Rental rates in the market of commercial space as part of residential complexes in Ukraine have almost reached the pre-war level, but only in hryvnia equivalent, market experts say.
“Rental rates in 2022 sagged by 30-40%, but since the middle of 2023 a gradual stabilization began. Today the rates are close to pre-war indicators, especially in densely populated areas,” Ramil Mehdiyev, CEO of the development company ENSO, told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, the company maintains flexibility of conditions for tenants. For example, there is a possibility of lease with the right to buy out the premises, individual approach to the payment schedule in the first months of business, in particular, the introduction of rent “vacations” for the first months.
Mehdiyev noted that the company reserves 20-30% of commercial space for further management or lease to fill the LCD with necessary services. For the rest of the premises there may be restrictions fixed in the contract, for example, a ban on opening nightclubs, pawnshops or establishments with harmful emissions.
A similar approach is practiced by KAN Development, its press service reported. Thus, the developer leases a certain share of premises to ensure the availability of key services – medical services, pharmacies, grocery stores. Agreements also fix restrictions for types of business, for example, a ban on noisy activities.
More recently, lease agreements are also often supplemented with special clauses that regulate relationships not during power outages or reimbursement of alternative energy costs, said Avalon Chief Operating Officer Jaroslaw Wozniak.
In general, rental rates for commercial lots in the residential complexes depend significantly on the specific object, its location, traffic and functionality, said commercial director of Intergal-Bud Anna Laevskaya. According to her, “Intergal-Bud” leaves in its own rental fund premises with a payback period of up to 12 years.
“In residential complexes with high occupancy the price may be even higher, because the flow of people and cars there is very large,” she explained.
About 50% of commercial premises in Perfect Group’s residential complexes remain in the developer’s ownership, said Alexey Koval, the company’s project manager. At the same time the share may vary depending on a particular residential complex and its location.
He emphasized that although now there are no “anti-crisis” discounts, which were offered to tenants at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the developer still provides loyal rates for the first year of rent with a gradual increase in subsequent years, which is fixed in the contract.
According to Alexander Gorlach, founder of TKN-Consulting, rental rates were as high as 70% of pre-war levels at the end of 2024.
“In fact, rates have now almost recovered in hryvnia, but not in currency. However, commercial real estate in newly settled residential complexes is the most predictable investment. As of the end of 2024 the rates at some landlords were up to 70% of pre-war rates”, – he commented to the agency ‘Interfax-Ukraine’.
According to him, now the rates for commercial premises in the LCD are 800-1.5 thousand UAH/sq. m/month for the most popular format – premises up to 60 sq. m. with active traffic. Premises with inconvenient layout, stairs, low traffic are rented cheaper, for 200-500 UAH/sq. m/month.
The expert noted that today the most active solvent tenants are pharmacy chains and food direction (cafes, pizzerias, etc.), which choose lots with the area of 40-50 square meters. m.
At the same time, some development companies, in particular Alliance Novobud, do not lease commercial premises, but sell them completely.
“We do not lease commercial premises, but sell them. The owners of the space make their own decision on what exactly to do. Usually they study the already available business infrastructure, weigh their possibilities, studying supply and demand,” said Irina Mikhaleva, CMO of Alliance Novobud.
In March, Ukraine’s agricultural exports totaled 5.4 million tons worth $2.1 billion, with the share of agricultural products accounting for 58% of the country’s total exports of $3.6 billion, with corn and sunflower oil being the key items, the Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food reported on Telegram.
According to the report, the top 5 categories of Ukrainian agricultural exports include corn – $514 million (2.4 million tons), sunflower oil – $503 million (441 thousand tons), wheat – $254 million (1.1 million tons), soybeans – $150 million (370 thousand tons), and poultry meat – $95 million (41 thousand tons).
The minister emphasized that compared to last year’s March, the value of exports increased by $87 million (+4%). This became possible due to the continued strong position of more marginal products (sunflower oil, soybeans, poultry) in the export structure and the overall growth of prices for agricultural products.
“The agricultural sector remains the backbone of the Ukrainian economy, providing more than half of the country’s foreign exchange earnings in times of war. Our producers continue to demonstrate competitiveness in the global market, and the Ministry is consistently working to diversify markets and expand the export potential of the processing industry,” Koval said.
According to him, the average export prices for basic commodities in March 2025 per ton were as follows: corn – $215, sunflower oil – $1,141, wheat – $225, soybeans – $407, poultry – $2,300. This price environment on world markets contributed to an increase in the value of Ukrainian agricultural exports.
At the same time, there has been an increase in exports of certain types of processed foods. In particular, exports of bakery products increased by 24% compared to March 2014 to $29.5 million (+$7.7 million), butter – by 254% to $9.87 million (+$7.3 million), and cheese – by 32% to $5.3 million (+$1.4 million).
The main trading partners in March were Turkey ($270.8 mln), Italy ($171.1 mln), Spain ($170.4 mln), Egypt ($162.4 mln) and the Netherlands ($121.6 mln).
Ukraine’s largest private operator of railway transportation company “Lemtrans” plans to build a container terminal in Fastov (Kiev region), according to the company’s website.
