Astarta, Ukraine’s largest sugar producer, has purchased 10 light tractors worth approximately UAH 16 million for livestock farming, the company’s press service reported on Monday.
According to the report, the equipment will be used primarily in feeding, cleaning, and logistics processes at production sites to improve the regularity of processes and reduce the cost of milk production.
“We expect that the upgrade of equipment will improve operational discipline and ensure more predictable and stable production results,” said Yaroslav Kushnir, director of Astarta’s livestock department.
The agricultural holding company noted that, in total, Astarta allocated approximately $22 million in 2025 to upgrade its technical fleet in key production areas as part of a comprehensive program of modernization and transition to energy-efficient solutions.
Astarta is a vertically integrated agro-industrial holding operating in eight regions of Ukraine. It includes six sugar factories, agricultural enterprises with a land bank of 220,000 hectares and dairy farms with 22,000 head of cattle, an oil extraction plant in Hlobine (Poltava region), seven elevators, and a biogas complex.
According to the results of 2025, Astarta reduced its total revenue from sales of key product categories by 15.6% compared to 2024, to UAH 21.05 billion, while physical sales volumes of its main products fell by 23.5%, to 1.21 million tons.
Almost every second Ukrainian teenager does not have a basic level of mathematics, which is already affecting students’ future educational and career trajectories, as well as the country’s economy, a press release reports based on the results of a study of learning losses in mathematics prepared by EdEra with the support of the Tokarev Foundation.
According to data from the international PISA-2022 study, 42% of Ukrainian teenagers did not reach the basic level in mathematics, while only 3% showed the highest results. The authors also analyzed NMT mathematics results for 2022–2024 and note that in NMT-2025 in mathematics, 12% of participants did not pass the threshold, and the average result was 132.5 points out of 200. By comparison, in the Ukrainian language and history, the share of those who did not pass the threshold was about 1%.
The study identifies the 6th grade as a critical point when some students’ motivation drops and key topics are not mastered—fractions, percentages, and negative numbers—which later complicates the study of algebra, geometry, and STEM disciplines. A staffing factor is also mentioned separately—the shortage of mathematics, physics, and chemistry teachers, as well as teachers’ need for clearer tools to explain the practical value of the material.
EdEra emphasizes that mathematics is linked not only to test results but also to skills of critical thinking and risk assessment, while the Tokarev Foundation connects mathematical literacy with economic growth and national security amid technological competition.
Following the study, the teams state that they are developing practical educational solutions that should help students close gaps and reduce “mathematics anxiety.”
Chicken producer Kuriar attracted UAH 1 billion in loan financing from First Ukrainian International Bank (FUIB, Kyiv) to transform its business from a chicken producer to a system integrator in the industry, according to the Ukrainian Retailers Association.
According to the report, the funds raised will be used to modernize logistics, automate processes, develop deep processing of products, and introduce new quality standards for entry into national retail chains and EU markets.
“We are investing in standards that will allow us to become certified and enter the European market. This is a logical step for a company that plans to be a leader,” said company founder Andriy Kindifora.
According to the association, the company’s development strategy involves a transition to a growth model through cooperation with small and medium-sized producers. According to Kuriar CEO Ivan Semen, investments are directed not only at the company’s own brand, but also at creating a system that allows the industry to grow predictably, despite the difficult demographic situation and the shift of production capacities to the western regions of the country due to the war.
Cooperation with FUIB began with a factoring limit and grew into a strategic partnership. As noted by Igor Koptsyukh, the bank’s head of sales to medium-sized corporate clients, for the financial institution, this agreement is an investment in a business model with high scaling potential.
“For us, FUIB is not just a lender, but a partner that supports the company in the entire spectrum of financial decisions,” Kuriar emphasized.
K-Agroinvest Trade LLC (Kuriya brand) was founded in 2014 in the Zolochiv district of the Lviv region on the basis of facilities that have been developing since 2005. The vertically integrated full-cycle chicken producer has four poultry farms, a feed mill, a slaughterhouse, and a logistics center. It specializes in importing chickens and selling over 100 types of meat products. The beneficiary of the enterprise is Andriy Kindifora.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine, as of September 1, 2025, FUIB, with assets of UAH 193.14 billion, ranked 5th among 60 banks in the country. The ultimate beneficiary of the bank is Rinat Akhmetov.
The Binance crypto exchange fired at least five employees from its compliance investigations department after they prepared internal reports on transactions that could be related to circumventing sanctions against Iran, Fortune reported, citing sources and internal company documents. According to Fortune, the reports involved transactions worth more than $1 billion in Tether (USDT) that passed through Binance between March 2024 and August 2025 and were conducted on the Tron network.
Binance told Fortune that investigators were not dismissed for reporting possible sanctions violations, and an internal analysis involving lawyers found no evidence of violations of applicable sanctions requirements in connection with the specified activities.
In November 2023, Binance pleaded guilty in the US to a series of violations related to compliance with AML/KYC and sanctions requirements and agreed to pay $4.3 billion, according to Reuters.
Binance was founded in 2017 and is one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.
