The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense estimates that defense spending will rise to $175 billion in 2027 from $155 billion in 2026; the government’s draft state budget currently allocates $100 billion, First Deputy Minister of Finance Roman Yermolichev said during a budget discussion organized by the Center for Economic Strategy that week.
“There is a need for $70 billion. And here, various instruments must be utilized, including cooperation with international partners, not only to attract funding but also to use various instruments that have been in place for the past four years: ‘Ramstein,’ PURL, and all other mechanisms related to the procurement of military equipment,” the First Deputy Minister noted.
He emphasized that when planning defense expenditures in the 2027 draft state budget, the Ministry of Finance significantly changed its approach compared to previous years, when initial allocations were set below actual needs.
“We have now changed this situation and increased funding for the defense sector immediately: funding has been increased by 518 billion hryvnia—that is, from 4.4 trillion to 4.9 trillion hryvnia next year,” said Yermolichev.
The First Deputy Minister explained that the 2026 state budget does not currently include an additional 300 billion hryvnias for the payment of military pay—which was increased as of July 1—and defense-related social benefits, which will be financed from domestic sources, but this 300 billion UAH has already been included in the 518 billion UAH increase in defense spending in the draft 2027 state budget.
At the same time, he clarified that the calculations were made without taking into account the factor of an increase in military personnel, which is difficult to predict.
“Therefore, we hope that by the beginning of the year, we will be in a more or less stable position. Additionally, we have increased the allocation to the Reserve Fund under the Ministry of Finance: this year, we allocated approximately 140 billion hryvnias from the General Fund, whereas for next year, we have already allocated 200 billion hryvnias from the General Fund,” Yermolichev concluded.
As previously reported, the funding shortfall for the Ministry of Defense’s stated $155 billion war requirement for 2026 was, until recently, estimated at $27 billion, but Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky and the Ministry of Finance stated that $7 billion—or about 300 billion hryvnias—of this amount has been secured through domestic resources, specifically the Ministry of Finance’s Reserve Fund.
As for next year, according to the agency “Interfax-Ukraine,” out of the $70–75 billion in war-related expenditures not covered by the state budget, sources of funding have been identified for approximately $20 billion, while the remainder still needs to be secured.
DEFENSE, FUNDING, Ministry of Defense, STATE BUDGET, UKRAINE
In January–August 2026, Ukraine increased its imports of tin and tin products 2.4-fold compared to the same period last year, reaching $6.352 million.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine, imports of tin and tin products in August totaled $830,000.
Exports of tin and tin products in January–August 2026 totaled $740,000, and in August—$45,000, compared to $104,000 in January–August 2025.
As previously reported, Ukraine increased its imports of tin and tin products by 36.5% in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching $4.352 million. Exports of tin and tin products totaled $241,000, compared to $389,000 for the 12 months of 2024.
Tin is used primarily as a safe, non-toxic, corrosion-resistant coating, either in its pure form or in alloys with other metals. The main industrial applications of tin are in tinplate (tinned iron) for the manufacture of food packaging, in solders for electronics, in plumbing pipes, in bearing alloys, and in coatings made of tin and its alloys. The most important tin alloy is bronze (with copper).
Starting January 1, 2027, the UK will significantly reduce government support for the Homes for Ukraine program: monthly payments to British households providing housing to Ukrainians will drop from £350 to £100, according to The Guardian.
As a result, the so-called “thank you payment” will be reduced by 71.4%.
The new rules will apply to both current hosts already participating in Homes for Ukraine and new participants in the program.
At the same time, the British government is also cutting funding to local authorities responsible for implementing the program. The payment to municipalities per arriving Ukrainian will decrease from 5,900 to 3,300.
According to The Guardian, since the launch of Homes for Ukraine in March 2022, 181,000 of the approximately 234,000 Ukrainians who arrived in the UK after the start of the full-scale war have received support through the program. The British government has already allocated more than £1.81 billion to implement the program.
The funding cut is raising concerns among Ukrainians and host families about the program’s continued ability to provide free housing. Program participants interviewed by The Guardian said that the reduction in payments could force some hosts to withdraw from the program.
As one option for continued residency, the British government suggests that hosts could transition from their current status to a standard landlord-tenant relationship, under which Ukrainians would pay for their housing themselves.
This could be a particularly sensitive issue for elderly Ukrainians, people with disabilities, and low-income families, who would find it difficult to pay rent on their own in the British housing market.
It is important to note that the £350 is not rent paid to Ukrainians, but a government payment to the host household. Only one such payment may be made per address, regardless of the number of guests staying there.
For Ukrainians who have transitioned from the Homes for Ukraine visa to the Ukraine Permission Extension (UPE) program, payments to the host may be made for no more than 18 months from the date the guest first transitioned to UPE. After this period, the government’s “thank you payment” ceases.
Homes for Ukraine was launched by the British government on March 14, 2022. The program allowed UK residents to provide Ukrainians with housing in their homes or separate properties, while receiving a monthly compensation payment from the government.
The Bitget cryptocurrency exchange lost approximately $351.6 million as a result of a cyberattack on its wallet infrastructure, marking one of the largest incidents in the crypto industry in 2026.
According to Bitget CEO Gracie Chen, the attackers managed to compromise a critical backend component of the exchange’s wallet infrastructure, after which they tampered with transaction data and triggered the internal withdrawal authorization process.
