The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has fined Smaragd LTD UAH 17,704,710 for violating the legislation on protection against unfair competition, in particular for disseminating false information on the labels of Buvette 3 (Vital) mineral natural table water, the regulator’s press service reports.
According to the AMCU’s decision, Smaragd Ltd. was found guilty of violating Art. 15-1 of the Law “On Protection Against Unfair Competition”, as it disseminated false information misleading consumers about the properties of Buvette 3 (Vital) still and low-carbon mineral table water, which was placed on 0.5 l, 0.75 l, 1.5 l, 1.7 l bottles.
According to the Opendatabot service, Smaragd LTD was registered in 2004 in Kremenchuk, Poltava region, and in 2021 the company changed its legal address and moved to Dnipro, Dnipro region. The company specializes in the production of bottled soft drinks and mineral waters. It owns the Buvette trademark.
In 2023, the company’s revenue amounted to UAH 769.77 million, net profit – UAH 6.33 million, and debt obligations – UAH 752.13 million. The plant’s assets are estimated at UAH 944.63 million. The company employs 252 people. The authorized capital is UAH 65 million.
The beneficiaries of the company are Yevhen Sharinov and Yevhen Dveris through the Cyprus-based Eliay Investments Limited.
The six-month training of Ukrainian pilots and ground personnel for Dassault Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets has ended in France, French Aid to Ukraune reports on social network X.
“After six months of training for Ukrainian pilots and mechanics on the Mirage 2000-5F, the training has been completed,” the channel said in a statement released on Wednesday.
As reported, in November, the Ambassador of the French Republic to Ukraine, Gael Weissier, confirmed that in early 2025, French Dassault Mirage 2000-5F fighters would be delivered to Ukraine. The ambassador did not say how many planes could be delivered, noting that it was up to the authorities to announce.
At the same time, the French media outlet OpenNews reported in November, citing a member of the French National Assembly, Deputy Chairman of the Defense Committee in Parliament, Frank Gilletti, that France would “soon” supply the first six Mirage 2000-5Fs with a “full support model” to the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Earlier, the media reported that three aircraft would be delivered in early 2025.
The Dassault Mirage 2000-5F is a fourth-generation French multi-role fighter developed in the 1970s by Dassault. It has been in service since 1984.
It was the main combat aircraft of the French Air Force in the late XX – early XXI century. It is in service with several countries in Asia, Europe and Latin America.
Zezman Holding (Odesa) completed the construction of 15.2 thousand square meters of housing in 2024 and will continue to implement the previously announced residential estates in Uzhhorod and Odesa next year.
“This year, we have taken a bold and strategically important step by expanding our presence from the southern region to the west of Ukraine. We presented two large-scale projects: Lizrome in Uzhhorod, the first residential community in the region that meets the principles of sustainable development, and Gross Liebental cottage community in Odesa agglomeration, designed with a focus on energy autonomy, security and flexibility of housing solutions,” Boris Goldenstein, founder and CEO of Zezman Holding, toldInterfax-Ukraine.
By the end of 2024, the developer completed the construction of two buildings with 357 apartments in the Artville residential complex in Odesa, with a total area of 15.2 thousand square meters. The construction of nine buildings for 1 thousand apartments with a total area of 43.5 thousand square meters is also underway.
According to the company, about 40% of sales are made under the eOselya program, which indicates a high demand for mortgage programs.
“At the same time, we are seeing an increase in demand for ready-made housing, in particular, for renovated apartments that meet the principles of ready to use. This reflects the changing priorities of consumers who are looking for comfort and convenience without spending time and money on repairs,” Zezman Holding said.
Founded in 2013, Zezman Holding has commissioned 13 houses, with another 28 residential buildings at various stages of construction.
Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group mastered the production of 20 new products in 2024, including six new products at its joint venture, Zaporizhstal, which launched six new products.
According to the group’s press release on Friday, in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which has been going on for almost three years, Metinvest remains the country’s economic and industrial backbone. Over the decade of war, the group has managed to launch 422 new products.
This year, most new products were launched in the long products segment (12), cold-rolled coils and sheets (four), hot-rolled coils and sheets (two), and galvanized coils and semi-finished products (one each).
Kametstal and Zaporizhstal accounted for the bulk of new products. One new product was launched by Unisteel, the Group’s galvanized steel producer.
All new long products were launched at Kametstal. Thus, the plant has mastered the production of rebar for reinforced concrete structures: two new sizes and a new strength class according to the Ukrainian national standard DSTU 3760, as well as rebar according to Polish standards.
In addition, the company has launched the production of six types of wire rod made of different steel grades and in various sizes in accordance with Ukrainian, international, European and American standards. The products are used in construction, civil engineering and metal products manufacturing.
In addition, the company has mastered the production of reinforced steel profiles for supporting mine workings such as SVP33 according to Ukrainian standards. These special interchangeable products are used in the manufacture of arch support for domestic mining and metals mines. The company also started production of round rolled products made of St3ps steel with a diameter of 27 mm in accordance with Ukrainian standards, which are used in construction and civil engineering.
