INGO Insurance Company has finally completed the process of compensation for losses after the high-profile fire that occurred in the winter of 2024 at the production facilities of Viktor & K (Korolivsky Smak brand) in Kirovograd region.
According to the insurance company, the total payout amounted to UAH 81.4 million. This is one of the largest insurance payments in the industrial insurance sector in recent times.
The company clarifies that during the fire that occurred on February 15, 2024, in the village of Vlasivka in Kirovograd region, the fire completely destroyed the oil press shop, the finished product warehouse and all the technological equipment inside. The buildings are beyond repair after the fire. According to law enforcement officials, the fire was caused by an arson attack by an unidentified person. The criminal case is still ongoing, and there are no results of the investigation yet.
According to the insurance company, the loss settlement process proved to be particularly difficult due to the extent of the damage and the need for an accurate and professional assessment.
The full amount of compensation was paid to the company on July 1. Of the UAH 81.4 million paid out, more than UAH 64 million was for buildings and almost UAH 17 million for equipment.
“This insurance event is one of the largest in the industry in recent years. According to insurance market experts, such precedents are important because they confirm the ability of insurance to support business in difficult conditions,” the information emphasizes.
Viktor & K is known for the Korolivsky Smak brand, which produces mayonnaise, ketchup, sauces and oils.
INGO Insurance Company JSC holds licenses for 18 classes of insurance and has been providing insurance services to both individuals and companies for over 30 years. INGO Insurance Company is among the largest insurance companies in Ukraine in terms of premiums, own assets and insurance claims. Its network includes 25 branches, five offices and nine customer service centers operating in all regions of the country.
Since 2017, the main shareholder is the Ukrainian business group DCH.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has granted permission to Vitaly Antonov’s Vi.An Holding Limited (Limassol, Cyprus) to acquire control over Kairos Holding LLC, the AMCU press service reported on Facebook.
“The decision to acquire is a logical continuation of our development strategy in the agricultural sector and expansion of the land bank. The interest in Ternopil and Rivne regions, where the land bank of the above-mentioned company is concentrated, is due to both favorable natural and climatic conditions and better yields compared to other regions of Ukraine,” the corporate communications department of OKKO Group commented on the AMCU’s decision.
The company also reminded that it is completing the construction of an elevator with a storage capacity of 60 thousand tons, and a bioethanol plant is under construction, which is expected to start production in the second half of 2026. The facilities are designed to produce 85 thousand tons of bioethanol per year, both for domestic needs and for sale to foreign markets.
In addition, OKKO called the partnership with Gadz-Agro (Ternopil region) an important component of its agricultural portfolio, with which the company is developing agricultural production.
Kairos Holding LLC was founded in 2024 in Lviv. The company specializes in growing cereals, legumes and oilseeds, organizing the construction of buildings, intermediary in the trade of a wide range of goods, wholesale of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels, etc.
According to the Opendatabot service, in 2024, the company received revenue of UAH 1.543 million, a net loss of UAH 1.136 million, has debt obligations of UAH 857.395 million, and assets are estimated at UAH 856.31 million. The authorized capital is UAH 50 thousand. The company employs 1 employee. The beneficiaries are businessmen Bohdan Kuspis and Ivan Kotsyo, who own a number of bakery plants in Lviv and Vinnytsia, restaurants, construction companies, etc.
OKKO Group unites more than 10 diversified businesses in manufacturing, trade, construction, insurance, maintenance and other services. The flagship company of the group is Galnaftogaz, which operates one of the largest filling stations in Ukraine under the OKKO brand, with about 400 filling stations.
The group’s founder and ultimate beneficiary is Vitaliy Antonov.
Foreign Ministers of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan Bakhtiyor Saidov, Amir Khan Muttaki and Ishaq Dar signed a trilateral framework agreement on the development of a feasibility study for the Trans-Afghanistan Railway project during a meeting in Kabul on Thursday.
“We have signed a trilateral framework agreement on the development of a feasibility study for the Trans-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway project, which is of strategic importance for the whole of Eurasia,” the Uzbek Foreign Minister said in his telegram channel.
He noted that this transportation corridor will improve trade, support Afghanistan’s economic recovery, and open new routes to world markets through southern ports.
According to Saidov, during the meeting, the Uzbek side reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening trade ties, expanding cooperation in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles and construction, as well as increasing the capacity of the Termez International Trade Center (opened in Uzbekistan near the Afghan border).
As reported, in February 2021, representatives of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan signed a joint action plan for the construction of the Mazar-e-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway with a length of 573 kilometers and a transit potential of up to 20 million tons of cargo per year following talks in Tashkent.
The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) have expressed interest in financing the project.
In April 2024, during Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to Moscow, a preliminary agreement was reached on Russia’s participation in the project. The volume of Russian cargo transportation along the projected route can be estimated at 8-15 million tons annually.
According to the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan, the construction of the Trans-Afghan railway line will take at least 5 years, with a preliminary cost of $4.8 billion.
