Trypillia Packaging Plant (TPK, Ukrainka, Kyiv region), a subsidiary of the shutdown Rubizhne Cardboard and Packaging Plant in Luhansk region, increased corrugated packaging output by 16.4% in January-November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, to 152.35 million square meters.
According to Ukrpapir Association statistics provided to Interfax-Ukraine, the mill has thus slightly slowed the growth rate of this indicator compared to the same period in 2023, which was 19-20% in the first 10 and nine months of the year.
At the same time, TPK steadily retains its second place in corrugated packaging production in Ukraine after Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill (208.3 million square meters).
According to the association, in November, TPK reduced its corrugated packaging production by 13% year-on-year and by 27% year-on-year to 12.1 million square meters.
In monetary terms, the TPC’s output in January-November increased by 11.4% to UAH 2 billion 494 million.
The main companies in the industry that provided data to Ukrpapir Association increased their production of cardboard boxes by 13.4% to 539.7 million square meters during this period.
Earlier it was reported that before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Rubizhne Pulp and Paper Mill, together with TPP, was the leading producer of corrugated packaging in Ukraine.
After the destruction in Rubizhne, the plant shut down, and the legal entity Rubizhne CPP was re-registered in Kyiv.
TPK produces a wide range of corrugated cardboard products for food, industrial goods, and chemicals. Among its customers are Roshen, Coca-Cola, MHP agricultural holding, and Lactalis Group.
In 2023, the plant increased its commercial output by 13.7% compared to 2022, to UAH 2 billion 480 million, while corrugated packaging production increased by 18% to 145.8 million square meters.
Slavic Wallpaper-KFTP JSC (Koryukivka, Chernihiv region), a leading Ukrainian wallpaper producer, produced 15.37 million conventional pieces of wallpaper in January-November 2024, up 2.2% compared to the same period in 2023.
According to statistics provided by UkrPapir Association to Interfax-Ukraine, the company’s output growth rate for the first 11 months of the year was almost the same as in the same period last year: it was 2.3% in the first 10 months.
In monetary terms, the factory’s production increased by 1% to UAH 1 billion 168 million in January-November.
In November, the company produced 1.32 million units of wallpaper, up 1.2% compared to November 2023, but down 9.3% compared to October this year.
The Association does not have data on wallpaper production in Ukraine in general for 11 months of 2024, as the State Statistics Service has stopped providing it.
JSC Slavic Wallpaper-KFTP produces more than 10 types of wallpaper from the economy segment (paper, duplex, acrylic) to premium wallpaper (vinyl, non-woven, hot stamped), as well as its own latex, water-dispersion paint under the Latex brand.
As reported, in 2023, Slavic Wallpapers-KFTP increased its wallpaper production by 19% compared to 2022, to 16.2 million units, production volume increased by 38.2% to UAH 1 billion 249 million, and net profit increased almost eightfold to UAH 47.7 million.
Earlier, the company noted that as a result of Russian aggression, sales volumes have significantly decreased, especially through retail channels.
In January-November 2024, the volume of commercial output of Kyiv Cardboard and Paper Mill (Kyiv KPK, Obukhiv, Kyiv region), the industry leader in Ukraine by this indicator, amounted to almost UAH 7 billion 272 million, which is 5.1% more than in the same period in 2023, according to statistics from Ukrpapir Association.
According to the statistics provided to Interfax-Ukraine, in physical terms, the plant’s production of corrugated boxes is almost the same as last year’s figure for the same period – 208.34 million square meters, which is consistently the best in the industry.
Cardboard production decreased by 6.5% to 144.21 thousand tons, including production of containerboard by 7% to 116.88 thousand tons and boxboard by 4% to 27.33 thousand tons.
Production of base paper for sanitary and hygienic products increased by 4.7% to 44 thousand tons, and production of toilet paper in rolls increased by 4.2% to 248 million units.
The plant is a stable leader in the production of toilet paper in Ukraine: in 11 months of 2024, the industry’s main enterprises produced a total of 584.8 million rolls, which is 4.5% more than in the same period in 2023.
