Parallel has expanded its network with a new filling station on Obukhivske highway near Kyiv.
“The filling station offers all types of high-quality fuel from European manufacturers that meet the highest quality standards. All modern services are available for the convenience of drivers,” the company said in a press release.
According to the network, despite the challenges posed by the full-scale war, temporary occupation of some territories and infrastructure damage caused by shelling, Parallel continues to rebuild and develop its network as part of the company’s long-term strategy.
In particular, the company plans to expand its network both by opening new filling stations and by increasing the number of partner complexes operating under the Parallel brand.
“Due to the Russian aggression, we lost about 80% of our filling stations, but we are rebuilding and developing the network, because a working business means paid taxes and support for the country’s economy,” said Parallel owner and CEO Alexander Dubinin.Before the war, the Parallel branded network included 132 filling stations. As a result of the full-scale invasion, the company lost or suspended most of its facilities.
Currently, the company operates 32 filling stations in Dnipropetrovs’k, Odesa, Chernihiv, Kyiv and the government-controlled areas of Donetsk and Zaporizhzhya regions.
“Parallel is regularly ranked among Ukraine’s top 10 fuel importers
Alterra Group has invested $8.5 million in the expansion of the Joule logistics center (Kyiv region, Svyatopetrivske) from 8 to 20 thousand square meters, the company’s press service toldInterfax-Ukraine.
According to Alterra Group’s commercial director Gennadiy Grinenko, the expansion is due to the growing demand for rental space in the facility, with zero vacancy in the first stages. According to the survey, entrepreneurs are increasingly looking for ready-made commercial premises instead of building their own warehouses.
Nine new businesses, companies that combine innovation, social responsibility and a focus on sustainable development, have become residents of the first stages of Joule. Farmak’s pharmaceutical business is among the residents. The expansion of the facility will attract more such residents and create at least 50 new jobs.
“Our experience proves that the more progressive businesses there are in the complex, the more ideas, innovations and collaborations they produce. For example, this happened with our logistics center PORT, where residents actively cooperate with each other. Such an ecosystem not only saves time and money for residents, but also creates a business community where everyone strengthens each other,” says Hrynenko.
Another change in Joule is that it has become more accessible to small businesses. Previously, companies could rent or buy premises ranging from 500 to 6 thousand square meters. Now, the minimum area has been reduced to 200 square meters.
“This makes it possible to get all the necessary infrastructure ready, including access to autonomous heating and lighting, even for businesses that have just started their development,” explained Hrynenko.
Alterra Group is a Ukrainian company specializing in the development and management of commercial real estate on a turnkey basis. The company’s portfolio includes 43 properties with a total area of 175 thousand square meters. These include warehouse and industrial complexes, business centers, shopping and entertainment centers.
A reception organized by the Embassy of India in Ukraine in honor of the 75th anniversary of the Republic Day was held in the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv.
The event brought together representatives of the Ukrainian government, diplomatic corps, Indian diaspora and the public. Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Yevhen Perebyinis was the main guest of the event.
“On January 26, 1950, the Constitution of India came into force, marking the transition of our country to a sovereign, independent, democratic, secular republic. We are proud of the ideals of justice, freedom, equality and fraternity,” said Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Ukraine Ravi Shankar.
In his speech, the diplomat emphasized the significance of Republic Day for the Indian people, stressing that in 75 years India has become one of the fastest growing economies in the world, which is preparing to become the third largest.
“Bold reforms, investments in infrastructure and innovations such as quantum technologies, artificial intelligence and space exploration make our country a key player in global processes. Another priority is the biotechnology industry, in particular the Genome project. It is also worth mentioning the latest achievement – docking in space, which has brought the country into the top four world leaders in the industry,” the ambassador said.
Shankar devoted a significant part of his speech to Ukrainian-Indian relations. He recalled the historic visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Kyiv in August 2024, which became a “landmark” for bilateral cooperation:
“We seek to transform our relationship from a Comprehensive Partnership to a Strategic Partnership. Special attention is paid to humanitarian support for Ukraine. In particular, India has donated mobile hospitals “BHISHM Cubes”, which are now helping to quickly treat the wounded and save precious lives on the front line, and has decided to finance the project “Renovation and modernization of the surgical department of the Zbarazh Central Hospital in Ternopil region worth $1.5 million,” the ambassador said.