According to Serbian Economist, Croatia is discussing a gas interconnector project with Serbia that could give the Serbian market access to liquefied natural gas (LNG) via a terminal on the island of Krk. Croatian Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar said that “only about 15 km of pipeline” is needed to connect the two gas systems, and Belgrade, according to him, is showing interest in such a route.
Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Jedovic-Handanovic confirmed that the option of supplies via Croatia is being considered, but noted caution due to past episodes of oil supply disruptions via the JANAF pipeline.
Serbian Economist interprets the possible interconnector primarily as a tool for changing the market structure: with Serbia’s annual gas consumption of around 2.7-3.0 billion cubic meters and high dependence on a single import corridor via TurkStream, even relatively small volumes of LNG could strengthen its negotiating position and create real “optionality” in procurement. Initial deliveries via the LNG route could amount to 0.5-1.0 billion cubic meters per year (15-35% of demand), and a realistic window for infrastructure commissioning is 2028-2031.
The emergence of an alternative entry point will gradually “tie” the discussion of prices within Serbia to European benchmarks, although this also means greater sensitivity to global volatility in the LNG market.
The context for the discussion is the ongoing search by countries in the region for alternative supply routes and the strengthening of TurkStream’s role as a key pipeline channel for Russian gas to Europe after the cessation of transit through Ukraine.
On Friday, February 13, the Column Hall of the Kyiv City State Administration hosted the grand finale of the VIII All-Ukrainian Professional Skills Competition “Fashion PRORYV for Freedom and Peace”, during which collections of sports and adaptive clothing were presented and the winners were awarded.
The competition was organized by the National Industry Partnership in Light Industry of Ukraine “Fashion Globus Ukraine” and the Italian association “VITAWORLD.”
According to the president of the competition, Golda Vinogradska, the “Fashion PRORYV” project, launched in 2016, has become a platform for cultural diplomacy and international dialogue during the years of full-scale war.
“Over the years of war with Russia, we have created a platform for peacemaking cultural diplomacy, where Ukraine speaks to the world not in the language of pity, but in the language of dignity, creativity, and culture. We have set a precedent: when a competition in the fashion industry became a narrative about humanity, strength, resilience, and hope. This competition was conceived as a platform for cooperation between employers and educators in the fashion industry. We did this so that we could travel to different cities in Ukraine, see how these institutions exist, help them, and show them the most modern techniques. It is important for young people and those who teach them to move forward together with the development of the industry,” said Vynogradska.
According to her, the competition was initially conceived as a practical format for interaction between education and industry, allowing for the support of institutions in the regions and the synchronization of training with market needs.
Competition President Golda Vinogradska
According to the organizers, the competition has been held under the patronage of the mayors of Lviv, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, and Kryvyi Rih in different years. They also reported that in 2025, the project received support from the US Embassy in Ukraine, and in 2026, from the Milan City Council.
The organizers note that every year, 60 to 100 educational institutions from all regions of Ukraine participate in the competition. This year’s competition is dedicated to cooperation with Italy and the theme of sports. According to their data, in 2026 students from 52 Ukrainian institutions in the fashion industry and four Italian universities (Venice, Salerno, Milan, Rome) took part in the project, and “almost 100 collections” were presented in the final program.
In addition to the final in Kyiv, an international presentation of the collections is scheduled for February 28, 2026, in Milan (Milan San Siro Hotel) as part of the Milano-Cortina 2026 and Milan Fashion Week events.
Ukrainian MP Yulia Gryshyna, chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science, and Innovation, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. She emphasized the importance of supporting educators and students during wartime.
“I am very grateful for the invitation—it means a lot to me. I would like to express my special gratitude to educators, students, and young people who continue to work, study, create, and support each other in these extremely difficult times. Thank you, you inspire others, and me in particular,” said Hryshyna.
According to the organizers, the event was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, Olympic champions, cultural and sports figures, as well as representatives of the Ukrainian fashion industry.
According to the organizing committee, the jury included Ivan Frolov, Katya Silchenko, Olena Golets, Taras Prytula, Kateryna Myroshnychenko, Galina Yerk, as well as Emilia Ametrano, Walter Togni, and Elena Kalencani. The general partner of the competition was SOFTORG.
The winners of the competition (according to the organizers):
Nomination “Youth Breakthrough”:
1st place – VSP Odessa Technical College of ONTU;
2nd place – Bila Tserkva College of Service and Design;
3rd place – Podil Professional College.
Nomination “Innovation and Inclusion in Sportswear”:
1st place – Khmelnytskyi Center for Vocational Education in the Service Sector;
2nd place – Dmytro Kovalchuk (Kharkiv National University);
3rd place – Lviv Professional College of Beauty and Fashion Industry.
Nomination “Cultural Synthesis”:
1st place – Interregional Center for Professional Retraining of Discharged Military Personnel (Kryvyi Rih);
2nd place – Zaporizhzhia Professional College of Fashion and Style;
3rd place – Lviv Professional College of Modeling and Restaurant Business.
The “Audience Choice Award” went to the Ternopil Higher Vocational School of Services and Tourism.
Author: Olga Levkun
