Nearly 2,500 Ukrainian citizens were detected by Romanian border guards while illegally crossing the border from Ukraine into Romania in the first half of 2026, according to the Romanian Border Police.
According to the Territorial Inspectorate of the Border Police in Sighetu Marmației, between January 1 and June 30, 2026, approximately 1,200 Ukrainians were detected in Maramureș County, about 1,000 in Suceava County, and more than 300 along the section of the border between Satu Mare County and Ukraine.
Compared to the same period in 2025, the number of such cases decreased by approximately 33%. At that time, Romanian border guards detected more than 3,700 Ukrainian citizens who had crossed the border illegally.
The Romanian Border Police note that most of those detained claim they left Ukraine because of the war and are applying to the Romanian authorities for one of the forms of protection provided for under the country’s legislation.
The most dangerous routes remain the Tisa River and the mountainous regions of Maramureș. According to Romanian authorities, the challenging terrain, unpredictable weather, and lack of proper equipment make such crossings life-threatening.
During the first six months of 2026, Romanian border guards, in collaboration with the Salvamont Maramureș mountain rescue team, conducted 22 search-and-rescue operations, during which 38 Ukrainian citizens who found themselves in distress in the mountainous border area were rescued.
Since the start of the full-scale war, the Inspectorate in Sighetu Marmației has identified more than 34,000 Ukrainian citizens along Romania’s northern border. During this period, border guards, together with rescue teams, conducted more than 230 search-and-rescue operations in the Maramureș Mountains and rescued more than 430 Ukrainians.
The Romanian side emphasizes that it continues to secure the 366 km of the Romanian-Ukrainian border within the Inspectorate’s area of responsibility, using modern surveillance equipment and in coordination with other units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and institutional partners.
In September, the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater in Ivano-Frankivsk will present the musical “Hutsulka Ksenia” in Slovakia for the first time; the tour was organized to mark the 35th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence.
Performances will take place on September 11 at 6:00 p.m. in Prešov at the Divadlo Jonáša Záborského and on September 12 at 6:00 p.m. in Bratislava at the new building of the Slovak National Theater. The Divadlo Jonáša Záborského program lists the performance of “Huculka Kseňa” for September 11 at 6:00 p.m. on the main stage, while the Slovak National Theater has confirmed a guest performance by the Ivano-Frankivsk Drama Theater on September 12 from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
“Huculka Ksenia” is one of the most famous productions in contemporary Ukrainian theater. The play has had over 200 sold-out performances and attracted thousands of viewers, according to the Slovak National Theater’s announcement of the Bratislava performance.
The production is directed by Rostyslav Derzhypilsky, People’s Artist of Ukraine and laureate of the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine. The music by Yaroslav Barnych is performed in a contemporary orchestral arrangement, conducted by Bohdan Tkachuk, Honored Artist of Ukraine.
The production combines live music, choreography, costumes inspired by Hutsul culture, set design, and a laser show. The lead roles are played by Oleksiy Hnatkovsky, Pavlo Kilnytskyi, Myroslava Polatayko, Yuriy Vykhovanets, Yana Ivasyuk, Oleg Panas, Lilia Abramyuk, Nadiya Levchenko, and Olesia Pasichnyak.
The organizers note that the tour in Slovakia aims to present Ukrainian musical classics, Hutsul traditions, and a contemporary stage interpretation of Ukrainian culture to the Ukrainian community and Slovak audiences.
In Prešov, the performance will take place at the Divadlo Jonáša Záborského at Námestie legionárov 6. In Bratislava, the performance will be hosted by the Slovak National Theater at Pribinova 17.
The Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater in Ivano-Frankivsk is one of Ukraine’s leading theaters, with a repertoire that combines classical works, contemporary drama, and large-scale musical theater productions.
BRATISLAVA, Ksenia Hutsulka, musical, Prešov, SLOVAKIA, Theater, TOUR
FUIB respects the decisions of the National Bank of Ukraine and prioritizes compliance with financial monitoring legislation.
