The UK is considering introducing an additional tax on non-residents who own high-value residential property in the country, according to the Financial Times.
This involves a potential surcharge on the already approved luxury home tax, which is set to take effect in April 2028. The new levy will apply to properties valued at £2 million or more. The UK Treasury refers to the proposed additional measure as the “oligarch tax” or the “non-resident surcharge.”
Under the basic scale of the new tax, owners of homes valued between £2 million and £2.5 million will pay an additional £2,500 annually. For properties valued at up to £3.5 million, the levy will be £3,500; for those up to £5 million, £5,000; and for properties valued at over £5 million, £7,500 per year.
Initially, authorities estimated that the new tax on luxury housing would generate approximately £430 million annually for the budget. However, the introduction of an additional surcharge for non-residents could increase revenue. According to The Times, foreign and international owners may account for 25–35% of the approximately 165,000 properties that could potentially be subject to the new levy.
British authorities link the initiative not only to the need to replenish the budget but also to an attempt to ease pressure on the housing market, particularly in London. The Treasury is examining the extent to which demand from foreign buyers affects property prices and housing affordability for British households.
The new tax is officially called the High Value Council Tax Surcharge. It will apply to residential properties in England valued at £2 million or more. The Valuation Office Agency will be responsible for assessing the properties, and the surcharge itself will be collected alongside council tax but will go to the central budget.
The British luxury real estate market has traditionally remained one of the key sectors for international investors. The highest concentration of high-end housing is found in London and the southeast of England. Market experts warn that the new tax could increase pressure on the segment of properties valued at around £2 million, as sellers and buyers will seek to avoid falling into the new tax bracket.
Ukrzaliznytsia JSC announced a reduction in the number of passenger cars on trains serving routes with lower demand and their redeployment to routes with the highest demand.
“This allows us, given the shortage of rolling stock, to schedule additional trains and increase the number of cars on the most in-demand routes,” Ukrzaliznytsia stated in a Telegram post on Friday.
It is noted that seven train pairs will soon be transferred to daily service. Specifically, these include train No. 4/3 Uzhhorod – Dnipro, No. 86/85 Lviv – Zaporizhzhia, No. 128/127 Lviv – Kryvyi Rih, Zaporizhzhia, No. 78/77 Kovel – Odesa, No. 88/87 Kovel – Dnipro, as well as trains No. 7/8 Kharkiv – Odesa and No. 121/122 Mykolaiv – Kyiv.
Among other things, the company is resuming service on train No. 143/144 Sumy–Rakhiv. Thus, the route will connect northern Slobozhanshchyna and Sivershchyna with the western part of the country and provide direct service between Sumy, Bilopillia, and Konotop and Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Yaremche, and Vorokhta.
In addition, Ukrzaliznytsia has scheduled an additional train No. 227/228 Kyiv–Chernivtsi between the capital and Bukovina, which will run every other day via Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Ternopil, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kolomyia. The train will consist of open-seating, compartment, and SV (first-class) cars.
“Ticket sales for these scheduled trains will open in accordance with the trains’ running dates. The advance booking period depends on the specific route and ranges from 20 to 5 days prior to the departure date,” the company explained.
In January–March of this year, PJSC “Industrial and Manufacturing Enterprise ”Kryvbasvibuhprom” saw its net profit drop by 84% compared to the same period last year—to UAH 7.124 million from UAH 44.542 million.
According to the company’s interim report, available to the Interfax-Ukraine agency, revenue from ordinary activities for this period decreased by 34.4%—to UAH 269.883 million from UAH 411.670 million.
Retained earnings as of the end of March 2026 amounted to UAH 940.423 million.
According to the 2025 report, the company’s net profit last year increased by 20.8% compared to 2024—to UAH 185.845 million from UAH 153.893 million. At the same time, revenue from ordinary activities for this period increased by 18.3%—to UAH 1,751.775 million from UAH 1,480.669 million.
In 2024, the company reported a net profit of UAH 153.893 million, compared to UAH 95.121 million in 2023.
“Kryvbasvibuhprom” provides blasting services in the quarries of Ukraine’s mining enterprises. It is a major producer of emulsion and non-water-resistant explosives. The company’s operational chain includes storage, processing, transportation, and blasting operations themselves.
According to the State Registration Service data for the first quarter of 2026, Quarex Ltd (Cyprus) owns 93.1642% of the company’s shares, while umgi investments LLC of the SCM Group holds 6.5619%.
The authorized capital of Kryvbasvibuhprom is UAH 97.022 million, with a par value of UAH 1 per share.
The Ukrainian Dairy Industry Association (UDIA) advocates a return to a full food labeling regime to prevent future product counterfeiting and misleading consumer information, according to a statement from the Association.
In its view, at the start of the full-scale invasion, legislative changes that allowed labeling requirements to be suspended were justified; however, today enterprises in frontline regions have sufficient state support tools under the “Made in Ukraine” policy—specifically, compensation for equipment purchases, recovery programs, and property insurance.
Furthermore, even in areas close to the combat zone, manufacturers have the ability to establish stable supply chains and continue operations without the need to maintain simplified labeling requirements, the Association believes.
