Ukraine and France have signed seven agreements in the healthcare sector worth a total of EUR 51 million, including the construction of a children’s rehabilitation center in Vinnytsia and the reconstruction of a rehabilitation department in Ladyzhyn (partner – Ginger International, funding amount – EUR 15 million).
According to the Ministry of Health, the agreements also provide for the provision of portable X-ray machines to 75 medical institutions in 5 regions: Kharkiv, Sumy, Dnipro, Mykolaiv and Odesa (partner – DMS Imaging, the amount of funding is EUR 10.98 million), providing 58 hospitals throughout Ukraine with the latest technologies for rehabilitation after amputations (partner – Dessintey, the amount of funding is EUR 8 million).
Also, agreements were signed for the purchase of 700 mechanized cardiopulmonary resuscitation devices (EUR 5.92 million), development of telemedicine networks in Odesa, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kharkiv and Zhytomyr regions (partner – C3Medical, amount of funding – EUR 4.35 million), creation of a network of autonomous micro-clinics based on rehabilitation facilities in Kyiv, Lviv and Poltava (partner – Schiller Medical, the amount of funding is EUR 4.1 million), as well as provision of 150 ultrasound diagnostic systems in medical institutions in all regions of Ukraine (partner – Sonoscanner, the amount of funding is EUR 2.98 million).
The Ministry of Health notes that, taking into account the agreements signed today, France has allocated a total of EUR 130 million to support the medical sector of Ukraine. The projects will be funded by the French government and implemented through French medical companies.
The grant agreement between the French and Ukrainian governments provides for the implementation of 12 more projects in the areas of infrastructure, energy, demining, and water supply worth about €149 million.
Central Plains Group (CPG) (Lviv region), which includes a modern starch plant, has started the 2025 season, the company’s press service reported on Facebook.
“On March 27, the potato planting season started at CPG,” the company said in a statement.
Central Plains Group clarified that 1.3 thousand hectares of chips, starch, table and seed potatoes are planned to be planted in 2025.
CPG Group started operating in the Lviv region in 2006, and initially grew potatoes on 100 hectares, as well as cereals, rapeseed and sugar beet. In 2021, a potato storage facility with a capacity of 23 thousand tons was put into operation in Lviv region, and in 2022, a starch plant near Lviv with a capacity of 10 thousand tons per year was launched. The area under potatoes averages 1000 hectares.
The main investors in CPG are a group of European potato growers: Mark Laird, Diarmid Johnston, Kate Dawson, Richard Janaway, Alastair Stewart, Oleg Drin, Vince Gillingham.
In recent years, Serbia has been actively granting citizenship to foreign nationals, especially from Russia, using the naturalization procedure as an exception. According to the Law on Citizenship of the Republic of Serbia, the government may grant citizenship to individuals if their admission is of interest to the state.
According to the Serbian media outlet Nedeljnik, at least four Russian oligarchs were granted Serbian citizenship in 2025:
Oleg Boyko – estimated to be worth $1.5 billion.
Sergei Lomakin – worth about $1.2 billion.
Yevgeny Strshalkovsky and Yuri Kushnerov – the exact amounts are not disclosed, but are likely to be several hundred million dollars.
The decision to grant citizenship was made by the Serbian government under the leadership of former Prime Minister Milos Vucevic. The formal basis for this was “interest for the Republic of Serbia”, according to Article 19 of the Law on Citizenship. However, the specific reasons and criteria for these individuals to receive Serbian passports remain unclear, especially given the lack of information about their previous business ties to Serbia.
So far, there is no data on whether the new Serbian citizens plan to develop business in the country. However, experts speculate that the granting of citizenship may be related to the desire to attract investment and capital to Serbia. In recent years, Russian entrepreneurs have been actively buying up real estate in Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Serbian resorts.
Statistics on citizenship and residence permits for Russians:
2022: Of the 84 foreign nationals who received Serbian citizenship by government decision, almost two-thirds were Russians.
From February 2022 to December 2024: Russian citizens submitted 73,197 applications for temporary residence in Serbia, of which more than 90% were approved.
February 2025: The number of Russians actually living in Serbia is estimated at 80,000-110,000.
Reasons for granting citizenship
Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has previously stated that the accelerated granting of citizenship to Russians and Ukrainians is due to a shortage of labor in the country. Priority is given to those who open companies and create jobs for Serbian citizens. However, in the case of Russian billionaires, it is unclear how their citizenship contributes to the development of the Serbian economy.
Thus, Serbia continues to use the granting of citizenship as a tool to attract investment and business ties. However, the lack of transparency in the criteria for naturalization raises questions about the real motives behind such decisions. Against the backdrop of the geopolitical situation, the interest of Russian businessmen in the Serbian passport is likely to be related not only to investment opportunities, but also to the possibility of obtaining a new legal status in Europe.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/755
Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) has signed two agreements to supply 32 thousand tons of rails from China as part of the relevant tenders.
According to UZ, for the first time since 2021, it has conducted a successful competitive purchase of rails through open bidding in the Prozorro system.
“In January 2025, two contracts were signed for the supply of 32 thousand tons of this critically important product. These volumes will be enough to build and repair about 245 km of tracks,” the press release states.
It is specified that under the contract, the price of the rail is $960 per ton (excluding VAT), which is significantly cheaper than previous contracts.
“Our experts visited the rail production site in China, where the first batch of 16 thousand tons has already been rolled, and conducted a detailed inspection of the products and familiarized themselves with the production process. The rail will be shipped from the port in April, and we expect it to arrive in Ukraine in three months,” the statement said.
As of April 4, Ukraine sowed 926 thousand hectares of spring grains and legumes, up 8.7% year-on-year, and started sowing sunflower, the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reported on Friday.
According to the report, 116.5 thousand hectares were planted with wheat (79.8 thousand hectares a week earlier), 551.8 thousand hectares with barley (315.5 thousand hectares), 164.3 thousand hectares with peas (102.9 thousand hectares), and 82.3 thousand hectares with oats (50.7 thousand hectares).
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, Odesa region is the leader in terms of sowing rates, having sown spring crops on 92.3.1 thou hectares, Ternopil region – 87.4 thou hectares, Poltava region – 83.2 thou hectares, Mykolaiv region – 73.6 thou hectares, Vinnytsia region – 72.6 thou hectares.
In addition, 33 thou hectares have already been planted with sunflower, 64.8 thou hectares with sugar beet, and 2.6 thou hectares with soybeans.
The Ministry reminded that in general, in 2025, it is planned to plant more than 5.7 mln ha of spring grains and legumes, which corresponds to the level of 2024. The main feature of the new season will be an increase in the area under spring wheat by 28%, to 222.8 thou hectares. Such changes in the crop structure are in line with the stable demand from processing companies and exporters.
As reported, as of April 4, 2024, the total area under spring grains and pulses was 852.1 thsd ha. Peas were planted on 119.0 thou hectares, barley – on 543.2 thou hectares, wheat – on 118.3 thou hectares, oats – on 62.4 thou hectares.
On April 3, the Finance Ministry announced a tender for voluntary insurance of motor vehicles (CASCO), according to the Prozorro e-procurement system.
The total expected cost of the service is 143 thousand UAH. The last day for accepting bids is April 11.
