The head of the Association of Small Cities of Ukraine, Pavlo Kozyrev, presented a national platform for rapid communication between communities, businesses, government agencies, and international partners called “Supermarket of Solutions for Communities.”
“This is a unique example of public-private partnership in the field of communication. We have created a space that brings together municipalities, businesses, donors, and experts, ensuring systematic cooperation and quality feedback,” Kozirev said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Thursday.
According to him, the “Supermarket of Solutions” platform began operating on January 18, 2022, and after the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, it was transformed into a tool for humanitarian cooperation between communities and foreign partners.
“In the first months of the war, the platform became a channel of communication between Ukrainian communities and cities in other countries. It was through this platform that deliveries of clothing, medicines, equipment, and generators were organized. Now, the ”Supermarket of Solutions” is a digital ecosystem with over 17,500 registered users working in 27 thematic sections. Among the most visited areas are energy sustainability, grant support, and the use of artificial intelligence in municipal management,” he said
The AMMU chairman noted that the platform is a useful tool for a wide range of users.
“For businesses, the platform is a point of entry into the municipal market. For authorities and donors, it is an effective means of feedback from communities. And for municipalities, it is a space for finding partners, resources, and modern solutions for development,” he explained.
Kozyrev noted that the structure of the “Solution Supermarket” provides for two types of participants: speakers (solution providers) and residents (consumers, i.e., community representatives).
“Each user has a personal account. We also have a ‘warehouse’ where speakers can leave their presentations, manuals, analytical materials — anything that may be useful to communities. And all of this is available 24/7,” he added.
Separately, the head of the Association spoke about special sections of the platform, in particular the “League of Communities” — a training program for the professional development of municipal employees, the “Mayor’s Office,” where community leaders communicate in a club format, and the “Self-Renewal” section, dedicated to psychological support for local government employees.
“We understand that working in city hall is like being on a second front. Our job is to help people avoid burnout. In just nine months of 2025, 551 online events were held, attended by an average of 46 communities. The number of new users exceeded 3,300. As of now, the total number of users (municipal employees) of the platform is 17,510,” Kozirev emphasized.
According to him, the platform is open to anyone who wants to contribute to community development — businesses, experts, donors, non-governmental organizations, and municipalities.
The Association of Small Cities of Ukraine has been operating since 1997 as a nationwide public association that supports the development of local self-government and the implementation of innovative solutions in communities.
The “Supermarket of Solutions for Communities” platform operates on a public-private partnership model: it is free for communities to use, and is financed by businesses, which are given the opportunity to present their products to municipalities.
AMMU (ASSOCIATION_OF_SMALL_TOWNS_OF_UKRAINE), SUPERMARKET_OF_SOLUTIONS, КОЗЫРЕВ
Rapeseed processing in Ukraine in 2024/2025 MY amounted to 0.5 million tons, or 14% of rapeseed production, according to the Ukroliyaprom association.
“It was not possible to use rapeseed for processing, as in the previous marketing year (when a record amount of over 1.0 million tons was processed), due to its massive export (almost 90% of its production). 3.1 million tons of rapeseed were exported, or over 86% of its production. Only over 0.5 million tons, or 14% of rapeseed production, was processed,” the industry association said.
Ukroliyaprom added that rapeseed oil exports in the 2024/2025 season amounted to 210,400 tons, worth $194 million, of which 153,500 tons (worth $144.1 million) were shipped to EU countries.
The top 10 countries purchasing Ukrainian rapeseed oil included China (48.3 thousand tons), Poland (46.1 thousand tons), Belgium (26.5 thousand tons), Lithuania (23.1 thousand tons), the Netherlands (15.2 thousand tons), Spain (13 thousand tons), Italy (9 thousand tons), Bulgaria (8.2 thousand tons), Germany (4.3 thousand tons), and Latvia (3.6 thousand tons).
Exports of rapeseed meal in 2024/2025 MY amounted to 218.5 thousand tons worth $53.9 million at an average price of $246.7 per ton. At the same time, 86.9% of rapeseed meal was supplied to EU countries, 9.9% was purchased by Israel, and 3.2% by Turkey.
The main importers of rapeseed meal were Spain (95.7 thousand tons), Hungary (39.7 thousand tons), Lithuania (21.4 thousand tons), France (15 thousand tons), Italy (5.9 thousand tons), Poland (5.5 thousand tons), Israel (21.8 thousand tons), and Turkey (6.9 thousand tons).
The processing season for rapeseed harvested in 2025 began in July of this year. In July-August, only about 60 thousand tons of rapeseed were processed into oil, which allowed for the production and export of 25.0 thousand tons of rapeseed oil.
