Pluralis B.V., an impact investment fund managed by the American Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), invested UAH 9.98 million and UAH 9.42 million as part of an increase in the authorized capital of UP Media Plus LLC and UP Media LLC, thereby becoming the owner of 13% of the Ukrainska Pravda (UP) publication.
According to data from YouControl, the contributions of the founder and head of the Dragon Capital investment group, Tomas Fiala, remained unchanged at UAH 66.79 million and UAH 63.01 million, respectively, so his share decreased from 100% to 87%.
Fiala previously noted that after Pluralis entered the capital, representatives of the fund would also join the supervisory body that would be created with them.
“Their investment is through a supplementary issue. This means that it is an injection into the company itself, not a cash-out,” the owner of UP emphasized in an interview with Forbes Business Breakfast with Volodymyr Fedorin.
According to Fiala, UP is valued at “millions of dollars”: it has grown, but not significantly – by several tens of percent – since he bought a 100% stake in May 2021.
He added that he is counting on the help of the Pluralis B.V. fund in attracting additional investments in UP. According to the media owner, it is still too early to talk about the possibility of exiting these investments, perhaps in five to seven years.
Ukrainska Pravda is one of the country’s leading independent media outlets. It was founded in 2000 and writes about politics, society, economics, sports, technology, and international events, focusing primarily on digital platforms. According to the publication, its nationwide audience exceeds 15 million readers.
In May 2021, UP’s founding editor Alona Prytula and Fiala signed an agreement under which 100% of the corporate rights to the publication and all its assets were transferred to Dragon Capital. In 2025, they were re-registered directly to Fiala.
Fiala, a Czech citizen, also owns the NV media holding, which includes the magazine, portal, and radio station of the same name, but UP and NV operate independently of each other. After the purchase of UP, an agreement on editorial independence was signed between the new owner and the publication.
According to YouControl, in the first nine months of 2025, UP Media Plus’s revenue grew by 54.0% to UAH 73.1 million, while its net loss decreased by 20.2% to UAH 24.8 million. The company’s assets at the end of this period amounted to UAH 27.3 million.
UP Media received UAH 0.2 million in revenue for nine months of last year, with a net loss of UAH 4.6 million, which roughly corresponds to the figures for the same period in 2024. Its assets as of September 30, 2025, amounted to UAH 37.6 million.
Pluralis B.V. is a Dutch company headquartered in Amsterdam. The company’s shareholders, investors, and partners include a group of leading European media companies, democracy support funds, and impact investors, including the King Baudouin Foundation, Tinius Trust, Oak Foundation, Mediahuis, Erste Bank, Media Development Investment Fund, and SEDF, as well as other impact investors and family offices.
Dragon Capital is one of Ukraine’s largest investment groups, with nearly 30 years of experience in the country’s investment and financial services sector.
Express Insurance (Kyiv) collected insurance premiums totaling UAH 148.9 million in December 2025, which is 63% more than in the same period of 2024, according to the insurer’s website.
Premiums under CASCO contracts for this period amounted to UAH 88.4 million, which is 32.3% higher than in December 2024, while premiums under MTPL reached UAH 58.7 million (+159.6%), and premiums under other types of insurance amounted to UAH 2 million.
Express Insurance was founded in 2008 and is part of the UkrAVTO group of companies. It specializes in auto insurance. The consistently high speed of settlement of claims at the insurance company is ensured by optimal interaction with partner service stations.
The national supermarket chain Varus increased its turnover by almost 20% in 2025, to UAH 28.8 billion, according to a press release on Tuesday, reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
It is noted that the number of stores increased by seven, or 6.3%, to 118.
The company noted that in July 2025, it decided to spin off the Varus.ua business line to implement a new e-commerce strategy and achieved a 97.2% increase in its turnover over the past year. By the end of 2025, the number of users of the mobile app reached about 500,000.
According to the release, the company is implementing a large-scale energy program to install nearly 4,000 solar panels at its network facilities, which will allow stores to cover up to 95% of their energy needs in the summer. The project is expected to pay for itself in approximately two years and will save about UAH 50 million annually.
“The plans for 2026 include equipping 18 more facilities with solar power plants. In addition, all stores in the chain are equipped with generators to ensure uninterrupted operation during power outages,” the release said.
Among the main results of last year was also the receipt in July of the first tranche of a loan from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) — almost UAH 630 million for the development of the network, increasing business sustainability, and implementing energy-efficient solutions, of which about UAH 30 million went to the opening of its own distribution center (DC) in Dnipro.
In addition, another distribution center was launched in Odesa, and the energy independence of the entire logistics network was strengthened.
Other achievements include the automation of the full cycle of invoices through eDoc, the connection of 80% of suppliers to the system, and a 3.5-fold increase in the volume of electronic invoices over the year.
Varus also specified that it employs more than 8,000 people, and in 2025, the chain invested about UAH 60 million in social initiatives.
Varus is a national supermarket chain represented on the Ukrainian food retail market by Omega. The first store was opened in 2003 in Dnipro. The chain operates in several formats: classic supermarkets, To Go stores, and the Varus.ua online store.