The bank has taken into account the NBU’s comments to further improve and fine-tune its processes and procedures to meet the requirements of financial monitoring legislation. At the same time, the identified violations are not systemic and do not indicate a lack of an adequate risk management system or proper organization and conduct of initial financial monitoring at PUMB.
To date, PUMB has already developed an action plan to address the identified shortcomings and further improve internal procedures and controls in the area of financial monitoring. The bank systematically invests in the development of technological solutions and process automation aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of its financial monitoring system.
FUIB continues to engage constructively with the National Bank of Ukraine and is consistently working to improve the effectiveness of its financial monitoring system.
It should be noted that FUIB is one of the largest taxpayers in Ukraine. Since 2022, the bank has paid 20.4 billion UAH in taxes to budgets at all levels. At the same time, PUMB actively supports Ukraine and its defense forces: the bank’s investments in social projects since 2022 have exceeded 1.4 billion UAH, of which more than 544 million UAH has been allocated to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Territorial Defense Forces, the State Emergency Service, the National Police, the National Guard, the Main Intelligence Directorate, and the Security Service of Ukraine.
As part of projects aimed at developing trade cooperation between Ukraine and Japan, and with the support of the Japanese government and UNDP, the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry has announced a call for applications from Ukrainian companies to participate in a practical training program on entering the Japanese market.
The program’s goal is to help Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises better understand the requirements of the Japanese market, prepare their products and commercial proposals, and take the first steps toward finding partners, importers, distributors, and sales channels in Japan.
The program includes online training for a wide range of companies, as well as a two-day in-depth in-person seminar in Kyiv for selected participants.
The in-person seminar will take place on July 14–15, 2026, in Kyiv. Up to 60 companies will be selected to participate. The online training will be held on either July 21 or 28, 2026; companies may choose one of the offered dates, as the online module curriculum is identical for both.
Ukrainian small and medium-sized enterprises, exporters, manufacturers, and service providers who already have experience in foreign economic activity or view Japan as a promising market for export development are invited to participate.
Priority will be given to companies with export-oriented products or services that can be adapted to the requirements of the Japanese market. Special attention will be paid to companies in the agri-food sector, the cosmetics industry, the fashion industry, woodworking, IT/software, and related fields.
The online training will include a general overview of the Japanese market, an analysis of promising Ukrainian goods and services for export to Japan, the advantages, challenges, and typical barriers to market entry, logistics issues, basic documentation and product requirements, as well as the specifics of business communication, trust-building, and negotiations with Japanese partners.
The training will also feature practical materials from the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI): a study of the Japanese market, an export guide, checklists, and tools to help companies prepare to operate in the Japanese market.
Based on the registration forms submitted and in accordance with the selection methodology, a group of up to 60 companies will be formed to participate in a two-day in-depth seminar in Kyiv.
During the in-person seminar, participants will address practical issues related to entering the Japanese market, including business models involving importers, distributors, e-commerce platforms, trade shows, and B2B and B2G contacts. The seminar will also cover Japanese consumer behavior, importers’ expectations, factors related to trust, quality, and reputation, e-commerce platforms, potential sales channels, product adaptation, packaging, labeling, and certification and commercial requirements.
A separate session will be dedicated to preparing a short presentation, a company profile, and a commercial proposal for Japanese partners. Participants will also have access to individual or group consultation sessions, the collection of company inquiries, and the development of next steps.
Selection of companies for the in-person seminar will be based on the submitted registration form. The evaluation will take into account the company’s legal status and size, its registration and operations in Ukraine at the time of application, the availability of a product or service with export potential, its export orientation, alignment with priority or related sectors, and the quality of the completed application.
Preference may be given to companies with proven export experience, participation in previous export-oriented programs, as well as companies that demonstrate a realistic readiness to engage with the Japanese market.
