INGO Insurance Company has finally completed the process of compensation for losses after the high-profile fire that occurred in the winter of 2024 at the production facilities of Viktor & K (Korolivsky Smak brand) in Kirovograd region.
According to the insurance company, the total payout amounted to UAH 81.4 million. This is one of the largest insurance payments in the industrial insurance sector in recent times.
The company clarifies that during the fire that occurred on February 15, 2024, in the village of Vlasivka in Kirovograd region, the fire completely destroyed the oil press shop, the finished product warehouse and all the technological equipment inside. The buildings are beyond repair after the fire. According to law enforcement officials, the fire was caused by an arson attack by an unidentified person. The criminal case is still ongoing, and there are no results of the investigation yet.
According to the insurance company, the loss settlement process proved to be particularly difficult due to the extent of the damage and the need for an accurate and professional assessment.
The full amount of compensation was paid to the company on July 1. Of the UAH 81.4 million paid out, more than UAH 64 million was for buildings and almost UAH 17 million for equipment.
“This insurance event is one of the largest in the industry in recent years. According to insurance market experts, such precedents are important because they confirm the ability of insurance to support business in difficult conditions,” the information emphasizes.
Viktor & K is known for the Korolivsky Smak brand, which produces mayonnaise, ketchup, sauces and oils.
INGO Insurance Company JSC holds licenses for 18 classes of insurance and has been providing insurance services to both individuals and companies for over 30 years. INGO Insurance Company is among the largest insurance companies in Ukraine in terms of premiums, own assets and insurance claims. Its network includes 25 branches, five offices and nine customer service centers operating in all regions of the country.
Since 2017, the main shareholder is the Ukrainian business group DCH.
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has granted permission to Vitaly Antonov’s Vi.An Holding Limited (Limassol, Cyprus) to acquire control over Kairos Holding LLC, the AMCU press service reported on Facebook.
“The decision to acquire is a logical continuation of our development strategy in the agricultural sector and expansion of the land bank. The interest in Ternopil and Rivne regions, where the land bank of the above-mentioned company is concentrated, is due to both favorable natural and climatic conditions and better yields compared to other regions of Ukraine,” the corporate communications department of OKKO Group commented on the AMCU’s decision.
The company also reminded that it is completing the construction of an elevator with a storage capacity of 60 thousand tons, and a bioethanol plant is under construction, which is expected to start production in the second half of 2026. The facilities are designed to produce 85 thousand tons of bioethanol per year, both for domestic needs and for sale to foreign markets.
In addition, OKKO called the partnership with Gadz-Agro (Ternopil region) an important component of its agricultural portfolio, with which the company is developing agricultural production.
Kairos Holding LLC was founded in 2024 in Lviv. The company specializes in growing cereals, legumes and oilseeds, organizing the construction of buildings, intermediary in the trade of a wide range of goods, wholesale of solid, liquid and gaseous fuels, etc.
According to the Opendatabot service, in 2024, the company received revenue of UAH 1.543 million, a net loss of UAH 1.136 million, has debt obligations of UAH 857.395 million, and assets are estimated at UAH 856.31 million. The authorized capital is UAH 50 thousand. The company employs 1 employee. The beneficiaries are businessmen Bohdan Kuspis and Ivan Kotsyo, who own a number of bakery plants in Lviv and Vinnytsia, restaurants, construction companies, etc.
OKKO Group unites more than 10 diversified businesses in manufacturing, trade, construction, insurance, maintenance and other services. The flagship company of the group is Galnaftogaz, which operates one of the largest filling stations in Ukraine under the OKKO brand, with about 400 filling stations.
The group’s founder and ultimate beneficiary is Vitaliy Antonov.
86,795 newborns in Ukraine and 249,002 deaths – these are the statistics of life and death for the first six months of 2025 published by the Ministry of Justice. Currently, there are 3 deaths per baby, and this situation has remained unchanged over the past 5 years. Most babies are born in the capital, and most often die in Dnipropetrovs’k region.
86,795 babies were born in the last six months. It can be noted that the birth rate has stabilized during the war, as it is almost the same as in the same period last year. Back then, 87,655 little citizens were born in the first half of the year.
However, the overall trend is disappointing: the birth rate has decreased by 2.2 times in ten years. While in 2016, on average, 32 thousand babies were born per month, this year only 14 thousand were born.
Traditionally, most babies are born in Kyiv – 9,947 or 12% of the total number of newborns. Lviv region follows with 8,282 (10%) babies. Dnipropetrovs’k region rounds out the top three with 6,670 (8%).
In some regions of the country, despite the war, there is even a small increase in the birth rate. Kyiv region is the leader with +6% over the year, followed by Lviv region with +5%, and Volyn with +6%.
In general, a small increase is observed in 7 regions of the country.
At the same time, fewer children are expected to be born in regions close to the front line. In Donetsk region, the birth rate has almost halved over the year (-47%), in Kherson region – by 11%, and in Chernihiv region – by 10%.
