The first phase of construction includes all earthworks, the construction of a new apron and taxiways to connect the new terminal to the old lane during the construction of the new lane. This means that passengers will be able to use the new terminal and aircraft will be able to use the new apron by the end of next year!” he wrote.
The old runway will be operational during construction.
As reported, the state enterprise Financing of Infrastructure Projects (Fininpro) signed an agreement with Altis-Construction LLC for the purchase of works on building a new airfield at Dnipro International Airport with an offer 30.6% lower than the expected cost for UAH 3.95 billion.
According to Minister of Infrastructure Vladyslav Krykliy, back in September 2020, preparatory work began at the facility to ensure the continuous operation of the airport during construction. At the same time, a private investor, NS Dnipro, began to build new passenger and VIP terminals.
It is planned to build a runway with a length of 3.2 km at Dnipro airport. The cost of the project, according to the state examination report, is UAH 6.23 billion.
For the current year, the government has allocated UAH 1.4 billion for the construction of the airfield.
Ekotechnik Nikopol LLC (TIU Canada) will contest the decision of the Kyiv Economic Court, which rejected the company’s claims to Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant (NFP), which disconnected its 10.5 MW solar power plant from the power grid in March 2020.
“TIU Canada has announced the intention to file an appeal against the decision of the first instance court in the case against NFP on the illegal shutdown of the power plant. This action is due to the decision of the Kyiv Economic Court dated January 26, which ruled in favor of NFP, despite the significant amount of evidence that was presented by the legal team of the company,” according to a press release.
TIU Canada noted that such a court decision is not the only case for international investors in Ukraine, which leads to a decrease in foreign direct investment in the country due to lack of the rule of law and the spread of corruption.
“Ukrainians and foreign investors are tired of oligarchy and injustice. The Euro-Atlantic aspirations of the Ukrainian people will never bear fruit if the administration does not carry out real judicial reform and a complete deoligarchization of the economy and power. Today, the efforts of the state are insufficient and useless against entrenched interests that regularly undermine the efficiency of activities of Ukrainian institutions – judicial or bureaucratic,” President of TIU Canada Michael Yurkovich said.
As reported, the 10.5 MW solar station was disconnected from the power grid by NFP in March 2020. TIU Canada noted that NFP took advantage of the fact that the solar station was connected to a substation located on its territory, and explained the need for disconnection by carrying out repair work. The shutdown caused the company losses exceeding EUR1.5 million, which continue to grow.
TIU Canada has been operating in Ukraine since 2016. The company put into operation a 10.5 MW solar power plant in Nikopol in January 2018, an 11 MW solar plant in Mykolaiv region in April 2019. In addition, TIU Canada launched a 33 MW solar power plant in Odesa region. The company’s investments in solar energy, which became the first investor in Ukraine under the Canada-Ukraine Free Trade Agreement (CUFTA), amounted to over $ 65 million.
Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant is controlled by EastOne Group, created in the fall of 2007 as a result of restructuring Interpipe Group, and also by Privat Group (both based in Dnipro).