At the same time, in September 2025, under the conditions of export duties on rapeseed, its processing at domestic enterprises increased to a record monthly volume of 250 thousand tons. According to Ukroliyaprom’s estimates, production reached 120,000 tons, of which 108,800 tons were exported for $121.9 million. This represents a 2.8- and 3.3-fold increase over the same period last year. The cost of one ton of exported oil increased in the current marketing year compared to the previous one to $1,120.4 per ton, or by $171.4 per ton.
The main consumers of Ukrainian rapeseed oil in September 2025 were EU countries, which imported 92 thousand tons from Ukraine, or 84.5% of the total exports of this product from Ukraine.
Among EU countries, the largest importers were the Netherlands, which purchased 29,000 tons of rapeseed oil, accounting for 27% of total exports, Belgium – 15,500 tons (14.2%), Spain – 14, 4 thousand tons (13.2%), and Poland – 13.5 thousand tons (12.4%).
16.8 thousand tons (15.5%) were exported to other countries, in particular, 13.9 thousand tons (15.5%) were exported to Singapore.
Ukroliyaprom reminded that on September 4, 2025, amendments to the law “On Export Duty Rates on Seeds of Certain Oil Crops” came into force, approving export duty rates of 10% of the customs value of goods for soybeans (UKTZED code 1201) and rapeseed (UKTZED code 1205). The association expressed hope for further positive results in the processing of rapeseed and soybeans, provided that the conditions for their processing remain in place.
The Verkhovna Rada’s vote to extend the powers of local authorities is both a sign of institutional stability and a potential threat of corruption. This opinion was expressed by experts during a discussion on the legitimacy of extending the term of local councils, as well as the possible legal consequences and political risks of this step.
“No one is expecting the war to end tomorrow, so the issue of extending the powers of local councils is debatable. One can criticize this decision, but one can also say that, given the current circumstances, the deputies did what was necessary to signal to foreign partners and Ukrainian society that there is continuity of power in Ukraine and that there is no power vacuum. On the other hand, there are shameful practices that many representatives of the deputy corps have shown in terms of corruption and abuse, and, unfortunately, this decision, in addition to confirming the legitimacy of local authorities, empowers looters, swindlers, schemers, and many representatives of the authorities to continue their machinations and abuses,” said Oleksiy Usachov, chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Politics Institute and political consultant, at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Friday.
Gatne village head Oleksandr Palamarchuk, in turn, drew attention to the actual paralysis of the normal electoral process.
“Today, it is very difficult and almost impossible to hold elections during the war. First of all, because many people, local residents, are fighting, many have left the country or moved to other regions. In addition, holding elections during bombings and drone strikes puts a large number of people at risk. Therefore, yesterday’s vote by the Verkhovna Rada confirms the logical actions during a full-scale war in Ukraine,” he said.
According to local government expert Ivan Fursenko, it is impossible to hold representative elections without ending the hostilities and updating demographic data.
“The extension of the powers of local councils is an absolutely logical decision by the Verkhovna Rada, since both the President of Ukraine and the Verkhovna Rada itself continue to perform their functions. It would be a big surprise to our international partners if local authorities ceased their powers and we began to prepare for elections. The problem lies not only in security, but also in the fact that, unfortunately, we do not have complete data: how many people are internally displaced, how many have left the country, where they are, and how to organize the electoral process,” Fursenko emphasized.
Lawyer and member of parliament in the 5th and 6th convocations Valery Bondik, in turn, drew the attention of the participants in the discussion to the fact that the extension of the term of office does not relieve local councils of their responsibilities.
“It is now a matter of debate that local councils will not be elected, but there are reasons and grounds for this — there is a war going on, no census has been conducted, etc. We can endure this, but at the same time, local councils must work responsibly. They cannot be eternal and must understand that before completing their work, they must report to the people. Because when the authorities report to the people, this is the main lever that can be used to influence the authorities, who sometimes abuse their constitutional powers,” he added.
Veteran Oleksandr Magdych expressed a critical attitude towards the extension of powers without elections, instead proposing participation in combat operations as a moral criterion.
“If the Verkhovna Rada wanted us to live in justice, to raise morale and mobilization rates, it would have been necessary to immediately adopt amendments to the legislation and say: in the next elections, only those who directly participated in combat operations can run for deputies of village, city, and regional councils. That would be wonderful and fair. This is my wish and that of our veteran community,” he emphasized.
The press conference was organized by the My Kyiv Region Information Agency, the Ukrainian Politics Institute, the Ukrainian Community Charitable Foundation, and the Active Group sociological company.