He emphasized that India supports a comprehensive, just peace in accordance with international law.
The Ambassador praised the growing interest of Ukrainians in Indian culture, language and traditions. He thanked Ukrainian students who study Hindi and emphasized the importance of cultural exchanges. “The program signed last year opens up new opportunities for academic scholarships, international projects, and preserving our common heritage,” Shankar said.
At the end of the event, guests enjoyed traditional Indian food and music. The event highlighted past achievements and optimistic prospects for cooperation between India and Ukraine in the coming decades.
India recognized Ukraine’s independence on December 26, 1991. On January 17, 1992, diplomatic relations between Ukraine and India were established. Republic Day is a national holiday of India that celebrates the adoption of the Constitution of India and the country’s transition from a British dominion to a republic on January 26, 1950.
Source: https://interfax.com.ua
Private healthcare facilities are ready to work under the Medical Guarantee Program (MGP) and propose to revise approaches to the formation of certain packages for the MGP, which will reduce the cost of medical services and optimize budget expenditures.
This was stated by members of the Association of Private Medical Institutions (APMI) at a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine on Thursday.
Mykola Skavronsky, deputy director general of the Cinevo medical laboratory, noted that the laboratory has not stopped working since the beginning of the war, despite the fact that in 2022 Cinevo lost more than 30 branches in different regions.
“It’s quite a shame to see that recovery programs exist only for state or municipal medicine. This completely ignores the fact that private medicine also suffered from the war. But, unlike the state and municipal ones, all private providers are recovering and continue to work with their own or credit funds, not with budget funds and without assistance,” he said.
Commenting on the first experience of Cinevo’s cooperation with the NHSU in 2024, Skavronsky noted that the laboratory’s entry into the PMG “became a kind of spotlight that highlighted the situation with the laboratory industry in Ukraine as a whole.”
“I can say that the state does not know and does not understand the real need of doctors and patients for laboratory diagnostics. Now it is believed that laboratory diagnostics are needed as much as they are ordered, not as much as they are needed. Cinevo’s cooperation with the NHSU has revealed the fact that there is simply a huge unrealized demand for laboratory diagnostics in Ukraine, in March last year alone, we performed almost 730 thousand tests for 72 thousand people, and we saw that of these people who came to us for PMG, two-thirds were new people,” he said.
Skavronsky noted that at basic prices, Cinevo performed tests for about UAH 528 million, at prices, the cost of tests was about UAH 200 million, while the NHSU paid UAH 44 million for them.
“We asked the NHSU to create a laboratory package that would be transparent and clear, where it would be clear what tests and, most importantly, which doctors can prescribe them and in what quantity. Because it turned out that there were no restrictions at all, doctors prescribed tests that should not have been prescribed. It is not the laboratory that should decide what to do and what not to do, there should be a system that simply does not allow prescribing something wrong,” he said.
According to Skavronsky, one of the most popular tests funded by the budget in 2024 was vitamin D tests, of which the laboratory performed about 100 thousand.
“I don’t think Ukraine is such a rich country to cover vitamin D tests in such volumes at the expense of taxpayers. But doctors prescribe them. Why doctors prescribe them is a bigger question for doctors and pharmaceutical companies,” he emphasized.
Skavronsky also emphasized that the implementation of the proposals developed by the laboratory allowed “not only not to increase the tariff, but even to reduce it.”
“As a private laboratory, we would be ready to work with tariffs that are 15% lower, but subject to clear criteria. In recent years, we have heard that money follows the patient, but over the past year, especially in the first quarter, we have seen that money does not follow the patient,” he said.
For his part, Vadym Zukin, Chief Operating Officer of the Leleka Multidisciplinary Medical Center, reminded that Leleka is the only medical center in Ukraine that has international JCI accreditation, and the clinic received its latest confirmation at the end of 2024.
