Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, increased its revenue by 49.5% in January-March 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, to UAH 10.72 billion, doubling its investments to UAH 2.42 billion.
According to the financial statements published by the parent company VEON, the operator’s revenue in the first quarter increased by 36.9% in dollar terms, to $257 million.
Kyivstar’s revenue for the first quarter of 2025 grew by 49.5% thanks to an increase in ARPU (average revenue per user), which rose by 53.9% to UAH 140.6.
“These impressive results were achieved thanks to price adjustments, the stability of the 4G base, and the growing adoption of Kyivstar’s digital services, which in turn led to an increase in mobile internet consumption.
The dynamic revenue growth reflects the effective recovery from last year’s cyberattack,” VEON said in a statement.
The bulk of Kyivstar’s revenue in the reporting period came from telecom services, which grew by 47.8% to UAH 10.39 billion. However, revenue from digital services increased 2.4 times to UAH 329 million.
EBITDA increased by 64.2% to UAH 5.95 billion, and EBITDA margin increased by 5 percentage points (pp) to 55.6%. In dollar terms, EBITDA grew by 50.6% to $143 million. EBIT increased by 99% to UAH 4.18 billion, and EBIT margin by 9.8 p.p. to 39.1%.
Kyivstar’s subscriber base decreased by 4.9% to 22 million subscribers in the first quarter of 2025. The 4G subscriber base also decreased by 4.3% to 14.3 million.
“The decrease in the number of 4G users is mainly due to the overall decline in mobile subscribers. This was more than offset by a 21.2% increase in data consumption per user and an increase in the number of roaming subscribers,” VEON said in a statement.
Kyivstar recorded a 21.2% increase in data usage (the amount of gigabytes consumed by users) in January-March, to 11.4 GB. The digital MAU (Monthly Active Users) indicator grew by 32.9% to 10.3 million.
During the same period, the revenue of the Helsi digital platform grew by 41% compared to the same period last year. At the end of the first quarter, the platform had 1.8 million app users, which is 30% more than in the first quarter of last year. The number of medical professionals on the platform also increased by 3% compared to the same period last year. As of the end of March, the number of active doctors on the platform reached 39,000.
Kyivstar TV showed impressive revenue growth of 177%, thanks to a 34.9% increase in subscribers compared to the same period last year. The growth was driven by attractive content offerings, including the exclusive launch of the Setanta Premium sports channel and an updated sports section in the app, VEON said. Ukrainian-language content now accounts for 81% of the platform’s catalog. In addition, the Kyivstar TV app has expanded its reach with the launch on Xbox devices.
Kyivstar’s capital investments in January-March increased by 126% to UAH 2.42 billion and were mainly directed towards strengthening the network’s energy resilience and expanding 4G coverage.
Imports of transformers, inductors, and chokes to Ukraine in January-April 2025 increased 2.5 times compared to the same period in 2024, reaching $338 million, according to statistics from the State Customs Service.
According to published data, during this period, products were imported mainly from China, worth $279 million (82.5% of all imports of these goods), while a year earlier, transformers and chokes worth $66.1 million (48.4%) were imported from this country, i.e., imports increased 4.2 times.
In addition, transformers were imported from Germany ($17.4 million) and Turkey ($13.9 million), while in January-April 2024, imports from Turkey amounted to $37.1 million, and from Italy – almost $5 million. In particular, in April, imports of this equipment increased by 50% compared to the same month last year, but decreased by 22.3% compared to March this year, to $55.2 million. China’s share was 48.7%.
At the same time, Ukraine exported transformers, inductors, and chokes worth $8.37 million in the first four months of this year, compared to $5.64 million last year, mainly to Germany, Hungary, and Poland.
According to the State Customs Service, imports of transformers, inductance coils, and chokes in 2024 more than doubled compared to 2023, reaching $596.11 million, with imports from China increasing 2.5 times to $400.48 million.
The conditions for funding scientific research do not allow Ukrainian scientists to fully protect their intellectual property rights and developments abroad, according to Oleg Zadorozhny, senior researcher at the Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy in Odessa, National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine.
“Patents for all our developments are mainly patents within Ukraine. As for obtaining intellectual property rights abroad, this is a more complex issue that requires tens of times more financial resources. The conditions for financing scientific research do not yet allow for the full protection of intellectual property rights abroad,” he said in an interview with the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
He noted that publishing in the most authoritative scientific journals also requires significant funding. “But we manage to find opportunities to publish our results in leading scientific journals in Europe and the US, introducing the scientific community to our developments and thus confirming the priority of Ukrainian science,” he said.
At the same time, Zadorozhny added that even in wartime, the institute manages to present itself at the international level, including by participating, in particular remotely, in major international scientific events and conferences, as well as holding the annual international conference “Filatov Readings.”
Source: https://interfax.com.ua/news/interview/1071616.html?utm_source=telegram
Tractor imports to Ukraine in January–April 2025 amounted to $294.2 million, which is 2.6% less than in the same period of 2024, according to statistics from the State Customs Service (SCS).
