In January-July 2025, DTEK Networks distribution system operators (DSOs) performed more than 57,000 repairs in 0.4 kV distribution networks without power outages, accounting for more than 60% of all work on this type of network.
“Since the beginning of 2025, DTEK Networks DSO specialists have carried out over 57,000 repairs using modern methods without disconnecting customers. This is 30% more than in the same period last year. We invest in training our energy specialists and modern equipment so that our customers receive quality service,” DTEK Networks reported, citing the company’s CEO Alina Bondarenko.
According to her, this technology is especially critical in the fall and winter, when the number of accidents can increase due to enemy actions and weather conditions.
“However, this technology will allow families to not notice how energy workers are repairing the networks,” Bondarenko added.
As explained by the company, the technology for working on power equipment and power lines without disconnecting customers is used in leading European countries, and from 2021 it will be gradually introduced in DTEK Networks.
According to the company, of the 57,400 repairs carried out from January to August this year on 0.4 kV networks (overhead power lines and metering cabinets) without power outages, 24,000 were carried out in the Odesa region, 23,800 repairs in the Dnipropetrovsk region, 6,900 in the Kyiv region, and 2,500 in the capital.
The training of power engineers to perform work without power outages lasts up to three months. It takes place at special training grounds. For safe work, DTEK Networks provides employees with protective clothing and special equipment: rubber gloves, helmets, dielectric mats, and other means.
In 2025, 448 employees mastered the technology of working on distribution networks, and in total, more than 1,700 DTEK Networks specialists can work using this method.
The company is gradually expanding the list of works that can be performed without disconnecting customers and plans to scale this approach in the future.
DTEK Networks develops its business in electricity distribution and power grid operation in Kyiv, Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, and Odesa regions. The operating holding’s distribution system operators serve 5.1 million households and 150,000 businesses.
The main goal of reforming the Repair and Production division at Ukrzaliznytsia JSC is to optimize the business, increase its efficiency, and make it profitable, said Yevhen Shramko, member of the company’s board and head of the division, in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, the transformation involves consolidating assets, attracting international partners, and implementing projects based on excess capacity through leasing, public-private partnerships, or repurposing.
“Where there is potential, we will strengthen it; where necessary, we will remove the excess. We must find the optimal scale and ensure long-term efficiency,” Shramko emphasized.
In 2024, Ukraine supplied 85,800 tons of honey to foreign markets and ranked third in the world in terms of export volume, according to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UAC). According to the association, the top 5 global exporters by volume in 2024 were as follows: China — 169,600 tons; India — 94,800 tons; Ukraine — 85,800 tons; Argentina — 78,100 tons; Vietnam — 48.2 thousand tons.
The European Commission (Trade Data Monitor, preliminary data for January–June 2024) also lists China, India, Ukraine, and Argentina among the leading honey exporters by tonnage.
Top 20 exporters by value of shipments in 2024 (HS 0409)
(in brackets — share in world exports; methodology — FOB value)
1) China — $264.9 million (11.5%);
2) New Zealand — $250.7 million (10.9%);
3) India — $182.6 million (7.9%);
4) Argentina — $170.3 million (7.4%); 5
5) Ukraine — $166.9 million (7.2%);
6) Germany — $110.3 million;
7) Spain — $103.2 million;
8) Brazil — $100.6 million;
9) Hungary — $85.3 million;
10) Belgium — $79.7 million;
11) Vietnam — $68.5 million;
12) Mexico — $47.5 million;
13) Canada — $45.2 million;
14) Australia — $45.0 million;
15) Romania — $40.6 million;
16) Bulgaria — $38.0 million;
17) Poland — $37.6 million;
18) Turkey – $32.6 million;
19) Netherlands – $31.3 million;
20) Greece – $28.6 million.
Rankings by value and volume differ (for example, New Zealand ranks high in terms of value due to expensive varieties, but is not among the top countries in terms of tonnage). Data on value — according to World’s Top Exports (based on UN/ITC Trade Map) for 2024; data on volume of the top 5 — according to UACB/Trade Data Monitor.
Where Ukraine sells
The largest buyers of Ukrainian honey in 2024: Germany — 18.9 thousand tons; USA — 12.1 thousand tons; Poland — 9.7 thousand tons; France — 9.6 thousand tons; Belgium — 7.1 thousand tons. Deliveries were also made to Turkey, Great Britain, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Qatar, Jordan, etc. (UACB).
From 2025, the EU will again apply quotas on duty-free imports of Ukrainian honey. UACB notes that the new volumes are higher than before and support competitiveness, but do not cover the entire export potential of the industry.
From March 1, 2026, a new system will come into force in Georgia: foreign workers and self-employed persons will need an official work permit.
Previously, the country did not have a full-fledged work permit regime and in most cases allowed foreigners to work without a separate permit, according to industry sources.
According to the business press, there will be a transition period for foreigners already employed in Georgia: they must obtain a permit before January 1, 2027; fines will be imposed on both the employee and the employer for violations (with increased penalties for repeat offenses).
The aim of the reform is to bring order to the labor market, put an end to work on tourist visas, and bring regulation closer to international practice. Additionally, it is reported that the details of the procedure (categories, exceptions, lists of documents) will be specified in subordinate government acts.