“Literally two months before the full-scale invasion began, the Minister of Health and his deputy came to us and we discussed how these standards could be implemented for other market players. But now it seems that the state is sailing its own ship, and we are trying to catch up with the Ministry of Health and convince it of something,” he explained the situation.
Zukin emphasized that “the state should realize that it is more profitable for it to become a purchaser of medical services rather than a provider and not to invest in fixed assets, since private companies already have these funds.”
He also suggested that the NHSU should enter into longer-term contracts for participation in the PMG.
“Currently, certain PMG packages will have three-year contracts, which is better than one year, but it means nothing, because in Europe and the US they think in terms of seven years, 10 years, 15 years,” he said.
Zukin believes that “now the reform has started to move a little bit in the opposite direction from the notion that money follows patients, and I would like to bring it back in the right direction.”
For her part, Oleksandra Mashkevych, medical director of the Dobrobut medical network, noted that the network is a major taxpayer, employing 3,000 people, including 1,300 doctors. At the same time, 131 employees have been mobilized from Dobrobut and the clinic continues to pay their salaries.
“We are recognized by the Ministry of Health as critical infrastructure. In 2024, we invested almost UAH 0.5 billion in our development, most of which was spent on our energy efficiency. I would like to note that investments in energy efficiency in state and municipal institutions are not made at their own expense, but at the expense of the state or donors or sponsors. We do it on our own,” she said.
At the same time, Mashkevych emphasized that Dobrobut’s cooperation with the NHSU is “quite interesting.” In particular, the clinic has been contracted for a package of assisted reproductive technologies, under which 300 patients have completed treatment cycles and almost 45% of women have already confirmed pregnancy status.
“The tariff for this service was too low for us, we worked in the red, realizing that we were lending a hand to the state, in fact, we gave the state the opportunity to use our facilities to provide free medical services. We had long rounds of negotiations with the NHSU, the Ministry of Health, and the Ministry of Finance, and they heard us and increased the tariff. This tariff does not cover all our expenses, but we continue to work with it,” she said.
Commenting on the plans to work with the NHSU, Mashkevich noted that Dobrobut plans to expand its participation in the UHI-2025 and is waiting for the NHSU’s decision on contracting for new packages.
At the same time, Mashkevych called it a positive decision to allow private institutions to use the state unified portal of medical vacancies launched by the Ministry of Health.
The press conference was organized by the Interfax-Ukraine agency and the Association of Private Medical Institutions.
Afanasieva, Bereznitsky, CLINIC, MASHKEVYCH, MEDICINE, Ministry of Health, Skavronsky, URAKIN, Yeshchenko, Гавриченко, Зукін
The number of commercial flights in the European Union in 2024 amounted to 6.7 million, which is 5.8% higher than the previous year, according to the EU Statistical Office. However, their number remained below the 7 million mark recorded in the pre-pandemic year of 2019.
Irregular flights, such as charters, accounted for 8.7% of the total number of flights. The peak was in the summer months: in June, their share was 10.3%, in July – 10.7%, and in August – 10.1%.
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport handled the largest number of flights last year (484 thousand). This is followed by Paris Charles de Gaulle (463 thousand) and Frankfurt am Main Airport (437 thousand). The top ten airports in terms of traffic also include Madrid, Barcelona, Munich, Rome, Athens, Vienna, and Dublin.
Eurostat’s definition of commercial air travel includes passenger, cargo, and mail flights.
At a meeting on February 17, the shareholders of Arsenal Insurance (Kyiv) plan to decide to allocate UAH 50.1 million of profit for 2021 for dividends, according to the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC).
As noted in the draft decision of the meeting, given that the company complies with the solvency capital requirements, there are no significant risks of violation.
The amount of dividends per ordinary share is planned to be approved at UAH 167. To establish that dividends shall be paid directly to shareholders in proportion to the number of shares owned by each of them within a period not exceeding six months from the date of adoption of such a decision.
Arsenal Insurance is the legal successor of Arsenal-Dnipro, which has been operating in Ukraine since 2005. It is represented in all regional centers and some major cities of the country.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine, the company is among the top ten insurers in Ukraine in terms of premiums collected in the first nine months of 2024.