Traditionally, most boys are born – 51%.
At the same time, 249,002 people died in the first half of the year in Ukraine. The situation has hardly changed over the year. Currently, there are three deaths per newborn. This figure has remained unchanged over the past 5 years. Thus, the country’s population is decreasing by more than 300 thousand annually.
For comparison, in 2016, there were 2 deaths per 1 baby.
Every ninth person in Ukraine dies in Dnipropetrovska oblast – 27,120 deaths, which is consistently the highest rate in Ukraine. The anti-leaders are Kyiv with 18,114 deaths and Kharkiv region with 17,694 deaths.
https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/birth-death-2025
Alliance Novobud has been recognized as one of the best in the capital’s suburbs segment according to the annual rating of developers compiled by the Minfin portal. According to the results of 2024, the developer confidently took the 3rd place among the developers of the suburbs of Kyiv region, proving stability, reliability and high growth rate even in a turbulent market.
This year, the editors have slightly updated the rating methodology, adding several important criteria that allow potential buyers and investors to gain a deeper understanding of the quality of projects and the reliability of developers. Alliance Novobud continues to keep the bar high, demonstrating stable development and responsible attitude to obligations to customers every year.
“Suburban developers have an advantage – today they can build faster and more. But the requirements for them are also growing. Now it is not enough to just build square meters. The winner is the one who creates a high-quality and well-thought-out living space,” emphasized Iryna Mikhalova, CMO of Alliance Novobud.
“Alliance Novobud builds not just square meters, but above all, meaningful spaces for living. We thank our customers and partners for their trust! There are even more important steps and new projects ahead.
Foreign Ministers of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan Bakhtiyor Saidov, Amir Khan Muttaki and Ishaq Dar signed a trilateral framework agreement on the development of a feasibility study for the Trans-Afghanistan Railway project during a meeting in Kabul on Thursday.
“We have signed a trilateral framework agreement on the development of a feasibility study for the Trans-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway project, which is of strategic importance for the whole of Eurasia,” the Uzbek Foreign Minister said in his telegram channel.
He noted that this transportation corridor will improve trade, support Afghanistan’s economic recovery, and open new routes to world markets through southern ports.
According to Saidov, during the meeting, the Uzbek side reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening trade ties, expanding cooperation in agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles and construction, as well as increasing the capacity of the Termez International Trade Center (opened in Uzbekistan near the Afghan border).
As reported, in February 2021, representatives of Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan signed a joint action plan for the construction of the Mazar-e-Sharif-Kabul-Peshawar railway with a length of 573 kilometers and a transit potential of up to 20 million tons of cargo per year following talks in Tashkent.
The World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the Islamic Development Bank, the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) have expressed interest in financing the project.
In April 2024, during Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev’s visit to Moscow, a preliminary agreement was reached on Russia’s participation in the project. The volume of Russian cargo transportation along the projected route can be estimated at 8-15 million tons annually.
According to the Ministry of Transport of Uzbekistan, the construction of the Trans-Afghan railway line will take at least 5 years, with a preliminary cost of $4.8 billion.
AFGHANISTAN, CONSTRUCTION, PAKISTAN, Trans-Afghan railroad, UZBEKISTAN
As of July 18, farmers harvested 7.226 million tons of early grains and legumes from an area of 2.355 million hectares, compared to 2.62 million tons from 919.9 thousand hectares a week earlier, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food reported.
The ministry noted that 4.671 million tons of wheat have already been harvested (against 1.238 million tons a week earlier) from 1.504 million hectares (434.8 thousand hectares), 2.182 million tons of barley (1.153 million tons) from an area of 660.6 thousand hectares (364 thousand hectares), and 362.9 thousand tons of peas (225.1 thousand tons) from 170.8 thousand hectares (119.7 thousand hectares).
Odesa region is the leader in the harvest of grains and pulses, harvesting 2.02 mln tonnes from 722.1 thou hectares, Mykolaiv region – 1.173 mln tonnes from 488.7 thou hectares, Kirovohrad region – 963 thou tonnes from 238.6 thou hectares.
Rapeseed is harvested in 14 regions. The harvested area is 614.1 thsd tonnes (290.1 thsd tonnes) from 360.3 thsd ha (178.9 thsd ha).
As reported, as of July 19, 2024, agrarians of all regions of Ukraine harvested 15.7 mln tonnes of new crop from 4.4 mln ha, including 10.3 mln tonnes of wheat from 2.627 thou. hectares, barley – 3.1 mln tonnes from 824.2 thou hectares, peas – 319.3 thou tonnes from 154.7 thou hectares, rapeseed – 1.8 mln tonnes from 779.1 thou hectares, soybeans – 0.3 thou tonnes from 0.2 thou hectares, millet – 80 tonnes from 50 thou hectares.
wheat, barley