In 2024, 135,800 immigrants entered Georgia (–34% y/y), while 121,400 emigrants left the country; 48.2% of immigrants are Georgian citizens, the rest are foreigners. Among foreign citizens, the top countries were Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, India, and Azerbaijan.
Officially, in 2022, 62,300 Russians were registered as immigrants (i.e., they remained to live in the country). In 2023, there were 52,600 Russian citizens among immigrants.
According to media reports and think tanks, in 2025, there will be about 100,000 Russians living in the country (estimates vary widely, taking into account the outflow in 2023). At the same time, only about 20% of them have “tax resident”/official resident status, according to the National Bank of Georgia.
According to the UN, since the start of the full-scale war, approximately 245,000 Ukrainians have passed through Georgia; about 26,600 currently reside in the country (estimate for spring 2025).
Among the largest sources of migration in 2023 are Turkey (≈8,600 immigrants), India (≈8,400), and Belarus (≈3,600); Ukraine provided ≈7,500 immigrants in 2023. These figures show the annual inflow, not the “stock” of permanent residents.
The labor market reform complements earlier changes in migration regulation (e.g., an increase in the minimum property value for a “residence permit by purchase” from $100,000 to $150,000 as of March 1, 2026).
Experts expect that the unification of employment rules will increase the transparency of hiring foreigners and reduce informal employment, but will increase the administrative burden on businesses during the adaptation period.
https://t.me/relocationrs/1390
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the country’s security services announced a targeted strike against the leadership of the Hamas movement in the Qatari capital, Doha. The statement notes that the figures who were eliminated had coordinated the organization’s activities for many years and were responsible for the attack on October 7, 2023. The Qatari Foreign Ministry confirmed the strike and called it a “cowardly attack,” stressing that the attack took place in residential areas and poses a threat to the safety of the country’s citizens.
The incident could be a turning point in regional dynamics:
Israel-Qatar relations. Doha has traditionally acted as a mediator between Israel and Hamas and has played a key role in humanitarian negotiations. A direct strike on Qatari territory could freeze these channels and lead to increased tensions.
The position of the US. Qatar is a strategic ally of Washington, and one of the largest American military bases in the Middle East (Al Udeid) is located on its territory. The US reaction will be decisive: the balance between supporting Israel and maintaining relations with Doha will require a delicate diplomatic line from the White House.
Regional escalation. The Qatari Foreign Ministry has already condemned the strike. Analysts do not rule out the consolidation of a number of Arab countries against Israel in the diplomatic arena, which could complicate US plans to create new security alliances in the region.
Economic aspect: the oil market
Qatar is the world’s largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and a major player in the oil market. Any deterioration in security in the country or the risk of Qatar being drawn into direct conflict is immediately perceived by the market as a signal of potential supply disruptions.
Price reaction. Traditionally, escalation in the Middle East leads to higher oil prices due to the risk premium. Even in the absence of physical disruptions, traders factor the likelihood of the conflict spreading into the price.
Long-term prospects. If Qatar’s diplomatic isolation intensifies, it could change LNG supply routes to Europe and Asia, strengthening the position of other suppliers (such as the US or Australia).
Israel’s strike against Hamas leaders in Qatar opens a new level of confrontation that could have far-reaching consequences. In addition to the military and political components, the incident could affect global energy, increasing volatility in oil and gas markets. In the short term, oil prices can be expected to rise due to the “risk premium,” and in the medium term, diplomatic and trade alliances in the region could be restructured.
Ukrainian sunflower meal lost ground to Argentine sunflower meal on the European market for the first time in a long time, while rapeseed meal supplies reached a record low for five seasons, according to the information and analytical agency APK-Inform.
The agency cited data from the European Commission, according to which in July-August (2025-2026 MY for the EU) the European Union imported 118,000 tons of Argentine sunflower meal, accounting for 49% of total imports of this product, while the share of Ukrainian meal was 40%, or 96,000 tons.
According to Ukrainian statistics, in July, exports of Ukrainian sunflower meal to the EU halved, amounting to just over 50 thousand tons, and in August, according to preliminary estimates by APK-Inform, the smallest volume of this product since October 2021 was exported to the EU—only about 20-25 thousand tons.
Analysts recalled that in the 2024/25 season, Ukrainian sunflower meal accounted for 62% of total imports of this product, while Argentine sunflower meal accounted for 29%.
“The reduction in supplies in July-August this year is due to a decrease in sunflower processing by Ukrainian factories in the summer and, accordingly, a lower supply of meal. At the same time, the seasonally high supply of rapeseed meal on the European market became an additional limiting factor,” the experts explained.
Currently, analysts emphasized, Ukrainian rapeseed meal supplies to the EU are at their lowest level in more than five seasons (excluding 22/23 MY), which is due to the shift in rapeseed harvesting dates in Ukraine, low sales of oilseeds by farmers, and very low processing in July.
According to the European Commission, in the first two months of the 2025/26 season, the EU purchased only 1.6 thousand tons of rapeseed meal from Ukraine, or 1.3% of total imports. Currently, Canadian rapeseed meal dominates EU imports with a share of 84%. Last season, during the same period, the EU imported mainly Ukrainian products, which accounted for 82% of imports, according to APK-Inform.