According to published statistics, tractors were mainly imported from the United States (21.3% of total imports of this equipment, or $62.5 million), Germany (16.8% or $52.2 million), and China (16% or $47.3 million), while a year earlier it was Germany ($49.34 million), the Netherlands ($38.6 million), and Poland ($37 million).
In April of this year, tractor imports decreased by 2.1% compared to April 2024, to $85.1 million, while in March, the increase was 13.3% compared to March 2024, amounting to $98.62 million.
According to statistics, only $1.63 million worth of tractors were exported in the first four months of this year, mainly to Romania, Zambia, and Germany.
As reported, tractor imports to Ukraine in 2024 amounted to almost $784 million, 5.6% less than a year earlier, while exports amounted to $5.44 million compared to $5.74 million.
Agro-industrial holding Astarta, Ukraine’s largest sugar producer, and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) have signed a $40 million loan agreement to build Ukraine’s first soy protein concentrate plant, the agro-industrial holding’s press service said on Facebook.
Astarta noted that this investment is part of a financing package of up to $80 million approved by the IFC Board of Directors on April 1, 2025.
It is noted that the funds are secured by guarantees from the European Commission under the Ukraine Investment Framework and the Dutch government in support of the IFC Economic Resilience Action (ERA) program. The investment will contribute to job creation, increased competitiveness of the agricultural sector, and export diversification.
“This investment is an example of how strategic international partnerships transform challenges into long-term opportunities for Ukraine. By launching the country’s first soy protein concentrate production facility, we are integrating our country into global food chains, promoting economic recovery, industrial modernization, and job creation. Astarta is implementing this project as part of its sustainable agribusiness development strategy,” emphasized Viktor Ivanchik, CEO and founder of the agricultural holding company.
Alfonso Garcia Mora, IFC Vice President for Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean, expressed confidence that this investment will help Ukraine produce more high-value agricultural products and move up the value chain.
“By improving the competitiveness of the agricultural sector and its integration into European markets, we aim to support recovery, job creation, and resilience,” he said.
According to European Union Ambassador to Ukraine Katarina Mathernova, whose words are also quoted in the press release, Astarta’s new plant is an example of how joint efforts bring real results for Ukraine’s future.
In turn, the Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Ukraine, Alle Dorgaut, noted that the Netherlands is pleased to contribute to the construction of Ukraine’s first soy protein concentrate plant.
“The IFC Economic Resilience Action (ERA) program provides support to critical sectors during the Russian invasion, including agribusiness (…) IFC’s investments in Ukraine are crucial, especially in the context of war, to ensure the vital recovery of the Ukrainian economy. In this context, international financial institutions, including the IFC as part of the World Bank Group, play a key role,” he stressed.
Astarta added that, in partnership with the Czech government, the IFC will also support the agricultural holding in conducting market and marketing research in Ukraine and provide advice on supporting local communities, youth, and older workers, facilitating the reintegration of veterans.
As reported, on April 1, the IFC approved a project to provide Astarta with an $80 million financing package for the construction of a soy protein concentrate plant in the Poltava region. The package will consist of: (i) a Loan A of up to $50.7 million from the IFC’s own resources, (ii) a loan of up to $24.4 million from the IFC, acting as the implementing agency for the Economic Resilience Program for Ukraine (ERA) with support from the Netherlands, and (iii) a Loan B of up to $40 million to be provided to the participants, provided that the total amount of the loans does not exceed $80 million.
In 2024, Astarta began investing in the construction of a soybean meal processing plant with a capacity of 500 tons/day (approximately 100,000 tons/year) at the Globinsky Industrial Complex (Poltava region). The agricultural holding will invest over EUR 76 million in the purchase of equipment and technologies and create 110 new jobs.
Astarta and its structural unit Astarta Agro Protein signed the first investment agreement with the Ukrainian government to receive compensation from the state for significant investments. Under the agreement, the state will provide the agricultural holding with a number of incentives, including exemption from import duties on new equipment, import VAT on new equipment, and income tax for up to five years.
Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding company operating in eight regions of Ukraine and the largest sugar producer in Ukraine. It comprises six sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 220,000 hectares, dairy farms with 22,000 head of cattle, an oil extraction plant in Hlobine (Poltava region), seven elevators, and a biogas complex.
In the first nine months of 2024, Astarta increased its net profit by 35.1% compared to the same period in 2023, to EUR75.60 million. The agricultural holding’s revenue grew by 12.6% to EUR441.46 million, and EBITDA by 12.8% to $131.56 million.
Despite the ongoing war, the Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy in Odessa is actively participating in international scientific projects. This was reported by Oleg Zadorozhny, MD, senior researcher at the institute, in an exclusive interview with the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
“In recent years, scientists from the Institute have participated in nine global international research projects,” Zadorozhny said. He emphasized that this is recognition of the relevance and significance of the scientific work carried out at the Institute.
According to him, participation in such projects allows for the exchange of experience with foreign colleagues, the introduction of advanced methods of diagnosis and treatment, and the improvement of medical care for patients.
“The institute has not only remained on the forefront of global ophthalmological science, but is, on the contrary, in a leading position,” Zadorozhny added.
Source: https://interfax.com.ua/news/interview/1071616.html?utm_source=telegram
