In the first half of 2025, DTEK Energy invested approximately UAH 4 billion in repairs and restoration of thermal power plants damaged by massive attacks, which is more than in the whole of 2024, when UAH 3.6 billion was invested, according to the DTEK Communications Department.
According to its release on Friday, during this year’s ongoing repair campaign, a significant amount of work has already been completed, although there is still a lot of work to be done this year and next.
“Our energy workers are restoring not only equipment, but also confidence in the continued reliable operation of thermal power generation and the power system as a whole.
Electricity is the foundation of everything, and we are doing everything possible to ensure that there is enough of it even in the most difficult moments,” commented Alexander Fomenko, CEO of DTEK Energy.
It is noted that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has already struck DTEK’s thermal power plants 205 times. In total, last year, the energy infrastructure survived 13 large-scale attacks. Since February 2022, 56 power plant workers have been injured and four killed in shelling of DTEK Energy’s thermal power plants.
As reported, on the night of July 18, during the shelling of the Dnipropetrovsk region by Russian occupiers, a Ukrzaliznytsia train driver was killed and a DTEK locomotive driver was wounded.
Oleksandr Usyk won the undisputed world title by knocking out Daniel Dubois in the fifth round of their fight.
The fight was for the undisputed world heavyweight title according to the WBA, WBC, IBF, and WBO. It was a rematch: the boxers first met in the ring in August 2023, when Usyk knocked out Dubois in the ninth round. Usyk regained the IBF title, which he was forced to relinquish because he was unable to defend it at the time, and defended his championship in the other three versions.
“I want to thank all of Ukraine, all the guys who are defending our country. I received many messages from various units defending Ukraine,” Usyk said after the fight.
In June 2025, Ukrainian citizens ranked second among foreign nationals in terms of the number of properties purchased in Turkey. This is evidenced by recent data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK). According to the published information, Ukrainians purchased 111 properties, second only to Russians, who traditionally remain the main foreign investors in the Turkish housing market, with 326 transactions per month.
Iranian citizens came in third place (109), followed by Iraq (97), Germany (95), Azerbaijan (71), Kazakhstan (66), China (54), the United States (41), and Palestine (40).
Experts attribute the growing interest in Turkish real estate to the following factors:
Visa-free travel and well-developed air links between Ukraine and Turkey;
Relatively low entry threshold: housing prices in Antalya, Alanya, and Mersin remain attractive compared to the European market;
The possibility of using housing as a means of preserving capital and as an evacuation address in the context of the ongoing war.
In addition, in June, Turkey saw an influx of buyers from Ukraine due to the active tourist season and investors seeking rental income in foreign currency.
Despite an overall decline in real estate purchases by Russians compared to the peak values of 2022–2023, Russians once again became the largest foreign buyers in Turkey in June 2025. This confirms the continuing trend of relocation, including permanent or temporary residence, against the backdrop of Russia’s international isolation.
Given the current geopolitical conditions and the attractiveness of the Turkish market, Ukraine may maintain its high position in the ranking of foreign buyers of real estate in Turkey in the coming months. At the same time, interest from Central Asian and Middle Eastern countries is also expected to pick up.
Overall, Turkey remains one of the leading destinations for real estate investment among citizens of the post-Soviet space.
The European Union has published a list of individuals and legal entities included in the 18th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation, which includes 22 Russian and two Chinese banks, four companies linked to the Russian Direct Investment Fund, 26 new entities linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, and eight companies from the Belarusian military-industrial complex.
The sanctions list was published on Saturday, July 19, in the Official Journal.
Thus, 22 Russian banks were hit by sanctions:
T-Bank, Bank Saint Petersburg, Centrocredit Bank, Yandex Bank, Surgutneftegazbank, Metkombank, Severgazbank, Genbank, Bystrobank, Energotransbank, Tatsozbank, Zenit Bank, Transstroybank, Finam Bank, Ozon Bank, Expobank, Lokko Bank, Dom.RF Bank, MSP Bank, Lanta Bank, Bank 131, and RostFinans Bank.
Two Chinese banks were sanctioned by the EU for the first time for providing cryptocurrency services: Heihe Rural Commercial Bank and Heilongjiang Suifenhe Rural Commercial Bank.