AFGHANISTAN, CONSTRUCTION, PAKISTAN, Trans-Afghan railroad, UZBEKISTAN
As of July 18, farmers harvested 7.226 million tons of early grains and legumes from an area of 2.355 million hectares, compared to 2.62 million tons from 919.9 thousand hectares a week earlier, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reported.
The ministry noted that 4.671 million tons of wheat have already been harvested (against 1.238 million tons a week earlier) from 1.504 million hectares (434.8 thousand hectares), 2.182 million tons of barley (1.153 million tons) from an area of 660.6 thousand hectares (364 thousand hectares), and 362.9 thousand tons of peas (225.1 thousand tons) from 170.8 thousand hectares (119.7 thousand hectares).
Odesa region is the leader in the harvest of grains and pulses, harvesting 2.02 mln tonnes from 722.1 thou hectares, Mykolaiv region – 1.173 mln tonnes from 488.7 thou hectares, Kirovohrad region – 963 thou tonnes from 238.6 thou hectares.
Rapeseed is harvested in 14 regions. The harvested area is 614.1 thsd tonnes (290.1 thsd tonnes) from 360.3 thsd ha (178.9 thsd ha).
As reported, as of July 19, 2024, agrarians of all regions of Ukraine harvested 15.7 mln tonnes of new crop from 4.4 mln ha, including 10.3 mln tonnes of wheat from 2.627 thou. hectares, barley – 3.1 mln tonnes from 824.2 thou hectares, peas – 319.3 thou tonnes from 154.7 thou hectares, rapeseed – 1.8 mln tonnes from 779.1 thou hectares, soybeans – 0.3 thou tonnes from 0.2 thou hectares, millet – 80 tonnes from 50 thou hectares.
wheat, barley
A children’s store of eco-brands Pokito, with a focus on ages 1 to 10, will open in Ocean Mall, the company’s press service reports.
“Pokito started its operations in 2023 with a clear mission: to offer Ukrainian parents high-quality, environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing clothes for children under 10 years old. We offer solutions that meet the daily challenges of an active childhood: comfort, practicality, durability, safe materials and modern design,” said Pokito founder Iryna Zueva.
The assortment of the 80-square-meter store, which will be located on the entertainment floor of Ocean Mall, will include proven European and domestic brands that have proven themselves to be responsible in production, high quality standards and child care. The presented children’s clothing, footwear and related products are united by one idea – practicality, quality and care for the child’s comfort. The store’s portfolio currently includes 15 brands. Among the bestsellers are Spanish Boboli and Cóndor, Danish Liewood and Konges Sløjd, British Mimi & Lula, etc.
The main requirements for manufacturers are a proven reputation for high quality materials, responsible production and environmental standards, safe composition and certificates confirming this. Ukrainian brands already represented include Ukrglamour – embroidered shirts (Lutsk), Elf-Kids – hats (Odesa).
“We want the item to be worn, not to lose its appearance after two or three wash cycles, and to make parents happy that they made the right choice by choosing Pokito products. This creates trust and ensures that our customers will come back to us again,” Zueva said.
As for foreign brands, she emphasized that they choose those that have already gained favor abroad due to their properties, but have not yet gained popularity in the Ukrainian market, which makes it possible to make a unique shopping offer to domestic customers.
Ocean Mall is a retail resort format shopping center. The total area is 300 thousand square meters, with a parking lot for 4 thousand cars. The mall will combine 800 shops and 50 restaurants. Among the largest tenants are Silpo grocery supermarket, flagship stores of the world’s largest retailers in the segments of fashion, sports, and home furnishings. More than 30 thousand square meters in Ocean Mall are dedicated to entertainment, including the Galaxy amusement park for the whole family and a seven-screen multiplex cinema.
DTEK Energy’s machine builders have overhauled the EL160LS roadheader for the first time and handed it over to DTEK Shakhtoupravlenie Dniprovske, reports Corum Group.
“This is a new type of equipment for us, so the project was a real challenge. However, everything was completed on time and in accordance with the technical requirements,” the company said on its Facebook page.
According to the report, the machine received new explosion-proof electrical equipment of its own design, certified according to Ukrainian standards.
The machine has a 300-liter bucket and a 55 kW engine. It weighs 9.5 tons, has a boom swing of ±30°, and operates on slopes of up to 22°.
According to open source information, the EL160LS soil scraper is manufactured by the German company Hazemag. It is designed to level the soil of a mine workings, as well as to load loosened rock mass onto a belt or scraper conveyor.
Corum Group is a leading manufacturer of mining equipment in Ukraine and a part of DTEK Energy, an operating company responsible for coal mining and electricity generation within Rinat Akhmetov’s DTEK energy holding. DTEK Energy’s machine-building assets include Druzhkovka Machine-Building Plant (relocated to Dnipro), Kharkiv-based Svet Shakhtyora Plant and Pershotravensk Machine-Building Plant.
