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Lithuania to transfer over 200 transformers to Ukraine for its power grid

Lithuanian state-owned AB Energijos skirstymo operatorius, which operates the country’s distribution networks, will transfer another batch of equipment to Ukraine for the needs of the energy sector.

“Under the donation agreement, Ukraine will receive more than 200 power transformers of various capacities (…) The humanitarian aid is expected to arrive before the start of the heating season,” the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy said on Wednesday.

The equipment will be transported through the humanitarian aid and civil protection mechanism, which is funded and coordinated by the European Commission (ECHO).

“The transformers are critically needed for the rapid restoration of distribution networks damaged by Russian attacks, as well as to ensure a stable power supply to consumers in wartime,” said Energy Minister Svitlana Grinchuk, whose words are quoted in the statement.

The ministry explained that in order to respond quickly to enemy strikes and carry out operational repairs, it is necessary to have sufficient reserves of backup equipment. To this end, the Ministry of Energy has initiated the creation of a National Strategic Reserve of Power Transformers, which is being formed with the help of international partners, among others.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation, Ukraine has received 324 humanitarian shipments of energy equipment from Lithuania, with a total weight of 5,247 tons.

LITHUANIA, POWER SYSTEM, transformer

European broadcasters to vote on expelling Israel from Eurovision 2026

The European Broadcasting Union has confirmed it will hold an online vote in November that could see the Israeli broadcaster Kan expelled from next year’s Eurovision song contest.

In a letter sent to participating broadcasters on Thursday, the EBU president, Delphine Ernotte Cunci, wrote there was an “unprecedented diversity of views” on Israel’s participation in Eurovision, and the issue required “a broader democratic basis”.

In a statement, the EBU said: “We can confirm that a letter has been sent from the executive board of the European Broadcasting Union to directors general of all our members informing them that a vote on participation in the Eurovision song contest 2026 will take place at an extraordinary meeting of the EBU’s general assembly to be held online in early November.”

The decision comes after several European broadcasters, including those from Spain, the Netherlands, Ireland, Iceland and Slovenia, threatened to boycott the next edition of the world’s largest live music event if Israel was allowed to take part.

Russia was banned from Eurovision after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Meanwhile Israel, which has won the contest four times since its debut in 1973, has continued to compete for the past two years despite disputes over its participation.

Both the 2024 contest in Malmö, Sweden, and this year’s event in Basel, Switzerland, were marked by pro-Palestine protests around the concert halls.

Next year’s Eurovision, the 70th anniversary of the song contest, is due to be held in the Austrian capital, Vienna, in May.

Its hosting broadcaster ORF earlier this week expressed optimism that the event would go ahead even in the case of boycotts and resulting loss of broadcasters’ contributions.

“The Eurovision song contest will take place in Vienna in 2026,” an ORF spokesperson said. “The event will take place irrespective of the number of participating broadcasters.”

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/25/european-broadcasters-to-vote-on-expelling-israel-from-eurovision-2026

EUROVISION, ISRAEL

In August, Express Insurance paid out nearly UAH 2 mln for cars damaged by shelling

In August 2025, Express Insurance paid more than UAH 1.8 million to seven car owners from Kyiv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Mykolaiv region for cars damaged by falling rocket debris and UAVs, according to the insurer’s website.

In addition, it is noted that August saw the highest number of incidents caused by natural disasters since the beginning of the year. The total amount of payments for these incidents reached almost UAH 1 million. Hail was a frequent cause of damage, and there were also reports of trees and roof debris falling due to strong winds. The events took place both in the capital and in the regions, in particular in Khmelnytskyi, Uzhhorod, Zakarpattia, and Chernihiv regions.

In August, the company settled a total of 608 insurance claims under CASCO and OSAGO contracts. Of these, 448 claims were under CASCO, and another 160 were under compulsory civil liability insurance.
The total amount of insurance payments at the end of the month was UAH 43.6 million, including UAH 35.4 million for CASCO and UAH 8.2 million for CMTPL.

Incidents under CASCO contracts this month traditionally involved traffic accidents (88%). In addition, customers filed claims due to unlawful actions of third parties (7%), natural disasters (3%), and events caused by military actions (2%).

In 58% of cases involving MTPL policies, the victims filed insurance claims with the participation of the police, and another 42% followed the Europrotocol procedure. The largest payments in August to victims under CMTPL policies amounted to UAH 250,000 for property damage due to traffic accidents in Kyiv and Dnipro, and UAH 320,000 for health damage to a victim of a traffic accident in Kyiv.

Express Insurance was founded in 2008.

AUTO, EXPRESS INSURANCE, shelling

State Property Fund of Ukraine puts Odessa Port Plant up for sale

The State Property Fund (SPF) of Ukraine has announced the sale of 99.5667% of Odessa Port Plant JSC (OPP, Pivdenne, Odessa region) at an online auction in the Prozorro. Sales” system on November 25, 2025, with a starting price of UAH 4 billion 488.523 million.

According to a statement on the Fund’s website on Thursday, bids for participation in the auction will be accepted until 8:00 p.m. on November 24, with a guarantee deposit of UAH 224.43 million.

It is noted that the property includes 45 units of real estate and infrastructure, including a greenhouse and vegetable processing plant, a medical and health center, the Karpatski Zori resort in Yaremche, and a training and educational rowing center. The total area of the real estate is 285,400 square meters, and the total area of the 32 registered land plots is 262.9 hectares, of which 252.4 hectares are on a permanent use basis.