The Ukrainian Red Cross (URC) is helping victims in Kanev after a Russian air attack.
“This night Cherkassy region was also attacked. Rapid response squad and team of Cherkassy regional organization of the Ukrainian Red Cross together with the State Emergency Situations Department of Ukraine in Cherkassy region and Cherkassy regional military administration are assisting the victims,” the UCC said on Facebook on Friday.
The UCC aid station is operating, where volunteers are preparing hot drinks, providing water and snacks for rescuers and local residents. People whose homes were damaged are receiving OSB boards, film, blankets and other materials from the Ukrainian Red Cross to temporarily repair damaged houses. Volunteers of the rapid response squad are also ready to provide first pre-medical and psychological assistance if needed. The mobile medical brigade team provides medical consultations and stabilizes the condition of victims who seek help.
According to the Cherkasy regional military administration, a school, a kindergarten and at least seven high-rise buildings have been damaged in Kanev. The destruction of critical infrastructure left part of the community without gas, water and heat. Ukraine’s State Emergency Situations Service said 10 people were injured in the massive Russian attack, among them a 10-year-old boy.
During his speech at LUN Conference 2025, Oleksandr Ovcharenko, co-owner of Standard One, shared his vision of the development of the Ukrainian real estate market.
According to him, the number of projects will continue to decline, and developers should focus on creating products that provide predictable cash flow and build investor confidence.
“We will see a return of buyer and investor confidence. However, investors are becoming more demanding, looking for a balance between price, area, quality, product readiness and, above all, predictable profitability and payback,” said Ovcharenko.
He emphasized that the winner is not the developer who sells cheaply, but the one who transparently explains and communicates the value for which the investor should pay. After all, prices will continue to rise due to high production costs. Today, there is a certain imbalance in the market: when the cost of production is growing faster than the selling price. This forces many developers to temporarily suspend the launch of new projects and wait for better conditions.
Despite the difficult situation, the co-owner of Standard One sees the prospect of a gradual return of mass and institutional investors to the market.
“If a product that combines capitalization with a rental approach and is able to provide a stable cash flow is launched on the market, it attracts a lot of interest from investors. That is why Standard One was the first in Ukraine to research and implement projects in the build-to-rent format,” said Oleksandr Ovcharenko.
A separate topic for discussion was construction financing. According to Oleksandr, cross-financing is the first step to bankruptcy, so Standard One has abandoned this approach. The project uses its own financing system, in particular through installment programs, as buyers increasingly expect flexible and loyal terms.
This year, Standard One launched a new product on the market – S1 REIT. This is a proprietary investment instrument that diversifies sales sources by raising funds through collective investment institutions. It gives investors the opportunity to invest profitably in a liquid product or, having accumulated a certain number of certificates, to exchange them for an apartment. This expands investment opportunities for different categories of investors.
For reference:
Standard One (S1) is a full-cycle development company that has been developing the build-to-rent segment in Kyiv since 2016. The portfolio includes the completed S1 VDNH project and new buildings S1 Obolon, S1 Terminal, S1 Nyvky.
The V.P. Filatov Institute of Eye Diseases and Tissue Therapy of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, the Odessa Regional Development Agency, CheckEye, and MedCapitalGroup have signed a memorandum of cooperation in the field of preventive medicine and the introduction of innovative technologies in healthcare.
As reported to Interfax-Ukraine by the Filatov Institute, the goal of the partnership is to create a modern model for the early detection of complications of diabetes, in particular diabetic retinopathy, one of the most dangerous factors in vision loss.
The memorandum defines areas of joint work, such as the introduction of artificial intelligence-based mass screening systems for diabetic retinopathy, the organization of training events for doctors, the conduct of informational and scientific-practical campaigns in communities in the Odessa region, and the promotion of preventive medicine among the population.
Special attention was paid to the development of international cooperation during the discussion.
V.P. Filatova already has significant experience in partnering with leading global medical institutions. In particular, in 2025, an agreement was signed with the Oftacentro SA clinic (Lugano, Switzerland) to conduct joint research on the early detection of diabetic retinopathy with the participation of the CheckEye startup.
“The signing of the memorandum was an important step in the formation of a preventive medicine system in the Odessa region. The combination of the scientific potential of the V.P. Filatov Institute, the technological solutions of CheckEye, the expertise of MedCapitalGroup, and the project support of the Agency creates a solid foundation for improving the quality of medical services, early diagnosis, and the health of the population,” the institute emphasized.
The initiative is being implemented with institutional support from the Swiss-Ukrainian project “Cohesion and Regional Development of Ukraine” (UCORD), which is being implemented with the support of Switzerland through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and NIRAS Sweden AB.
