In 2024, Ukraine increased its apparent steel use by 5.9% compared to 2023, from 3.4 million tons to 3.6 million tons. Per capita consumption was 95 kg (compared to 93.4 kg in 2023). This is significantly lower than the global average of 214.7 kg per capita.
According to Worldsteel, Ukraine produced 7.6 million tons of steel in 2024 (6.2 million tons in 2023), ranking 22nd in the world. Despite the growth, Ukrainian companies did not make it into the list of the world’s 50 largest steel producers, whereas in 2014–2021, the Metinvest Group was present in it.
The world leaders in steel production in 2024 remained China Baowu Group (130.09 million tons), ArcelorMittal (65 million tons), Ansteel Group (59.55 million tons), Nippon Steel (43.64 million tons), and HBIS Group (42.28 million tons).
The Ministry of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine (Ministry of Development) and the Ministry of Transport of Norway have agreed to extend the liberalization of freight transport until the end of 2025 with the possibility of automatic renewal.
“Transport visa-free travel” is about strengthening economic ties, saving resources, and improving business efficiency. I am grateful to our partners in the Norwegian government for supporting this decision. We are working to expand these opportunities next year,” said Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine, Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba in a press release.
It is noted that the liberalization of transport with Norway has been extended for the second time. The first such agreement between the countries was reached in August 2023. To date, “transport visa-free travel” is available with 35 countries, including the EU.
The Ministry of Development reminds that drivers must have a certificate confirming the environmental class of the vehicle on board in order to take advantage of the transport liberalization conditions.
As reported, in April, “transport visa-free travel” between Ukraine and the EU was extended until the end of 2025.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal says that 5.6 million hectares of spring cereals and legumes and 7.7 million hectares of industrial crops have been sown in Ukraine.
“Farmers are completing the fourth spring sowing during a full-scale war. 5.6 million hectares of spring grains and legumes have been sown. We have reached last year’s level. The highest sowing rates are in the Poltava, Chernihiv, Vinnytsia, Cherkasy, and Sumy regions,” Shmyhal wrote on Telegram.
According to him, a distinctive feature of this season is an increase in the area under spring wheat, which currently stands at almost 220,000 hectares, due to demand from processing companies and exporters.
“In addition, 7.7 million hectares have been sown with industrial crops, mainly sunflowers (4.9 million hectares) and soybeans (2.3 million hectares),” the prime minister said.
Shmyhal stressed that the total area sown is sufficient to meet domestic food needs and develop export potential.
US investment company Brookfield Asset Management will invest up to SEK 95 billion ($9.87 billion) in an artificial intelligence data center in Strängnäs, Sweden, near Stockholm, according to a company statement.
The facility will be located on a site covering approximately 3.77 million square feet (350,000 square meters). Construction will take 10-15 years.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson welcomed Brookfield’s plans, writing on social media that the data center will be one of the largest of its kind in Europe.
In February, it was announced that Brookfield plans to invest €20 billion in the construction of data centers and the development of AI infrastructure in France over the next five years.
Who received the largest fine for riding a scooter last year?
According to the court registry search engine “Babushka,” 71 court cases involving electric scooters were recorded in 2024. Such violations are usually punishable by fines ranging from 340 to 34,000 hryvnia and sometimes by the revocation of driving privileges. The largest fine was imposed on a man who was driving an electric scooter while intoxicated in Odesa.
Last year, 71 offenses involving electric scooter enthusiasts were recorded in Babushka. Over the course of the year, such cases increased by 42%. Already this year, the court registry has recorded at least 17 such cases.
Scooter drivers usually appear in administrative offenses. For example, this year, 13 administrative and 4 criminal cases have been recorded. For comparison, last year there were 64 administrative and 7 criminal cases, respectively.
The maximum fine for drunk driving was imposed on an electric scooter driver in Odesa in June 2024. It turned out that the man did not have a driver’s license and was not riding a scooter while drunk for the first time. The court fined him 34,000 hryvnias and ordered him to pay court costs. It should be noted that if the defendant had a driver’s license, he would have been deprived of his driving privileges for such a violation.
Another 17 people have been fined 17,000 hryvnia over the past two years. Fifteen of them were driving a scooter while intoxicated, and two were under the influence of drugs. Three people were banned from driving for a year.
Since 2023, all electric scooters (monowheels, Segways, etc.) have been recognized as vehicles, which has allowed the police and courts to hold electric scooter drivers administratively liable on the same basis as car drivers. However, there are still no specific rules and responsibilities for electric scooter drivers. This conflict could be resolved by draft laws 3023 of 2020 and 10441 of 2024, which have been pending in the Verkhovna Rada for a long time, according to Mykola Polyukhovych, a member of the traffic safety council of the NGO U-Cycle (Kyiv Cyclists Association).
“Electric scooter drivers are not allowed to ride on sidewalks, and there is currently no bicycle infrastructure for them, which can only be used by cyclists, which would be appropriate given the similarity of their characteristics. Therefore, scooter riders must ride exclusively on the roadway, following the traffic rules on a general basis, for violation of which they are held liable — after all, a vehicle equipped with an electric motor is a source of increased danger to other road users. “Given the almost unrestricted access to electric scooters, as well as the growing number of cases of such drivers being held liable by the police and courts, this issue needs to be regulated by law,” comments Mykola Polyukhovych.
Source: https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/electroscooters-courts-2024
On June 4, the Parkovy Exhibition Center hosted the Ukrainian Construction Congress (UBC), one of the main industry events of the year, which brought together representatives of the development market, government agencies, the banking sector, and specialized organizations. Iryna Mikhailova, Marketing Director at Alliance Novobud, was a participant in the event. The expert not only spoke at the discussion on the state program “eOselia,” but also moderated one of the key panel discussions on “Affordable housing: how to make real estate accessible to Ukrainians.”
The panel speakers included representatives of development companies, financial institutions, and the public sector: Pavlo Somov, founder of EcoBud Building Group; Alla Dubrovyk-Rokhova, head of communications at Ukrfinzhytlo, partner at PGR Consulting Group, Ivan Parukh, deputy chairman of the board of the State Fund for Youth Housing Construction, Volodymyr Chornenkyi, director of retail business at Sky Bank, and Anna Laievska, commercial director at Intergal-Bud.
Participants discussed comprehensive approaches to creating an affordable housing market, ranging from state support programs to innovative development models, financial instruments, and cross-sector cooperation. Particular attention was paid to the challenges of wartime, which have significantly affected the purchasing power of the population, construction rates, and the financing of new projects.
A separate highlight was the participation of Iryna Mikhalova in the discussion panel “eOselya — a state investment in recovery,” moderated by Alla Dubrovyk-Rokhova. The panel brought together developers and bankers who shared their experiences with the program, its impact on the market, and prospects for development.
Ms. Irina answered several key questions about the program’s role in the company’s sales, its readiness to change the traditional model of construction financing, and its investments in additional buyer support tools:
“The єОселя program is not just a mortgage product; it is a marker of the state’s trust in the industry and its support for Ukrainians. For our company, this program has become an important factor in stabilizing sales in 2024–2025. We see a real impact on buyer activity and are ready to invest in partnership formats with banking institutions to support buyers,” said Irina Mikhaleva.
Alliance Novobud thanks the organizers of the Ukrainian Construction Congress 2025 for the high level of the event and for creating a space for constructive dialogue that moves the industry forward.
ukrainian_construction_congress irina_mikhalova ubc alliance_novobud