As of June 30, 2025, the company employs 1,436 people.

According to the report, OPZ’s revenue for January-June this year amounted to UAH 322.63 million, while its net loss was UAH 280.79 million. In 2024, the plant increased its revenue to UAH 944.22 million from UAH 494.57 million a year earlier, but its net loss grew to UAH 1 billion 839.3 million from UAH 1 billion 94.58 million.

As of the middle of this year, OPZ’s wage arrears amounted to UAH 184.39 million, its budget arrears amounted to UAH 182.44 million, and its overdue accounts payable amounted to UAH 16.62 billion.

The winner of the auction is obliged to maintain the main types of activity for five years and invest at least UAH 500 million, as well as pay off wage and budget debts within a year, gradually pay off overdue debts, and provide guarantees to employees and in terms of compliance with environmental legislation.

Acting Chairman of the Board and Director of OPZ Yuriy Kovalsky said in an interview with NV Business in August this year that in August 2024, the plant’s management tried to start up one of the two ammonia units, but this step was not successful. Since then, OPZ has been rebuilt for grain transshipment, and this activity was the only source of income for the enterprise, but at the end of June, as a result of a Russian air attack, the warehouse facilities were significantly damaged, which suspended transshipment operations. According to Kovalsky, OPZ’s partner in grain transshipment is the trader V AGRO LLC. In the 2024-2025 marketing year, about 638,000 tons of grain were transshipped: 625,000 tons of corn and 12,700 tons of soybeans.

The acting chairman of the board also reported that OPZ has significantly optimized its expenses, sold non-core assets, and is actively working with creditors, in particular, with Naftogaz of Ukraine, to offer a future investor a viable debt structure, which amounts to about UAH 2.5 billion.

Kovalsky noted that for safety reasons, OPZ does not plan to resume production in the near future, but is maintaining its production lines in full technical readiness so that it can resume work as soon as possible, as soon as it becomes possible.

The state has tried to privatize the enterprise several times, but without success.

FGI of Ukraine, Odesa Port Plant

Slovakia and some other neighbors of Ukraine demanding EU fund to protect farmers from pressure from Ukrainian agricultural products

Slovakia and a number of EU countries bordering Ukraine are advocating the creation of a special fund to compensate their farmers for losses caused by the growth in imports of Ukrainian agricultural products. This was announced by Slovak Minister of Agriculture Richard Takáč (Smer-SD) following a meeting of the EU Council on Agriculture in Brussels, according to the TASR news agency.

According to him, the European Commission had previously talked about a 25% increase in quotas for Ukrainian goods, but in reality the figures are much higher — “for honey and sugar, the increase is 400-500%.”

“One problem is quantity, another is product quality and safety. European farmers are required to comply with strict rules on fertilizers, pesticides, and EU standards, while in Ukraine such standards are often absent,” Takáč emphasized.

The minister noted that it was Ukraine’s neighboring countries, which experience the main influx of products, that approached the European Commission with this initiative, while Western European countries often benefit from cheaper imports and do not feel the pressure.

Takach suggested that Slovakia would not be able to “achieve 100% success” in the negotiations, but he is counting on a compromise solution.

“In the new EU financial plan and within the framework of the common agricultural policy, I see an opportunity to create a fund specifically for countries bordering Ukraine. This fund should compensate our farmers and processors for their losses,” he said, adding that Slovakia will seek support through the government and the prime minister.

According to him, agreements on this have already been reached with his Polish counterpart. The issue of increased quotas for Ukrainian agricultural products will also be discussed during the upcoming joint meeting of the governments of Ukraine and Slovakia.

Since 2022, the EU has provided Ukraine with unprecedented access to the common market to support the economy in wartime. However, a number of Eastern European countries — Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Bulgaria — have repeatedly complained about the growing pressure on their producers of grain, sugar, and other crops.

AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS, EU, FARMER, SLOVAKIA

Ukraine as seen by EBRD: growth amid war and dependence on foreign support

Ukraine’s economy may grow by about 4% in 2025, but the outlook remains fragile and depends entirely on external factors. This is stated in the latest report of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Regional Economic Prospects: Under Pressure.

According to the document, the main source of support for the Ukrainian economy is international financial aid, which is used to cover budget expenditures, social payments and defense. An additional driver of growth is the export of agricultural products through the EU “solidarity corridors” and alternative routes along the Danube and overland, which partially compensates for restrictions on maritime transportation.

There has also been a gradual recovery of infrastructure, including roads, bridges and the power grid, which is supporting economic activity.

However, the EBRD warns of high risks. Among them are a protracted war, high levels of public debt and inflation, as well as the vulnerability of export flows, which could be sharply reduced if sea routes are blocked.

According to the bank’s experts, digitalization of public services, agro-technology and development of renewable energy remain promising areas for Ukraine. However, this requires sustainable peace or conflict freezing, deeper integration with the EU market, as well as progress in judicial and anti-corruption reforms.

At the end of 2024, Ukraine’s GDP was estimated at around $160 bln. More than 60% of exports were agro-products (grain, oilseeds and processed products). The metallurgy, IT and energy sectors also retain potential for recovery.

The EBRD emphasizes that the Ukrainian economy is “under pressure”, but with continued international support and access to external markets, it can grow rapidly, laying the foundations for post-war transformation.

EBRD, UKRAINE, WAR

Business news from Ukraine