According to the association’s data from the main industry enterprises, in January-November, Ukraine’s paper and cardboard production increased by 2.6% compared to the same period in 2023, to 549.7 thousand tons, and cardboard boxes – by 13.4%, to 539.7 million square meters.
Kyiv PDA is the parent company of the eponymous group of companies, one of the largest cardboard and paper products producers in Europe with a staff of over 2,500 people.
It has, in particular, a cardboard production facility with a capacity of 240 thousand tons per year and a corrugated packaging plant with a capacity of 355 million square meters, as well as a production facility for the production of base paper and finished products with a capacity of 70 thousand tons of base paper annually.
As reported, in 2023, the plant produced products worth UAH 7 billion 568 million, up 1.8% year-on-year.
In 2027, Belgrade will host the World Expo 2027, a large-scale international event that will take place from May 15 to August 15. For this event, the municipality of Surcin has already begun building infrastructure, including a national stadium, an exhibition center, and new transportation interchanges. One of the key projects in preparation for the exhibition will be the opening of the first metro line, which will significantly change the transport map of the Serbian capital.
The importance of the metro for the city and the real estate market
The first metro line, which has already started construction, will connect key areas of Belgrade, including the exhibition center in Surcin. This project will not only improve transportation, but will also have a significant impact on the cost of housing and land along the route.
Traditionally, real estate prices near metro stations have been on the rise, making this factor one of the main ones for investors. In the case of Belgrade, the impact of the new infrastructure may be even more noticeable given the growing interest in the city ahead of EXPO-2027.
Surcin – the center of events
Surčin, where the bulk of the EXPO-2027 facilities will be concentrated, is becoming the center of attention for both the authorities and developers. The construction of a national stadium, a new railway station and an exhibition complex is already underway. According to official data, the area of the future exhibition center will be 113 hectares, and the total construction area, including the accompanying infrastructure, will reach 167 hectares.
Real estate prices in Surchyn have already started to rise. For example, the cost of apartments has increased several times over the past year. Land plots have also risen in price, especially those located near transportation hubs and future metro stations.
Impact of EXPO-2027 on the development of Belgrade
Preparations for the World Expo involve large-scale investments in the city’s infrastructure. In addition to Surcin, changes will affect other districts of the capital. Work is already underway on the construction of a new bus station, and the modernization of the Prokop railway station is nearing completion.
The subway will also be an important step in the development of Belgrade. The first line will connect key areas of the city, which will reduce the load on the road network and simplify the movement of residents and visitors to the capital.
Forecasts and prospects
Experts agree that EXPO-2027 will have a long-term impact on the real estate market in Belgrade. In addition to the price increase in Surcin, real estate is expected to rise in price along the routes of the future metro, as well as in the central and prestigious areas of the city.
The Serbian government states that EXPO-2027 will be a stimulus for economic growth, attracting foreign investment and improving infrastructure. These changes will make Belgrade even more attractive for tourists, residents and businessmen.
Thus, EXPO-2027 and related projects, including the metro, are opening a new chapter in Belgrade’s development, strengthening its position as one of the key centers of Southeast Europe.
Top adviser says vessels that sank and ran aground are part of aged fleet that will continue to cause large-scale damage
Ukraine has called on the international community to take action against Russia’s sanctions-busting oil fleet, after an ageing tanker sank in the Black Sea, causing a major environmental disaster.
The Russian cargo ship, Volgoneft-212, broke in half during a heavy storm off the coast of occupied Crimea on Sunday. A second tanker, Volgoneft-239, got into difficulties in the same area. It eventually ran aground near the port of Taman at the south end of the Kerch strait.
The two boats were carrying more than 9,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil. According to satellite data, about 3,000 tonnes had leaked out. “Unfortunately some tanks were damaged. The remaining ones are sealed,” a marine scientist, Sergei Stanichny, told the Russian news agency Tass, confirming the spill.
A rescue operation involving tug boats and two helicopters was launched on Sunday. Video footage showed the bow of the snapped boat sticking vertically out of the water. Crew members stood on the bridge wearing lifejackets. One sailor died and 11 were taken to hospital with hypothermia.
