Canadian Minister of Finance and National Revenue François-Philippe Champagne announced that Canada will extend the Order exempting Ukrainian goods from duties until June 9, 2026, according to the Canadian government’s website
“Canada remains unwavering in its support for Ukraine as it fights to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity, and democracy. The conflict, initiated by Russia with the support of Belarus, continues to seriously affect Ukraine’s economy, including its ability to export goods to global markets,” the Canadian Ministry of Finance said in a press release. The document recalls that last month in Banff, Alberta, G7 finance ministers and central bank governors unanimously reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine.
“Canada continues to support Ukraine’s economy by extending duty-free access for Ukrainian goods to Canada for one year,” the statement said.
Since the issuance of the Order exempting goods from Ukraine from duties on June 9, 2022, Canada has imported more than $35 million worth of these goods, with $8.5 million in customs payments waived. It is expected that approximately $1.2 million in customs duties will be refunded between June 10, 2025, and June 9, 2026.
The order exempting Ukrainian goods from customs duties came into force on June 9, 2022, for an initial period of one year, after which it was extended annually. The order temporarily suspends customs duties on imports of Ukrainian goods.
The DIM.RIA marketplace for verified real estate analyzed
the situation on the primary, secondary, and rental housing markets in Ukraine in May
2025. The report presents the dynamics of prices, supply, and demand compared
to April 2025 and May last year.
Primary market
Supply
In May, the share of operating sales departments for new buildings
remained unchanged at 77%. During the month, four new buildings
(5 sections) were commissioned during the month: two in the Lviv region, one in the Kyiv region, and one in the Zakarpattia region.
The highest share of completed projects among all new buildings was recorded in the Rivne
(62%), Zaporizhzhia (56%), and Odesa (54%) regions.
Prices
Prices in the primary market in most regions are showing
growth. The highest price increases were recorded in the Chernihiv (+8%),
Zhytomyr (+8%), and Kyiv (+6%) regions. Only Kirovohrad showed
a decrease, averaging 5%. Kyiv remains the most expensive city, with an average
price of $1,409/m². The cheapest new buildings are in the frontline regions: Zaporizhzhia,
Sumy, and Mykolaiv.
Demand
The most noticeable growth in interest in new buildings
was observed in the Ternopil region (+22% compared to April). At the same time,
a significant decrease in demand was recorded in the Sumy (-25%) and Dnipropetrovsk
(-17%) regions.
Secondary market
Supply
The largest number of advertisements for the sale of secondary housing in
in May came from the Volyn, Rivne, and Mykolaiv regions.
Prices
According to the DIM.RIA marketplace, during May, the average
cost of one-room apartments continued to grow in most regions of Ukraine.
The largest increase was recorded in the Kherson region (+16%), although it remains
the cheapest for this type of housing.
The most expensive housing is in the capital: the cost of a one-room
apartment in Kyiv reaches $92,400. In terms of districts, Pechersky remains
the most expensive (almost $132,000), and Desniansky is the most affordable ($45,000).
Demand
In May, users were most actively searching for secondary
real estate in the Khmelnytskyi, Odesa, and Volyn regions.
The ratio of the number of purchase listings to the number of
responses to them in May in Kyiv was 1:3, with only the Odesa region having a lower ratio —
1:2. In the Vinnytsia region, it was 1:18, in the Ternopil region — 1:16, and
in the Mykolaiv region — 1:15.
Rental market
Supply
According to DIM.RIA analysts, the rental market was
unstable in May. The largest number of new listings appeared in the Chernivtsi (+35%) and
Zakarpattia (+29%) regions. In contrast, in Kirovohrad, the number of
offers decreased by 40%. In Kyiv, the decline was 22% compared to April.
Prices
Kyiv remains the most expensive city for rent:
the average cost in May was 18,200 UAH, which is 4% more than in
April. The most expensive apartments are in the Pecherskyi district — 26,300 UAH, and the cheapest are
in the Desnianskyi district (10,900 UAH).
In most regions, rental prices changed by
a few percent, with the exceptions of Zakarpattia and Ternopil regions (an increase of
11%), Cherkasy (-11%) and Chernihiv (-15%).
Demand
In May, users were actively looking for rental housing:
according to data from the DIM.RIA analytical center, interest was observed in almost
in all regions of Ukraine. The ratio of rental ads to
responses in May in Kyiv was 1:6, while in most
regions these figures differed several times over.
The full analytical
report and high-quality images are available at the link!
On June 10, at 6 p.m., the large exhibition hall of the Lavra Art Gallery in Kyiv will host the opening of the first group exhibition of contemporary surrealism and symbolism in Kyiv.
More than 20 young Ukrainian artists will take part in the project “A Look Through Reality.” This interdisciplinary art event will combine painting, sculpture, audiovisual art, live music performance, and breaking art performance. The project was created in collaboration between the Lavra Gallery and the Plemya.Art formation.
The art event invites visitors to delve into the world of human consciousness and its interaction with reality. The exhibition explores how each person perceives the world around them through their own “prism” of life experiences, emotions, memories, and dreams.
Moments of our lives — upbringing, travel, interaction with society, loss, art, literature, and even short conversations — shape the light we radiate outward and strive to show this inner glow through a combination of different art forms. The dialogue between the conscious and the subconscious through symbolism and surrealism allows us to explore the inner states, emotions, memories, and dreams that shape our perception of the world.
The artists participating in the project use surrealism and symbolism to reflect the boundaries of the interaction between the inner world of a person and external reality. The works include elements of social criticism, the study of symbols and archetypes, their meaning and role in shaping the perception and understanding of the world. Painting, sculpture, audiovisual art, and music come together to create an interactive and multi-layered artistic environment. The interaction between the inner world of a person and external reality will be revealed through the works of artists and interactive performances.