“The terminal in Fastov will be a strategic link in the development of transportation logistics in the region. The project will allow: to optimize logistics chains, expand export opportunities for Ukrainian producers and create conditions for integration of local business into global trade,” said Alexander Tkachuk, director of terminal network development at Levada Cargo.
The company added that in 2024 it invested UAH 478 million in logistics and infrastructure projects – this is three times more than in 2023. The main focus is on the development of terminal and container business, where the amount of investments amounted to UAH 441 million.
Lemtrans Group completed the first phase of construction and opened “Vinnytsia Container Terminal” (KTV) in September 2024.
As reported, the total transportation volume of Lemtrans in 2024 amounted to 15.9 million tons, which is 6% less than in 2023.
Based on the results of activities in 2024, the companies that are part of the Lemtrans group transferred to the budgets of all levels of taxes and fees in the amount of more than UAH 712 million. “Lemtrans” in 2024 transferred to the state budget about 647 million UAH. Local budgets were replenished in the amount of UAH 66 mln. In addition, Lemtrans Group paid more than UAH 59 mln of unified social contribution.
In January-March 2025, Ukrainian metallurgical enterprises increased pig iron production by 7.2% year-on-year to 1.702 million tons. This was reported by Ukrmetallurgprom.
In March of this year, the company produced 563.2 thousand tons of pig iron, while in February it produced 544.4 thousand tons.
For comparison: In 2024, Ukraine smelted 7.090 million tons of pig iron (+18.1% compared to 2023), and in 2023 – 6.003 million tons (-6.1% compared to 2022). In 2021, the volume was 21.165 million tons.
The Experts Club Information and Analytical Center has recently presented a video analysis of the top 20 steel producing countries – https://youtube.com/shorts/j7Yev2HCS4o?si=lfmGJ5jrx8036z1U
Standard One, a company specializing in Build-to-Rent projects, announced the launch of a new product S1 REIT, which gives the opportunity to become a co-owner of square meters in S1 residential buildings, the company’s press service reports.
“We are the first in Ukraine to create and implement the concept of income houses in Build-to-Rent format. This is a high-class service for tenants and investors. The former get a high-quality living space with hotel service options, the latter – a stable passive income, which does not require involvement in the process of object management. The pilot project of S1 VDNG from 2019 testifies to the success of such a model, because the occupancy rate in the house reaches 99%,” explains CEO of Standard One Sergey Fitel.
According to him, S1 REIT is a step of scaling an existing concept. With a REIT (Real estate investment trust, IF-U), to join the project, one only needs to invest an amount equivalent to the approximate cost of 1 sqm. REIT provides not only an easy entry into the investment, but also, if necessary, a convenient exit. The company also creates a closed community for investors, where they can share experiences.
You can buy square meters for investment in Standard One’s first project – S1 VDNG. Already ready and inhabited by tenants, with almost zero vacancy, allows investors to receive from 8.2% in currency. The S1 Obolon fund is also scheduled to launch soon, with a projected 10% in currency.
“ Real estate investment funds are already on the market, their success confirms the demand for such instruments. While previously a significant amount of money was needed to invest in real estate, this opportunity is now open to many as the investment threshold has become minimal,” adds Fitel.
According to Oleg Bondar, CEO of S1 REIT, liquidity in the project is ensured by high demand for real estate from Standard One. In general, the rental market in Ukraine and especially in Kyiv is quite active, demand is increasing and rental rates are growing. In 2024, the increase in the average rental price of a one-bedroom apartment in the capital amounted to 21% in currency. Under these conditions, investing in real estate for rent becomes even more attractive.
“The potential capacity of the market is huge. Especially in the segment of new quality housing. The better the infrastructure and more advantages a project has – the higher its price. Such objects as S1 provide stable profitability without ‘downtime’,” summarizes CEO Standard One.
S1 is a project of the development company KDD Ukraine, S1 VDNG project has been operating since 2019, with three more projects in the pipeline.
In January-March 2025, Ukraine imported $18.5 billion worth of goods and exported $9.9 billion, according to the State Customs Service of Ukraine. At the same time, taxed imports amounted to $13.9 billion, which is 75% of the total volume of imported goods.
The tax burden per 1 kg of taxed imports in January-March 2025 amounted to $0.50/kg. Countries from which Ukraine imported the most goods: China – $3.9 billion, Poland – $1.7 billion, and Germany – $1.5 billion.
Ukraine exported the most to Poland – by $1.1 billion, Italy – by $680 million, and Spain – by $650 million.
The following categories of goods accounted for 68% of the total volume of goods imported in January-March 2025
– machinery, equipment and transport – $6.8 billion
UAH 42.3 billion was paid to the budget during the customs clearance of these goods, which is 27% of customs revenues
– chemical products – $3.2 billion
UAH 25.5 billion was paid to the budget during the customs clearance of these goods, which is 16% of customs revenues;
– fuel and energy – $2.5 billion
UAH 43.6 billion was paid to the budget during customs clearance of these goods, which is 28% of customs revenues.
The top three most exported goods from Ukraine are:
– food products – $5.8 billion
– Metals and metal products – $1.1 billion
– machinery, equipment and transport – $882 million
In the first 3 months of 2025, UAH 81.2 million was paid to the budget during customs clearance of exports of goods subject to export duties.