Ukraine accused the Kremlin of recklessness and of violating basic operating rules. On Monday, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the head of the office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on social media that the pollution was the worst this century in the Black Sea region, and the second worst ever.
“It is now obvious that any sanctions against the Russian tanker fleet are always useful, but they are all too late,” he posted.
“The accidents on two rusty vessels in the #Kerch Strait resulted in another large-scale environmental disaster of our war. Thousands of tons of fuel oil spilled … causing tragic damage to the natural systems of the #Azov and Black Seas.”
Podolyak said the tankers were built more than 50 years ago and should never have been used in winter storms. He added that they belonged to a 1,000-strong shadow fleet used by Russia to export oil and to dodge western sanctions since its full-scale invasion in 2022.
Most boats were “hopelessly outdated”, Podalyak said, alleging that they had “fictitious insurance policies”, hid their real owners and “overloaded” oil at sea. Further large-scale accidents were “statistically inevitable”, and the cost of clean-up operations would fall on affected neighbouring countries.
The adviser called for “the most stringent sanctions” against the vessels and people associated with them. He said states should prohibit their entry into territorial and international waters and outlaw “the transhipment of Russian oil”. Tankers should be required to have proper protection and indemnity insurance, he said.
On Monday the EU adopted a new round of sanctions against Russia in response to its war on Ukraine. It added 52 vessels from Russia’s shadow fleet, bringing the total to 79. Tougher measures were also taken against several Chinese entities, the EU commission said.
Separately, Norway said it was allocating $242m to boost Ukraine’s small navy and to help it deter Russian threats coming from the Black Sea. The cash would help protect Ukraine’s population from missile attacks and safeguard the exports of grain from Odesa and other ports, the Norwegian prime minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, said.
Ukraine lost three quarters of its naval assets in 2014 when Russian special forces seized the Crimean peninsula and took control of the Kerch strait. Since 2022, however, Kyiv has used marine drones to sink some of Russia’s Black Sea fleet, which has relocated from occupied Sevastopol to the port of Novorossiysk.
According to Greenpeace the two stricken tankers were on their way to deliver fuel to the Russian navy. They set off from the river port of Volgograd 12 days ago with traffic location systems switched off, and were due to deliver their cargo in Kerch, on Crimea’s eastern coast.
“Any oil or petrochemical spill in these waters has the potential to be serious. It is likely to be driven by prevailing wind and currents and in the current weather conditions is likely to be extremely difficult to contain,” said Paul Johnson, the head of Greenpeace’s research laboratories at the University of Exeter.
“If it is driven ashore, then it will cause fouling of the shoreline. It will be extremely difficult to clean up.”
On Monday, members of the Bundestag passed a vote of no confidence in the government of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Bavarian Radio reports.
“The chancellor put up a confidence vote in the Bundestag and lost it as planned. This means that the president will dissolve the parliament, and elections will be held in February,” the radio station notes.
394 MPs expressed no confidence in Scholz’s government, 207 supported the government, and 116 abstained.
Scholz himself had previously called for such a vote, as European media reported that it would allow him to hold early elections. Now, Scholz is expected to ask German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier to dissolve the Bundestag. If the parliament is dissolved, elections in Germany must be held within 60 days from the date of dissolution.
Earlier, Scholz, who heads the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), agreed with opposition parties on plans to hold early elections on February 23, 2025.
In November, the ruling coalition in Germany collapsed due to disagreements over Scholz’s economic policy.
At the same time, German parties are already preparing for early elections. The SPD leadership has decided to re-nominate Scholz as a candidate for chancellor. This decision still has to be approved by the party congress on January 11, 2025, but German media noted that this is just a formality. So far, the CDU leader Friedrich Merz, German Vice Chancellor Robert Habeck from the Union 90/Greens party, and the head of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Alice Weidel have also been considered candidates for the chancellorship.
Earlier, the Experts Club think tank released a video review of the most important elections in the world – https://youtu.be/73DB0GbJy4M?si=k5LDANC7lkpbK0Nh
