Doctors at Lviv’s First Medical Association have performed a unique ALPPS operation on a 10-month-old boy’s liver, actually growing a part of it in the baby’s body.
According to the press service of the medical center, almost all of the baby’s organ was affected by a malignant tumor, and the proportion of healthy tissue was only 15%.
To save the patient, surgeons at St. Nicholas Children’s Hospital, which is part of Lviv’s First Medical Association, performed an extremely rare operation in world medicine – ALPPS, which involves cardinal resection, or almost complete removal of the liver.
The baby’s malignant tumor was detected at four months of age. The baby lost his appetite, stopped gaining weight, and his skin turned pale. Doctors at the St. Nicholas Hospital, which has the only Center for Cholestatic Diseases in Children in the western regions of Ukraine, found a huge 8 cm malignant liver tumor that had spread to all four sectors of the organ. Its main part was localized in the center, where the main vessels pass. Therefore, the boy was classified as a high-risk patient.
Preparation for the ALPPS surgery lasted about a month. During the first stage, the surgeons divided the liver into healthy and tumor-affected parts, and the vessels supplying the “diseased” area were compressed so that the tumor stopped growing, but the organ continued to perform its function. After the intervention, 15% of the separated healthy liver tissue quadrupled in size within a week after the surgery, so the doctors managed to grow enough tissue from a critical small volume for the next stage of the operation.
The neoplasm partially affected the inferior vena cava, which removes purified blood from the organ. During the second stage, the affected vein was replaced and the diseased part of the liver was completely removed. Now the boy continues to receive chemotherapy.
“The results of regular examinations are encouraging: the liver has regenerated to its full size and is working without fail. The boy finally regained his appetite and started to gain weight. In July, Demianchyk will celebrate his first birthday,” the medical center’s press service commented on the patient’s progress.
In January-June 2025, Ukraine increased fertilizer imports by 25% to 1.563 million tons compared to 1.25 million tons, according to Infoindustry, an industry analytical agency.
Its analysts noted that nitrogen fertilizers remained the main driver, with imports of 842 thousand tons (+19.5% compared to the first half of 2024). Although the largest relative increase in imports is observed in NPK fertilizers, it is only 379 thsd tonnes in physical weight, which is about 40-45% of the demand for the first half of the year, which was in the pre-war years.
Experts have noted an increase in fertilizer prices. For example, the average price of imported nitrogen fertilizers increased by 33.77% to $515 from $385 per ton. Imports of urea, the main fertilizer imported, have increased significantly.
“In NPK, we have noticed a significant increase in price and stability in terms of consumer priorities – the leaders are NPK 8:24:24, 15:15:15 and 10:26:26,” Infoindustry stated.
Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko on Sunday announced a one-year moratorium on inspections and limitation of tax and customs inspections.
“The government together with law enforcement agencies and under the coordination of the National Security and Defense Council is preparing a solution that will give business more freedom. A one-year moratorium on inspections is planned. This issue has already been discussed with President Vladimir Zelensky – his instruction is clear: to give more freedom to internal economic forces. This also means continuing the detenization of the economy, ensuring a level playing field that benefits white businesses,” she wrote on Facebook.
They have also started auditing criminal cases against businesses, she said. The priority is to close baseless proceedings that block business activity. New cases will be authorized only by the Prosecutor General or heads of regional and district level.
In addition, tax and customs inspections will be limited in parallel. Control over the legality of investigative actions will also be strengthened. Inspections will only be in high-risk sectors, and bona fide businesses will receive protection. “We are ready to initiate changes to the laws for better protection of businesses, reform of supervision and fair use of confiscated assets of the Russian Federation,” Sviridenko said.
The prime minister added that grants for the production of ammunition and explosives are also scheduled to be launched next week. “This is support for the defense industry and localization of critical production facilities. The details are already after the decision of the Government. The project is coordinated by Mikhail Fedorov and Denis Shmygal,” Sviridenko writes
annual moratorium, business inspections, PRIME MINISTER, СВИРИДЕНКО
An additional 591 MW of new generation was created in six months of 2025 in the regions of Ukraine, most of which – 320.2 MW – was due to connected capacity through cogeneration, said Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Viktor Mykyta.
“Communities and regions are confidently pursuing energy decentralization… Innovative projects will make it impossible for the enemy to destroy the new decentralized energy system,” he wrote in a telegram on Sunday.
Mykyta clarified that the total amount also includes 84 MW of connected capacity from wind farms, 101.4 MW from solar power plants (SPPs) and 84 MW from SPPs installed in private households, and another 1.2 MW from mini-CHPs.
As reported, at the end of 2024, the Ministry of Energy reported that the total capacity of distributed gas-fired generation units connected in Ukraine last year amounted to 967 MW, of which 835 MW were commissioned in 2024.
According to Vladyslav Sokolovskyi, Chairman of the Board of the Solar Energy Association of Ukraine, in 2024, approximately 800-850 MW of solar power plants will be built in Ukraine at the expense of businesses and households, while wind farms added only 20.6 MW of new capacity last year, according to Andriy Konechenkov, Chairman of the Board of the Ukrainian Wind Energy Association.
China’s MINTH Holdings Limited is investing 950 million euros in the construction of new production facilities for the automotive industry in Leskovec and Cuprija, the office of Leskovec Mayor Goran Cvetanovic said today.
The first phase of the project in Leskovec is expected to create 1,000 jobs, and the entire investment cycle is expected to last five years, Beta reports.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed the day before at the Serbian Government building by the Mayor of Leskovec Goran Cvetanovic, the Minister of Economy Adriana Mesarovic and representatives of MINTH.
MINTH Holdings was founded in 1992 in China and is headquartered in Ningbo.
MINTH is one of the world’s top 100 auto component manufacturers and supplies products to leading automakers: BMW, Mercedes-Benz, VW Group, Tesla, Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Ford, etc.
The company specializes in the production of aluminum, plastic and composite body parts, trim panels, frames, roofs and interior parts. It has plants in China, the USA, Mexico, Germany, Thailand and, since 2018, in Serbia (Loznica).
MINTH is already active in Serbia, producing components for the world’s leading automakers. The new investment confirms the strengthening of industrial cooperation between Serbia and China in the field of high-tech production.
Why Serbia?
– Geographical advantage: Serbia is located at the crossroads of supply between the EU and Asia, making it a logistically convenient base.
– Duty-free access to the EU, EFTA, Turkey and EAEU markets under a number of agreements.
– Low costs: labor costs are lower than in Eastern Europe and Turkey.
– Stable investment cooperation with China: including the One Belt, One Road initiative and Serbia’s participation in the China-Central and Eastern Europe (17+1) format.
The importance of the project for Serbia
– Employment growth in southern Serbia, a region with traditionally high unemployment.
– Diversification of industry with a focus on high-tech production.
– Deepening Chinese presence in the economy – not only infrastructure, but also the real sector.
– Industrial transformation of Leskovets, which was historically a textile center but has lost industrial momentum in recent years.
Risks and challenges
– Dependence on one large investor at the regional level
– Possible dominance of China in strategic sectors, including through subsidies and tax preferences
– The need to ensure infrastructure readiness (electricity, water, roads), which will require efforts from local authorities and the state budget
The MINTH project is not just a local plant, but a strategic element in the supply chain of the global automotive industry. For Serbia, this is an opportunity to strengthen its position on the industrial map of Europe and grow from a subcontractor territory into a European production hub.
Source: https://t.me/relocationrs/1198