However, according to preliminary findings from the company’s investigation, the wallets’ private keys were not compromised.
The attack affected Bitget’s hot and so-called warm wallets. Cold wallets, in which funds are stored offline, remained secure.
After detecting the attack, the exchange halted further unauthorized transfers. Trading and deposits continued to function, but withdrawals were temporarily suspended while security checks were conducted.
Bitget stated that user losses will be covered by its own User Protection Fund, which exceeded $464 million at the time of the incident.
The attack’s uniqueness lies in its mechanism. In major cryptocurrency hacks, attackers often gain access to private keys and then directly sign transactions to withdraw assets.
In the case of Bitget, according to the exchange’s management, the attackers—rather than obtaining the keys—forced the internal system to accept fraudulent transfer data as legitimate transactions.
The incident has once again demonstrated that the security of centralized cryptocurrency platforms depends not only on the protection of private keys and cold storage of assets. Backend infrastructure, transaction authorization systems, and internal control mechanisms also remain potential points of attack.
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has refined the procedure for determining the maximum production capacity of equipment used to produce ethyl alcohol and bioethanol, according to the industry publication SEEDS.
The government adopted the corresponding resolution on September 23, 2026. The new rules are intended to ensure a more accurate and technically sound calculation of equipment capacity. This metric is used to determine the guaranteed excise tax liability for alcohol and bioethanol producers.
In particular, the calculations now require determining the actual capacity of processing equipment and taking it into account. The regulations also clarify which changes to equipment should be considered a change in its maximum capacity.
The government has established a mechanism for performing the updated calculation and provided for the possibility of accounting for permissible deviations in actual capacity related to the specifics of the production process or the characteristics of measuring instruments.
One of the most significant changes is the allowance for actual production capacity of process equipment to deviate from the calculated maximum production capacity by up to 3% inclusive.
In addition, the procedure for applying coefficients related to the cleaning and disinfection of production equipment has been clarified. Calculations will take into account the possibility of performing such work during scheduled production shutdowns.
The government explains the need for these changes by citing the technological characteristics of the alcohol industry. The actual productivity of equipment may be influenced by the characteristics of the raw materials used, auxiliary materials, seasonal changes in energy source parameters, and other factors, which in and of themselves do not imply a change in the enterprise’s maximum technical productivity.
Thus, the updated procedure must simultaneously take into account both the technical characteristics of the equipment and the actual technological conditions of ethyl alcohol and bioethanol production.
The mechanism for determining maximum production capacity was introduced by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 350 of March 28, 2025, in accordance with amendments to tax legislation regarding the specifics of excise taxation of ethyl alcohol and bioethanol. The calculation is performed by an authorized state agency based on the technical and technological parameters of production.
According to the government’s assessment, updating the methodology should increase the predictability of operating conditions for alcohol and bioethanol producers and ensure a more accurate determination of the indicators used to calculate excise tax liabilities.
ALCOHOL, Bioethanol, CABINET OF MINISTERS, EXCISE TAX, UKRAINE
In Hungary, starting January 1, 2027, the VAT rate for certain new housing units may increase from the current reduced rate of 5% to the standard rate of 27%, which will put additional pressure on the prices of apartments in new buildings, according to local media reports.
The current preferential rate of 5% applies to new apartments with an area of up to 150 square meters and single-family homes with an area of up to 300 square meters that meet the established requirements. According to an official clarification from the Hungarian National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV), this regime, in its current form, remains in effect until December 31, 2026.
After that, the standard VAT rate of 27% will apply to properties that do not meet the conditions of the transition period.
However, a significant portion of projects already underway will be able to retain the tax benefit until the end of 2030. Specifically, the 5% rate may apply after December 31, 2026, if the required building permit has become final by the end of 2026. Transitional provisions are also in place for projects implemented under the construction notification procedure.
As a result, the Hungarian market may effectively feature new construction projects with varying tax burdens simultaneously, depending on the project’s start date and legal status.
The potential impact on housing prices could be significant. An apartment costing 100 million forints, taking into account the current 5% VAT rate, has a pre-tax price of approximately 95.2 million forints. If a 27% rate were applied to the same base, the final price would be approximately 121 million forints. The theoretical difference is about 21 million forints, or approximately 58,000 euros.
However, the actual price increase may be smaller, as developers may absorb part of the additional tax burden themselves in the face of weakening demand.
A decline in buyer activity is already being observed in the market. According to data from the National Bank of Hungary, the number of real estate transactions in the first quarter of 2026 fell by 18% compared to the same period the previous year. According to Duna House estimates, approximately 8,100 residential real estate transactions were concluded in August—13.1% fewer than in July and 29% fewer than a year earlier.
At the same time, developers are accelerating the preparation of new projects. In the first half of 2026, permits were issued and notifications were registered in Hungary for the construction of 16,588 residential units, which is 29% more than during the same period in 2025.
The change in the tax regime does not directly affect the resale housing market. However, the widening price gap between new projects subject to a 27% VAT rate, properties retaining the 5% rate, and the resale market may affect the structure of demand and housing prices overall.
Certain new apartments in officially designated “rust belt action areas” will remain an exception: provided they meet the requirements established for them, the preferential 5% rate will continue to apply even after January 1, 2027.