“At the same time, it is precisely in these regions that the activities of certain manufacturers of counterfeit products are currently being observed, who are effectively using the resolution as a tool to legitimize unscrupulous practices. Therefore, maintaining this regulation poses risks to public health, misleads consumers, and effectively creates favorable conditions for illegal business and food fraud,” the Association emphasizes.
As reported, on March 3, 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted Resolution No. 186 “Certain Issues Regarding the Labeling of Food Products Under Martial Law,” which temporarily permits manufacturers not to update labeling in cases of forced changes to the recipe due to raw material shortages or supply issues.
Apartel Skhidnytsya is a 5-star wellness resort in Skhidnytsia featuring 269 rooms of various types and 12 cottages. From the very beginning, the resort was conceived as a year-round destination, so the summer season here boasts extensive amenities and a packed calendar of events.
The Summer Series 2026 kicked off on May 16 with a performance by MONATIK. A series of major concerts and events is scheduled at the resort throughout the summer. One of the highlights will be a performance by Dorofeeva & Positiff, who are reuniting as a duo after a long hiatus. This is a major event for the Ukrainian music scene and a comeback that fans have been waiting for for years. Also on the season’s lineup are Druga Rika, CHEEV, Vitaliy Kozlovskyi, ARKUSH, DZIDZIO, Anna Trincher, Ochi v Ochi, Mila Nitić, YAKTAK, KOLA, and other artists.
One of the main summer venues will be Central Park, a large outdoor space on the grounds of Apartel Skhidnytsya. In winter, it served as an ice rink, and this season it will become an active recreation area with a roller rink, two padel courts, a tennis court, and a multi-purpose field for soccer, basketball, and volleyball.
An outdoor pool with a waterfall has already been prepared for the summer, featuring the renowned Chornomork restaurant, which adds a touch of the Black Sea to the Carpathian getaway. They have also renovated one of Apartel Skhidnytsya’s signature features—the Infinity Pool. This pool offers a panoramic view of the Carpathians, bringing “a piece of the sea to the mountains.”
One of the resort’s strongest offerings is wellness. In 2025, Apartel Skhidnytsya received an award from the World Luxury Hotel Awards. It combines a 2,000 m² spa, a medical Biohacking Center, physical therapy, wellness programs, and personalized bodywork sessions. Guests can come for a few days to unwind or undergo longer restorative treatments to improve sleep, reduce fatigue, and give their bodies time to fully recharge.
This summer, a day camp featuring a program in the format of a large-scale game will be launched for children. Participants will have their own journals, complete challenges, collect badges, and take part in various activities throughout the day. The program will include quests, creative workshops, games with non-toxic paints, water balls, and boats. A special highlight will be evening stargazing through a telescope.
The culinary offerings at Apartel Skhidnytsya complement the resort’s overall experience. There are two restaurants, a lobby bar, and a food court on the premises, and the menu combines European cuisine, local products, and signature dishes so that guests can choose a dining experience that suits their vacation rhythm.
Gastronomic evenings, creative workshops, orchestra performances, and open-air events are also planned for the summer. At Apartel Skhidnytsya, we aim to create a vacation experience where every day has its own atmosphere and a reason to make it brighter and more fulfilling.
“You shouldn’t directly compare the sea and the mountains. These are different vacation scenarios. Our goal is to give guests everything they come for on vacation—and a little more. Pools, sports, a spa, medical rehabilitation, children’s programs, concerts, gastronomy, and service should work together as a single experience. When a person gets all of this in one place, there’s no need to explain why they should come back,” comments Vasyl Krulko, co-owner of the Apartel Resorts hotel chain.
The resort holds the international Green Key eco-certificate, which confirms the resort’s compliance with modern standards of eco-friendly and responsible hospitality. At the same time, Apartel Resorts works with the local community to develop the region as a year-round resort.
Apartel Skhidnytsya Wellness Resort is the kind of destination that is increasingly drawing visitors to Skhidnytsya for a full, enriching vacation—a place to spend time with family, have fun, attend large-scale concerts, and truly recharge.
According to the Interfax-Ukraine Culture project, nearly 40% of Ukrainians attend cultural events once every six months or less, most often at movie theaters, according to the “Culture in Ukraine” study by Research.ua, which was presented by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine on Thursday in Kyiv.
Specifically, when asked about the frequency of attending cultural events, 37% of respondents said they attend such events once every six months or less, 26%—once every few months, 30%—once a month or more often, and 7% noted that they do not attend cultural events.
Among the main sources of cultural news in 2025 were social media (75%) and messaging apps (65%), specifically: Telegram is a source of cultural news for 58% of respondents, Facebook – 51%, Instagram – 46%, and YouTube – 42%.
Among the most popular formats for cultural events are movie theaters (66% of respondents), music concerts (42%), and theater performances (40%).
Regarding barriers to attending cultural events: lack of funds (54% of respondents), lack of time (42%), lack of events nearby (26%), and lack of company (17%).
The survey was conducted December 22–30, 2025, via online interviews; the sample consisted of 2,000 respondents; the survey covered the adult urban population of Ukraine in all regions, excluding temporarily occupied territories.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/culture/1171698.html