Eight companies from Belarus’ military-industrial complex were also added to the sanctions list: Belvneshpromservis, OKB TSP, KB Bespilotnye Vertochnye, Legmash plant, BelOMO’s LEMT scientific and technical center, Laser Devices and Technologies LLC, Vistan, and Rukhservomotor.
Fourteen individuals and 41 organizations responsible for actions that undermine or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty, and independence of Ukraine have been added to the sanctions list. This brings the total number of individuals and entities included in the sanctions list to over 2,500.
According to EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, this package is “one of the toughest to date.” “Each sanction weakens Russia’s ability to wage war. The message is clear: Europe will not back down in its support for Ukraine. The EU will continue to increase pressure until Russia ends the war,” she stressed.
As reported, the EU Committee of Permanent Representatives (Coreper) approved the 18th package of EU sanctions against Russia on the morning of July 18.
Ukraine currently has 22 million tons of oilseed processing capacity, and oil extraction plants (OEP) are still under construction, so processing volumes could reach 25 million tons in the near future, but it will not be easy to secure raw materials, said First Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky.
“According to estimates, we have up to 22 million tons of capacity (OEZ – IF-U), and (OEZ – IF-U) are still under construction, which means there will be 22-25 million. Frankly speaking, it will not be easy to achieve such a volume (of raw materials for processing enterprises – IF-U).
Purely from an agronomic and agrotechnological point of view,” he commented at a meeting of the Trend&Hedge Club on the parliament’s decision to impose duties on soybean and rapeseed exports. Vysotsky explained that farmers would not be able to increase soybean production in a year by irrigating an additional 1 million hectares.
Such an investment pays off within 5-15 years and is a “long story.” Although such an expansion would significantly improve the situation for processors.
The deputy minister also does not see any prospects for significant potential for expanding areas and increasing yields for rapeseed.
“It may not be 3-3.5 million tons (Ministry of Agrarian Policy’s forecast for rapeseed production for the 2025 season – IF-U), it may be 5 million tons, as in 2022, or 4.8 million tons, as in 2023,” he stated, noting that it is difficult to talk about increasing production to 8-10 million tons per year, although there is land, plots, and all the necessary areas for cultivation.
According to Vysotsky, Ukrainian farmers can grow not 12 million tons of sunflower seeds in the 2025 season, but 15 million tons, with the maximum yield of the crop potentially reaching 25 million tons.
“This will be the ceiling, I declare, that can be grown within the controlled territories of Ukraine. Within the territories controlled by Ukraine, it is realistic to reach more than 23 million tons from the current 20.5 million tons (sunflower production – IF-U). If everything goes well, it could reach 25 million tons. But this is impossible in the coming years,” he explained.
The first deputy minister stressed that the processing industry has grown more than it can be supplied with raw materials in the period up to 2030.
“From a logical point of view, the seller’s market should remain in the country, but the issue of purchasing raw materials for processing should not be so (acute – IF-U),” he concluded.
As reported, at its meeting on July 16, the Verkhovna Rada supported draft law No. 13134 on the introduction of a 10% export duty on soybeans, colza seeds, and rapeseed (crushed and uncrushed) with an annual reduction of 1% until 2030, to a level of 5%.
According to Vysotsky, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food forecasts oilseed production in the 2025 season at 20.5 million tons, including rapeseed at 3 million tons and soybeans at 5.7 million tons. The sunflower harvest in the southern regions is under threat due to drought and may be less than 13 million tons.
Between January and June 2025, medical supplies worth UAH 14.26 billion were purchased through the Prozorro Market electronic catalog.
According to the state-owned enterprise Medical Procurement of Ukraine (MPU), which administers the medical section of the catalog, this figure is UAH 4 billion, or 42.6%, more than in the first half of 2024.
According to the MZU, since the introduction of mandatory procurement through Prozorro Market, customers have saved UAH 2.05 billion, which is an average of 13% of the expected cost.
In addition, the percentage of deals closed in the e-catalog during this period was 79% compared to 70% in open tenders, and the average duration of the procedure was eight days compared to 16 days in open tenders.
The number of customers in January-June increased to 2,420, and the number of qualified suppliers to 5,294.
The Prozorro Market e-catalog is a marketplace where public customers can easily, efficiently, and economically purchase the goods they need, and suppliers can sell their products.