According to Opendatabot, Omega LLC is owned by Cyprus-based Veigant Enterprises Limited. Valery Kiptik and Ruslan Shostak are listed as the ultimate beneficiaries.
In January this year, the Zaporizhstal steel plant in Zaporizhia increased its rolled steel output by 0.3% compared to the same period last year, from 215,000 tons to 215,700 tons.
According to its press release on Tuesday, steel production for the first month of this year amounted to 234,400 tons (in January 2025 – 243,000 tons), and pig iron – 249,900 tons (287,700 tons).
In December 2025, Zaporizhstal produced 314 thousand tons of pig iron and 278.5 thousand tons of steel. A total of 251,400 tons of rolled products were shipped, compared to 309,100 tons of pig iron, 273,200 tons of steel, and 251,300 tons of rolled products in the previous month.
As noted in the company’s interim report for the fourth quarter of 2025, despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the plant continued to maintain stable operations while fulfilling its business responsibilities to shareholders and stakeholders. Efforts were focused on maintaining high standards of production and stability in all aspects of the company’s operations. The company actively worked on the development and implementation of strategic initiatives aimed at increasing efficiency, improving product quality, and raising the level of environmental safety.
During the reporting period, Zaporizhstal continued to produce products, and production and technological equipment for the full metallurgical cycle was put into operation at a level of about 70-80% of maximum production capacity, and this level was considered stable in the foreseeable future. Assuming that there will be no significant deterioration in the situation, management expects the company to continue production at the current level and, subject to improvements in product delivery logistics, to increase production volumes in the future.
At the same time, as of the reporting date, it is difficult to predict the duration and scale of the war in Ukraine and its consequences, such as damage to infrastructure, constant power outages against the backdrop of rising electricity prices, changes in logistics chains, and supply risks, etc., indicate the existence of significant uncertainty that could cast significant doubt on the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, and therefore it may not be able to realize its assets and settle its liabilities in the normal course of business. However, management believes that the most likely scenario is a gradual improvement in the situation and continued recovery in Ukraine, which will allow for increased operations and free access to Black Sea ports, the report says.
As reported, in 2025, Zaporizhstal increased its rolled steel output by 15.2% compared to the previous year, to 2 million 794.6 thousand tons from 2 million 426.7 thousand tons. Steel production amounted to 3 million 212.2 thousand tons (in 2024 – 2 million 890.8 thousand tons), pig iron – 3 million 567.8 thousand tons (3 million 106.3 thousand tons).
In 2024, Zaporizhstal increased its rolled steel output by 18.1% compared to 2023, to 2 million 426.7 thousand tons from 2 million 54.7 thousand tons, and steel output by 17.2%, to 2 million 890.8 thousand tons, and pig iron by 14.2%, to 3 million 106.3 thousand tons.
In 2023, Zaporizhstal increased its rolled steel production by 57.2% compared to 2022, to 2 million 54.7 thousand tons, steel by 65.4%, to 2 million 466.9 thousand tons, and pig iron by 35.3%, to 2 million 718.9 thousand tons.
Zaporizhstal is one of Ukraine’s largest industrial enterprises, whose products are in high demand among consumers both in the domestic market and in many countries around the world.
Zaporizhstal is a joint venture of the Metinvest Group, whose main shareholders are System Capital Management (71.24%) and Smart Steel Limited (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the managing company of the Metinvest Group.
The Lviv Locomotive Repair Plant (LLRP), part of Ukrzaliznytsia, increased its production volume by 24.2% in 2025 compared to 2024, to UAH 1 billion 026 million.
According to information in the plant’s interim management report, published in the disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission, last year’s production plan was UAH 1 billion 254 million, i.e., it was fulfilled by 82%, while in 2024, 85% of the plan was fulfilled.
As reported, in 2025, the plant planned to repair 17 locomotives compared to 16 in 2024, as well as increase the repair of traction motors and their anchors by 30% to 495 units, and auxiliary electric machines by 19.2% (or 30 units) to 186 units.
At the same time, the production plan for the repair of wheel sets was 450 units, compared to 556 units repaired the year before last.
Founded in 1861, LLRZ is now a large Ukrainian enterprise for the repair of electric locomotives, traction motors, and wheel sets.
As reported, in 2024, the plant increased its net profit by 55% compared to 2023, to UAH 24 million, and its net income by 39%, to UAH 827.7 million.
At the beginning of 2025, the plant employed 846 people (599 of whom were men).
Salivonka Sugar Factory, PJSC plans to hold a general meeting of shareholders on February 24, 2026 (Tuesday), according to a statement published through the depository system.
According to OpenDataBot, the company was registered in 1996, specializes in sugar production, and is located in the Kyiv region (Kovalivka village). Its authorized capital is UAH 10.65 million, and its director is Ruslan Tarasyuk.
The controlling stake (64.00288%) belongs to PSP “Agrofirma ”Svitanok” – this was reported in a public offer sent to shareholders after the acquisition of control. The document also states that the ultimate beneficiary of Agrofirm Svitanok is Andriy Zasukha, and Anatoliy Zasukha directly owns 10.0059% of the plant’s shares.