Zaporizhstal is the leader in new products in the cold-rolled coil and plate segment: the plant has launched four products. These include S250GD coils made in accordance with Ukrainian and European standards, which are used for further galvanizing and other coatings, and then for the manufacture of lightweight steel thin-walled structures.
The company has also mastered the production of S215G rolled steel, which is suitable for the manufacture of unwelded and welded steel profiles, sheets, main, auxiliary and decorative structural elements. It is manufactured in accordance with the German standard DIN 1623-2.
In addition, the new product is a 2.5 mm thick DC01 coil that meets European standards EN 10130 and EN 10131. The steel is ideal for use in applications where precise product geometry and ease of forming are important, while maintaining sufficient mechanical strength.
The company has started production of 2.1-2.5 mm thick plates cut from hot-rolled coils in a wide range of grades, a versatile material for the production of various structural elements and technical products subject to cold forming.
All cold-rolled products are intended for the construction industry, machine building and metal products segment.
In the hot-rolled coils and sheets segment, Zaporizhstal launched production of two types of rolled products: coils and sheets of S355JR/S355J2 grades with a thickness of 2.75-2.79 mm according to European standards, as well as a newly designed sheet with a size of 5.0×1500×6000 mm made of 09G2/09G2S steel according to Ukrainian technical standards. These products are in demand in the construction and machine-building industries. In particular, the first of these products is used in the production of electric-welded pipes and profiles, and the second is used to manufacture structural elements for freight and passenger railcars.
In the galvanized coils and semi-finished products segment, Unisteel has mastered the production of S250GD-S280GD rolled products from Zaporizhstal coils – these steel grades are used in construction, namely in structures that require a combination of strength and corrosion resistance.
For its part, Kametstal has launched the production of continuously cast square billets that meet higher quality standards both in terms of chemical composition and physical structure after crystallization. These semi-finished products are used to make long and structural shapes for critical applications.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of steel and mining companies. The Group’s enterprises are located primarily in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovs’k regions. The main shareholders of the holding are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage it. Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
State-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) has entered into a 5-year loan agreement with the Lviv City Council for UAH 840 million, of which UAH 718 million will be used to complete the construction of a waste processing plant.
According to the bank’s press release, the rest of the funds will be used to implement four more projects: the construction of an alternative bridge on Kovcha Street, the arrangement of two centers for veterans, and the reconstruction of the power supply system of the Pivnichna shopping center (CHP-2).
“Despite the fact that Oschadbank’s share in financing municipalities is more than 60% of the market, this loan agreement is the first in our cooperation with the Lviv City Council during a full-scale war. As a conscious bank that adheres to ESG principles, we are pleased to participate in the implementation of such an important environmental project for one of the most European cities in the country,” said Yuriy Katsiyon, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the state-owned bank in charge of corporate business, as quoted in a press release on Friday.
In turn, the Lviv City Council’s website states that the volume of construction work at the facility has reached 70%.
According to the release, once launched, the municipal waste recycling facility will be able to process more than 250 thousand tons of waste per year using mechanical and biological methods. This volume is expected to fully meet the city’s solid waste disposal needs.
The Oschad press service added that the Lviv Waste Recycling Plant construction project is also being implemented with the financial support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the Eastern European Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P). The waste processing plant covers an area of 9.66 hectares.
The Lviv City Council website specifies that UAH 46.2 million of the total amount of approved funding will be used to build an alternative bridge on Omelyana Kovcha Street, and the remaining UAH 75.8 million will be used to equip two centers for veterans and reconstruct the power supply system of the Pivnichna shopping center (CHP-2).
According to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), as of November 1, 2024, Oschadbank ranked 2nd (UAH 340.77 billion) among 62 banks in the country in terms of total assets. The financial institution earned UAH 12.78 billion in net profit for 10 months of this year, compared to UAH 14.58 billion in the same period last year.
Since the beginning of this week, the demand for milling wheat has increased in the ports of Greater Odesa and Danube, APK-Inform news agency reported.
“The purchase prices for this crop were supported by the increased demand of importers to cover the positions under the previously concluded agreements, while the restrained supply also supported the prices. At the same time, the currency factor contributed to the increase in hryvnia wheat prices,” the analysts explained.
According to them, in the ports of Greater Odesa, the purchase prices for milling wheat increased by $1-2 per ton and as of December 26, 2024, were in the range of $208-215 per ton on CPT-port terms. At the same time, in the Danube ports, the increase in demand prices averaged $2 per ton and was recorded in the range of $209-215 per ton on CPT-port terms compared to the end of last week.
Hryvnia prices (CPT-port basis) increased by 50-150 UAH/ton and are mainly in the range of 9.9-10.3 thousand UAH/ton.
“The minimum and close to them prices were mainly declarative in nature and were close to the prices of feed wheat,” summarized APK-Inform.
