France intends to make Visio the single video communication platform for all ministries and government agencies by 2027, gradually phasing out the use of non-European solutions, including Microsoft Teams and Zoom, according to a statement on the government’s digital development strategy website.
David Amiel, Minister Delegate for Civil Service and State Reform, said the goal of the transition is to “end the use of non-European solutions” and ensure the security and confidentiality of public electronic communications through a “sovereign tool.”
According to the report, Visio was developed by the Interministerial Directorate for Digital Technologies (DINUM) and already has about 40,000 regular users, with deployment continuing to reach 200,000 employees. Among the first organizations to switch to Visio in the first quarter of 2026 are the CNRS, Assurance Maladie, the DGFIP tax service, and the Ministry of the Armed Forces. The CNRS plans to replace its Zoom licenses by the end of March.
It is noted that the solution is being implemented with the support of ANSSI, hosted on the Outscale cloud infrastructure (Dassault Systèmes group), certified by SecNumCloud, and includes AI features—in particular, transcription using technology from French startup Pyannote, as well as real-time subtitling based on Kyutai’s developments, planned for summer 2026.
Oleksiy Shevchuk, spokesperson for the Ukrainian National Bar Association, said that he and his family had received threats and asked the Ukrainian president, the leadership of the Office of the President, the Minister of Internal Affairs, and the National Police to provide protection and investigate the incident.
Speaking at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Shevchuk said that, according to him, over the past few days, he and his family had been subjected to pressure and a wave of public discrediting, and subsequently received direct threats to their lives and health. He linked this to the decision to appoint him as a member of the commission for the selection of prosecutors for the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
According to Shevchuk, the threats came after reports of his appointment to the commission, and he considers them to be real. He noted that he had taken security measures and, in his words, temporarily secured his family.
“Over the past few days, my family and I have been subjected to significant hate from marginal elements of our society. But the last straw was that my family and I received direct threats to our lives and health. Yesterday evening, in connection with my appointment as a member of the commission for the selection of prosecutors for the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, my family and I received messages that we were to be physically destroyed,” Shevchuk said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Wednesday.
He stressed that he has the status of a special subject under criminal law and appealed to the state leadership and law enforcement agencies to ensure his safety.
Shevchuk also said there might be attempts to fake public statements on social media and mess with electronic voting, which he said could be meant to discredit him as a candidate. He said he’s getting ready to talk to the National Police about the threats and possible fake statements and petitions in electronic systems.
Separately, Shevchuk made a number of statements regarding the involvement of certain public figures in information pressure, naming specific individuals.
No official comments from law enforcement agencies regarding the circumstances outlined in the appeal have been released at this time.
Shevchuk stressed that he expects criminal proceedings to be opened on the basis of the threats and called on state authorities to “prevent” attacks on him and his family. He also emphasized that, according to him, he is the only representative of the bar in the relevant commission and links the wave of pressure to his participation in the work of the judiciary.
A video of Oleksiy Shevchuk’s statement is available at the following link:
Source: Interfax-Ukraine.
In the Darnytskyi district of Kyiv, near the Osokorky metro station, a building was on fire on the morning of January 28. The fire was extinguished in about half an hour. The circumstances of the incident are still unknown.
According to the results of 2025, the state-owned enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” achieved significant growth in key financial and economic indicators, said the head of the enterprise, Yuriy Bolokhovets.
The enterprise’s revenue reached UAH 29.9 billion, pre-tax profit — UAH 8.4 billion, and profitability — 23%. UAH 15.8 billion in taxes were paid. Forty-four percent of revenues are transferred to the budget, which is the highest percentage in the forestry and woodworking industry.
“For the first time since independence, billions in profits from timber sales have not been diluted by shadow schemes and divided between officials and intermediaries, but have been directed entirely to the budget. This is an indisputable fact. Figures are stubborn things, and they make it possible to evaluate the work of an enterprise on the basis of objective figures rather than subjective judgments,” says Yuriy Bolokhovets.
The growth in indicators is largely due to de-shadowing, as the product sales system is now as open as possible. The State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” publishes information on each exchange transaction: who contracted what volume of timber and at what price. A list of product refusals is also published.
In 2026, the company plans to increase harvesting volumes, which will contribute to further growth in economic indicators.
The process of purchasing an unprecedented amount of specialized equipment has begun: harvesters, forwarders, skidders, tractors, trailers, and equipment for transporting timber. Currently, the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” is working to increase this year’s investment plan by at least half in order to maximize the pace of harvesting.
Last year, the company transferred 100% of its procurement of harvesting services to Prozorro. However, due to a shortage of personnel, contractors often fail to complete the work on time. Therefore, additional teams are being formed throughout Ukraine and hundreds of new vacancies for loggers are being opened.
“We are determined to offer the market the largest volume of forest products since the start of the full-scale war. We expect an additional million cubic meters thanks to the acceleration of the approval of forest management materials. We expect another million cubic meters from the deregulation of licensing procedures. Changes to the regulatory framework are being developed, but unfortunately, no decision has been made yet,” said Yuriy Bolokhovets.
According to him, the year started very actively. Despite snowfalls and frosts, the dynamics of harvesting are higher than last year. The equipment is working, forest roads are cleared, and warehouses are shipping products.
“We feel a huge responsibility, because when other businesses stop, we continue to work and grow, compensating for budget losses. We are only waiting for long-planned decisions on legislative and regulatory changes aimed at unlocking the potential of forestry…,” said Yuriy Bolokhovets.
This year, the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” will direct equally significant investments toward the conservation, protection, and restoration of forests.
