Holding mass events in Kyiv from August 22 to 25 is prohibited due to the high probability of rocket attacks on the city by Russian invaders, according to the order of the head of the military administration of the city Nikolai Zhirnov.
“From August 22 to 25, to prohibit the holding of mass events, peaceful meetings, rallies and other events related to a large gathering of people,” the document says.
It also contains an appeal to the local authorities of Kyiv with a request to involve the minimum necessary number of people in ensuring the life of the city during this period. For more information about the analysis and announcement of future events, see the video reviews of the Club of Experts on YouTube
The Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine is working on the integration of Polish electronic documents into the Ukrainian system, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mikhail Fedorov said.
“We will now work to ensure that Polish electronic documents can be received and read in Ukraine,” he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Monday.
He noted that Ukraine and Poland are now gaining unique experience not only within their states, but also in the interstate data exchange.
“This is the first case when two states create such an interesting exchange of a new format with the sharing of documents from one mobile application to another. And this opens up great opportunities for us in the European Union, because now the direction of electronic documents in the EU is being studied, and we are involved in working groups that deal with these issues,” the minister said.
In turn, the Secretary of State for Digitalization, the Government Commissioner for Cyber Security of Poland, Janusz Cieszynski, noted that he believes in the digitality of the future, and said that the Ukrainian and Polish sides are considering the possibility of expanding cooperation.
Fedorov also thanked Tseshinskiy for his help with the free receipt of Starlink terminals by Ukraine, saying that Ukraine had already received 13,000 units. and another 5 thousand will be transferred in the near future. According to the minister, the Polish side also assumed obligations to support the operation of these terminals.
At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Digital Development noted that Ukraine needs at least another “half of the existing number” of Starlink terminals to ensure stable communications in wartime conditions.
Export of agricultural products from Ukraine in the context of the Russian military invasion could reach 5 million tons per month due to increased shipments through the unblocked Black Sea ports, but an estimate of 3.5-4.5 million tons per month looks more realistic.
As reported on the website of the consulting agency Ukragroconsult on Monday, the current 2022/23 marketing year (MY, July-June) will be non-standard due to the absence of traditional seasonal export peaks that occur as the harvest progresses.
“If you look at monthly exports from the beginning of 2018/19 MY, then seasonality is clearly visible. Conventionally, Ukrainian grain exports can be divided into three stages (waves): the wheat-barley wave (begins in July-August), the first corn wave (begins in September-August). October) and the second corn wave (begins in February-March, when the supply of corn from South America disappears from the world market),” the agency said in a statement.
According to him, there will be no significant export peaks this season due to significant leftovers from last season’s harvest ready for export, but a gradual increase in shipments will be noticeable as the work of seaports normalizes.
“Current shipments from Odessa ports are still undergoing a test period, market participants are still evaluating further prospects, so it is too early to say with confidence that Ukraine will be able to fully realize its grain export potential, but exports in August may already show a significant increase,” explains ” Ukragroconsult”.
As reported, since the beginning of 2022/2023 MY, Ukraine has exported 2.98 million tons of grain crops, including 1.94 million tons of corn (65% of the total supply), 783 thousand tons of wheat (26%) and 257 thousand tons of barley (8.8%).
In addition, in July 2022, Ukraine exported 2.66 million tons of grain and oilseeds and agricultural products for export by all modes of transport, which is 22.7% more than in June.
The system of emergency assistance to the population by a single telephone number “112” is being prepared for launch in Ukraine, according to the Facebook page of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
“Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Bohdan Drapyaty said that now, in the event of an accident, in order to contact emergency services, you will not need to call different phone numbers, such as 101, 102 or 103, it will be enough to dial a single number 112,” the statement says. in the message.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs noted that people who do not speak the state language will also be able to apply for help on line 112.
“This is one of the European integration obligations of our state within the framework of the association agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the relevant bill in the first reading,” the ministry said.
S&P Global Ratings raised its foreign currency long- and short-term sovereign credit ratings on Ukraine to ‘CCC+/C’ from ‘SD/SD’ and the long-term issue rating on the restructured foreign currency bonds to ‘CCC+’ from ‘D’ on August 19.
“The rating action follows the completion of Ukraine’s eurobond restructuring,” S&P said in a press release on its website.
In addition, S&P said that the outlook on the long-term ratings is stable. The agency affirmed our local currency sovereign ratings at ‘CCC+/C’ and raised the national scale rating to ‘uaBB’ from ‘uaBB-‘.
“The stable outlook balances our view of the reduction in Ukraine’s government debt service requirements and our expectation of steady international financial support against risks to Ukraine’s economy, external balances, public finances, and financial stability stemming from the ongoing war,” S&P said.
Its experts said that As a result, Ukraine’s foreign-currency debt repayments have declined by roughly 40% over 2022-2024 to about $10 billion from $16 billion before the restructuring. Repayments now primarily comprise payments on official debt–mostly owed to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development–and foreign-currency domestic-law bonds, held primarily domestically, including by state-owned banks.
“As a result, the near-term risks to the government’s liquidity position and, more broadly, its capacity to honor commercial debt, including in foreign currency, appear manageable,” S&P said.
At the same time, given the ongoing conflict with Russia, Ukraine’s ability to stay current on its debt is highly dependent on factors largely outside of government control.
The agency estimated Ukraine’s real GDP will contract by 40% in 2022 on the back of collapsing exports, consumption, and investment. “Given substantial damage to physical and human capital, Ukraine’s medium-term growth prospects are uncertain and hinge on regaining a level of territorial integrity and access to the Black Sea, alongside sizable reconstruction efforts,” S&P said.
In S&P latest projections, the 2022 fiscal deficit will be at least 20% of GDP, compared with 3.5% before the conflict.
The agency said that one of the key assumptions behind its rating is that donor fund disbursements, primarily from the United States and EU, will continue in the coming months. S&P added that although the timing and details of the new IMF program remain to be seen, if approved it could further ease government financing pressures, and support confidence and macroeconomic stability.
Regarding the hryvnia exchange rate, S&P expects hryvnia to weaken further, adding to inflationary pressures. Speaking of the quality of banks’ assets, it said the outlook for them challenging, despite Ukraine’s banking system entered the war with adequate liquidity and capital buffers.
S&P added that it could lower the ratings in the next 12 months should the security outlook deteriorate, putting further pressure on Ukraine’s foreign exchange reserve position or the government’s administrative capacity, or resulting in much higher government gross financing needs than we currently anticipate. Absent an escalation of the conflict, material delays in foreign donor support could also lead to a downgrade, S&P said.
“We could raise the ratings if Ukraine’s security environment and medium-term economic outlook significantly improve,” S&P said, describing another scenario.
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner is planning a visit to Ukraine in the near future, ARD reports.
According to the publication, the politician plans to make his visit at the end of summer or autumn.
He noted that he is currently discussing this issue with the Minister of Finance of Ukraine Serhiy Marchenko. If you want to keep abreast of the most important events that should happen in Ukraine and the world, subscribe to the analysis and selection of event announcements on the YouTube channel “Expert Club”