Program participants are expected to gain an understanding of the basic requirements and logic for entering the Japanese market, practical checklists and benchmarks for assessing a company’s readiness, as well as recommendations regarding products, communication, sales channels, and initial contact with partners. Selected companies will also be able to participate in a two-day in-depth seminar and practical consulting sessions.
Registration is open until July 11, 2026, at the following link: https://forms.gle/JGp1PcfLAwV5RodU6
Contact persons: Daniil Chepelev, tel. +380506803223, e-mail: idu-ier@ucci.org.ua; Yelizaveta Syonova, tel. +380962531240, e-mail: sei-ier@ucci.org.ua.
The training sessions are organized by UNDP in Ukraine in cooperation with the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI) and the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) as part of the project “Supporting Inclusive Recovery to Ensure Resilience and Human Security in Ukraine,” with financial support from the Government of Japan.
Ukrainian companies increasingly need to move from one-time checks of counterparties to regular monitoring of their condition. In a period of high economic, military and logistical risks, a partner’s financial position can change rapidly, and a delay in updating information may lead to losses.
Dun & Bradstreet tools can be used not only for the initial assessment of a counterparty, but also for the subsequent tracking of changes in its business profile, payment discipline, corporate connections, risks and reputational factors. Such an approach is especially important for companies that work with deferred payments, large batches of goods or long-term contracts.
For Ukrainian businesses, regular monitoring can become part of an internal risk management system. It helps companies respond more quickly to a partner’s problems, revise contract terms, limit credit lines or require additional guarantees.
“In a crisis environment, a counterparty that was reliable yesterday does not necessarily remain so tomorrow. That is why business verification, primarily the verification of foreign businesses, should not be a one-time action, but a continuous process,” said Maksym Urakin, Director of Development and Marketing at Interfax-Ukraine, Head of the D&B-Interfax-Ukraine Business Unit, and PhD in Economics.
He added that the culture of counterparty monitoring should become as routine for Ukrainian companies as accounting or the legal review of a contract.
Dun & Bradstreet is an international company in the field of business data and analytics, founded in 1841. The company provides tools for business identification, counterparty verification, credit and commercial risk assessment, compliance and supply chain analysis. One of D&B’s key tools is the D-U-N-S Number, a unique nine-digit company identifier used in international business practice. In Ukraine, D&B is represented by the Interfax-Ukraine agency. The partnership is aimed at expanding Ukrainian companies’ access to international business data, supporting exports, attracting financing and integrating into global supply chains. Interfax-Ukraine is an independent Ukrainian news agency that has been operating since 1992.
Nibulon Joint Venture LLC exported 3.15 million metric tons of agricultural products in the 2025/2026 marketing year (MY), a 32% increase from the previous season, when exports totaled 2.39 million metric tons, the company’s press service reported.
As noted in the statement, the company’s share of grain exports rose to 7% from 5.1% a year earlier.
The company attributes this growth to expanded cooperation with agricultural producers, updated trading approaches, an expanded export footprint, and a strengthened international trade presence.
According to the company, it currently works with approximately 4,000 agricultural producers and exports Ukrainian agricultural products to 26 countries worldwide.
Before the war, Nibulon Joint Venture LLC cultivated 82,000 hectares of land across 12 regions of Ukraine and exported agricultural products to more than 70 countries worldwide. In 2021, the grain trader exported 5.64 million metric tons of agricultural products—the highest volume in its history. After the war began, the company was forced to relocate its headquarters from Mykolaiv to Kyiv. In addition to 23 grain elevator complexes,
“Nibulon” has its own trucking and rail transport capabilities, as well as a fleet built at its own shipyard. During wartime, this fleet continues to provide river transportation services.
The company is also actively developing its own humanitarian demining unit to restore safety on leased lands and assist Ukraine’s agricultural sector. Nibulon is a certified mine action operator.
agricultural producer, AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, EXPORTS, GRAIN, NIBULON