All forest fire stations of the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine” are 100% equipped with modern tools and equipment: from protective clothing, backpack fire extinguishers, and communication devices to mobile firefighting modules. Now it is time to upgrade large-scale firefighting equipment. The first nine vehicles have already been delivered, with another nine planned in the near future.
The recreation development program, which has already saved thousands of hectares of forest for the state, will also continue. The company will pay even more attention to the care of forest crops, as it is thanks to them that the market will be supplied with high-quality timber in the future.
Plans for this year include restarting the implementation of ERP — it is impossible to imagine a modern company without an automated management system. The corporatization process will continue, which involves revaluation of property, inventory, and preparation of transfer deeds. The registration of property rights to land will be completed.
Last year, the de-occupied forestries of Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Kherson regions joined the State Enterprise “Forests of Ukraine.” The restoration, harvesting, and protection of forests has begun. The area affected by fires has decreased significantly. However, it is not only the frontline forestry enterprises that need help. The company is working to bring in other forest users who are unable to perform their functions fully.
The number of personnel in research and development (R&D) in Ukraine has decreased significantly since independence, and spending on science as a share of GDP has fallen to one of its lowest levels, according to the Expert Club Information and Analytical Center.
According to the data presented in the article, the share of research and development spending in Ukraine’s GDP in recent years has been around 0.33%, while in 2010 it was estimated at 0.75%. In absolute terms, R&D spending in 2023 is estimated at UAH 21.35 billion.
The authors of the material note that the scientific workforce is deteriorating due to low funding and the status of the profession: the number of people employed in R&D has fallen from over 400,000 in 1991 to 63,800 in 2024. The publication also gives an example of the level of remuneration: the salary of a senior researcher at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine is estimated at UAH 13,034.
The article separately mentions the impact of the war: with reference to a UNESCO report, it states that as a result of Russian aggression, 12% of scientists were forced to emigrate or relocate within the country, with about 30% starting to work remotely.
As noted, the problem of an aging workforce is also intensifying: the most numerous age group in science is scientists over 65, and the share of researchers aged 55+ is estimated at approximately 40%.
Experts Club also describes state initiatives to support the human resources potential of science, including the concept of the “National System of Researchers of Ukraine,” and lists the proposed measures: compliance with the norm on financing science at the level of 1.7% of GDP, increasing the remuneration of scientists, and expanding competitive funding for scientific teams.
The author of the material is Volodymyr Khaustov, scientific secretary of the State Institution “Institute of Economics and Forecasting of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine”;
Source: Information and Analytical Center “Club of Experts” and Khaustov’s article posted on the website of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency – https://interfax.com.ua/news/blog/1134413.html
The National Association of Lobbyists of Ukraine (NALU) has developed an alternative bill on the introduction of value added tax for individual entrepreneurs. As reported to Interfax-Ukraine by the NALU, the initiative was prepared by NALU Chairman Alexei Shevchuk, Deputy Chairwoman of the Board of Trustees Lyudmila Kozhura, and NALU Development Director and member of the Taxpayers Association Nazarii Valyansky.
“The purpose of the alternative bill is to protect small and medium-sized businesses in the context of martial law and post-war recovery, while gradually adapting Ukraine’s tax system to the requirements and standards of the European Union,” the association said.
The NALU noted that, unlike the government’s approach, which currently shifts the tax burden onto small businesses, the NALU’s alternative bill “offers a balanced solution that takes into account economic realities, security risks, and the institutional weakness of businesses during a crisis.”
The NALU cites the protection of small and microbusinesses in wartime as one of the key advantages of its alternative bill compared to the government’s version.
“The bill introduces temporary moratoriums on expanding the circle of VAT payers, increasing tax rates, and changing the limit for mandatory VAT registration for the entire period of martial law and until the end of the year after its termination,” the NALU noted.
In addition, the NALU cited the flexible VAT registration limit as an advantage of its bill, taking into account the economy and proposing, instead of a fixed limit of UAH 1 million, to link the VAT registration threshold to the minimum wage, which allows for automatic adjustment for inflation, changes in GDP, and macroeconomic dynamics.
The NALU also cited the gradual harmonization with EU law “without shocks to business” as one of the advantages of its bill:
the alternative draft provides for a gradual approach to the European VAT threshold (around €85,000) by 2031, avoiding administrative and financial pressure on entrepreneurs in crisis conditions.
In addition, the NALU noted that their bill provides for the preservation of a simplified taxation system, i.e.
it does not introduce mandatory VAT registration for single tax payers in the third group, preserving the simplified accounting and reporting system as the foundation for the development of small businesses.
Another advantage of the bill, according to the NALU, is the encouragement of voluntary VAT registration and the fight against abuse.
“A ‘carrot and stick’ model is being introduced: incentives for voluntary registration by VAT payers through the differentiation of single tax rates, as well as clear mechanisms to combat abuse, in particular the practice of so-called ‘salaried sole proprietorships’,” the association noted.
The NALU bill also provides for the protection of businesses in frontline and war-affected regions
by introducing special guarantees for businesses operating in areas where hostilities are ongoing or have taken place. In particular, the draft law provides for a moratorium on unscheduled tax audits of such taxpayers, which will reduce administrative and fiscal pressure and preserve business activity and jobs in conditions of increased security risks.
The NALU notes that “the proposed approach allows for the reconciliation of the fiscal interests of the state, Ukraine’s European integration commitments, and the real capabilities of small and medium-sized businesses, which remain a key pillar of the country’s economy today.”