The main goal of the event is to support young Ukrainian artists who create art in wartime. It also aims to raise funds for the rehabilitation of war victims in collaboration with the Legacy of War Foundation for the modern U+System center.
Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ) held its first successful online scrap metal auctions after a hiatus of more than a year and a half, according to the Prozorro.Prozori system.
According to a press release on Friday, June 5, Ukrzaliznytsia held online auctions for the sale of scrap metal on the state electronic trading system Prozorro.Prozori. These are the first auctions after a hiatus of more than a year and a half.
It is specified that of the 33 lots of ferrous metal scrap put up for auction, seven were distributed, with participants competing for them. On average, three participants competed for Ukrzaliznytsia’s scrap.
The cost of the lots at the auction started at almost UAH 11.9 million, and according to the results of the auction, the winners will have to pay almost UAH 13 million for them. Ukrzaliznytsia will receive the most money from the sale of 300 tons of scrap from railway wheel axles – over UAH 2.3 million.
As reported by the Interfax-Ukraine agency, on June 5, 2025, an auction was held for the sale of ferrous metal scrap (type 4, lot weight – 142.608 tons) with a starting price of UAH 1 million 29 thousand. The auction was won by NDMZ LLC, and the lot was sold for 1 million 240 thousand 689.60 UAH.
In addition, on June 5, an auction was held for the sale of ferrous metal scrap (type 213, lot weight – 300 tons) with a starting price of UAH 2.80 million excluding VAT. The auction was won by ZAKHID-TEKHNOMEDBUD LLC, and the lot was sold for UAH 2 million 318.1 thousand.
An auction was also held for the sale of ferrous metal scrap (type 3 (axles), lot weight – 200 tons) with a starting price of UAH 1.520 million excluding VAT. The auction was won by ZAKHID-TEKHNOMEDBUD LLC – lot sold for UAH 1 million 790.001 thousand.
On Thursday, an auction was also held for the sale of ferrous metal scrap (type 10, lot weight – 320 tons) with a starting price of UAH 1 million 702.4 thousand excluding VAT. The auction was won by UKRPOUTBRUKHT LLC – the lot was sold for UAH 1 million 920.001 thousand.
Successful bidding also took place for other scrap lots.
In addition, it was reported that the auctions scheduled for May 26 of this year did not take place due to the lack of bids from participants.
Prozorro.Prozori is a joint-stock company, 100% of whose shares are owned by the state represented by the Ministry of Economy. Prozorro.Prozori operates an electronic trading system for online auctions for the sale and lease of public assets, including the property of Ukrzaliznytsia.
The Vitagro group of companies and leading Danish genetic company DanBred have signed an agreement to establish a breeding farm for pigs in the Khmelnytskyi region, the company’s press service reported.
According to the report, the Vitagro group of companies began the project to build a new farm in cooperation with DanBred in 2023. The farm is designed to accommodate 1,000 sows at a time and will be able to raise up to 9,000 piglets and up to 250 boars annually. The first offspring are expected in November-December 2025, and sales on the Ukrainian market will start in early 2026.
The farm will breed purebred pigs of the Yorkshire (DanBred Yorkshire), Duroc (DanBred Duroc), and Landrace (DanBred Landrace) breeds. In addition, the main hybrids of DanBred breeds and Duroc boars will be bred. This will ensure the entire DanBred genetics line in Ukraine, and in the future, Duroc breeding material will also become available.
The first two batches of animals have already been delivered to Ukraine and will be delivered to the new farm in early June. The third batch of animals will arrive in Ukraine at the end of June.
“Our pig breeding division has been working with Danish genetics for over 10 years, but now this work will reach a new level, as we will be able to breed this genetics here in Ukraine together with our foreign partners,” said Ivan Varvarchin, project manager at the Vitagro group of companies.
In his opinion, the successful signing of the agreement also indicates that world-renowned companies are actively exploring promising sectors of Ukraine’s economy and, despite the risks, are ready to invest in Ukraine if they see reliable partners here.
“This step is, first, decisive in the development of our strategy and, second, reflects our desire to invest in the development of our Ukrainian business even during the war. We see potential in Ukrainian pig farming and are confident that the industry will experience rapid growth,” commented Stefan Derks, Regional Director of DanBred in Europe.
Oksana Yurchenko, president of the Ukrainian Pig Breeders Association, emphasized that the arrival of companies such as DanBred in Ukraine signals that Ukraine is attractive to foreign investors.
“In addition, our pig farming has long since become a high-tech business that understands the value of global advances in genetics and actively uses them in its work,” she added.
DanBred is a supplier of genetics and service solutions for professional producers. In 2024, DanBred reported annual revenue of EUR 147.2 million and EBITDA of EUR 8.2 million, with pre-tax profit of EUR 6 million. At the end of 2024, DanBred had local breeding farms in 20 countries around the world, which now include Ukraine. DanBred was founded by the Danish Agriculture and Food Council, an organization that has been professionally developing Danish pig genetics for more than 120 years.
The Vitagro Group is one of Ukraine’s largest industrial groups with assets in the agricultural, energy, processing, construction, and chemical industries. It was founded in 1998 and has been operating since then. It owns enterprises in the Khmelnytskyi, Rivne, Volyn, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kyiv regions. It cultivates about 90,000 hectares of land and is also involved in animal husbandry, horticulture, renewable energy, fertilizer and feed production, construction, and building materials manufacturing. During the full-scale invasion, the group built and launched five processing plants. Vitagro’s head office is located in Khmelnytskyi.
According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities and Individual Entrepreneurs, the ultimate beneficiary of the investment company Vitagro is People’s Deputy Serhiy Labazuk (parliamentary faction “For the Future”).
