Switzerland will restrict the granting of temporary protection status to Ukrainian refugees from western regions of Ukraine from November 1, 2025, according to SRF television. The decision was made by the Swiss Federal Council as part of a review of the policy on granting S status, which has been in effect for Ukrainian citizens since March 2022. Under the new rules, the state will distinguish between regions of Ukraine where it is considered safe to return and those where it is still unsafe to stay.
According to the government’s decision, the return of Ukrainians is considered acceptable in the following regions: Volyn, Rivne, Lviv, Ternopil, Zakarpattia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Chernivtsi.
The new restrictions will take effect on November 1, 2025, and will only apply to new applications. Ukrainians who have already been granted protection status are not affected by the new rules.
The Federal Council emphasized that, overall, the temporary protection regime S remains in place, as “a lasting stabilization of the situation in Ukraine does not appear realistic in the medium term.” However, the country’s parliament had previously obliged the government to establish a more differentiated approach depending on the applicants’ regions of origin.
The State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) will continue to consider each application individually. In cases where the applicant’s origin indicates a region recognized as safe, the application for protection will be rejected.
If the return of a particular person proves legally impossible or individually unacceptable, they will be allowed to remain in Switzerland temporarily.
Ukrainians who are unable to obtain S protection status under the new rules will still be able to apply for asylum or leave for other European countries.
The Federal Council also confirmed that the final abolition of the S protection regime is not planned before March 2027.
Experts note that Bern’s decision reflects Switzerland’s gradual transition to the selective application of protection status, focused on the level of security in specific regions of Ukraine and reducing the burden on the national migration system.
According to SRF, among Ukrainians currently in Switzerland under S status, about 10% come from regions recognized by the government as safe.
Forecast of dynamics of changes in Ukrainian GDP in % for 2022-2025 in relation to previous period
Source: Open4Business.com.ua
Imports of goods from Ukraine in January-September 2025 amounted to $60.1 billion in monetary terms, which is 17.4% higher than in the same period of 2024, while exports decreased by 3.1% to $29.5 billion, according to the State Customs Service (SCS).
“At the same time, taxable imports amounted to $45.9 billion, which is 76% of the total volume of imported goods. The tax burden per 1 kg of taxable imports in January-September 2025 was $0.52/kg,” the agency’s Telegram channel reported on Wednesday.
Traditionally, China imported the most goods to Ukraine – $13.3 billion, followed by Poland – $5.7 billion, and Germany – $4.8 billion.
Ukrainian goods were exported mainly to Poland – $3.7 billion, Turkey – $2.1 billion, and Germany – $1.8 billion.
Of the total volume of goods imported into the country in January-September 2025, 69% of the categories were machinery, equipment, and transport – $23.8 billion (with customs clearance, UAH 148.3 billion, or 29% of customs payments, was paid to the budget), chemical industry products – $9.4 billion (72.9 billion hryvnia paid to the budget, or 14% of revenues), fuel and energy – $7.6 billion (146.6 billion hryvnia paid, accounting for 29% of customs payments).
According to the State Customs Service, the top three most exported Ukrainian goods were food products – $16.2 billion, metals and metal products – $3.4 billion, and machinery, equipment, and transport – $2.8 billion.
“In the first nine months of 2025, UAH 641.9 million was paid to the budget during customs clearance of exports of goods subject to export duties,” the service concluded.
According to Serbian Economist, Croatia has expressed its readiness to consider buying Serbian oil and gas company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) if it will help to settle the consequences of US sanctions against the company, Croatian Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar said.
“Our hand is outstretched – if this is the solution, we are ready for this option as well,” the minister said, commenting on the situation after the US sanctions against NIS came into force.
According to Šušnjar, if such a scenario is realized, Croatia would guarantee the stability of the Jadranski naftovod (JANAF) oil pipeline, which has been cooperating with NIS for more than 40 years, without interfering in Serbia’s retail fuel market.
“This would simplify the situation both for us and for Serbia,” emphasized the minister, who represents the Domovinski pokret party, which is in coalition with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s ruling HDZ party.
The minister noted that the NIS Pančevo refinery provides up to 20% of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s oil products market, and the current sanctions situation poses additional challenges for the entire region.
“By the end of the month, we will complete the modernization of the refinery in Rijeka, which will allow us to increase refining capacity and thus help Bosnia and Herzegovina, and partially Serbia,” Šušnjar said.
He also emphasized that sanctions against NIS will not affect Croatia’s position in negotiations with Hungarian MOL on oil supplies. According to him, the country is ready to provide sufficient volumes of fuel for Hungary, Slovakia and Serbia when it is possible in terms of geopolitical conditions.
Experts note that Croatia’s possible participation in the fate of NIS could be a compromise option to stabilize the energy market in the Balkans and ensure uninterrupted operation of the JANAF oil pipeline, which is a key link of oil supplies to the region.
Biosphere Corporation has announced its intention to increase its export share in total sales from the current 30% to 50% by 2030.
According to Iryna Nesterenko, vice president of operations at the corporation, as reported to Interfax-Ukraine, exports accounted for 15% of sales before the full-scale war, and by the end of this year, they will grow to 30%, half of which will be to EU countries.
“Our first step abroad took place back in 2006 – shipments of our Freken BOK and Smile brands to Moldova. After that, we actively expanded our presence in Central Asia and the Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan), and in 2022, we began to shift our focus to Europe,” Nesterenko described the historical path of expansion.
She recalled that in the fall of 2022, Biosphere acquired the Austrian brand Alufix, along with production facilities in Romania and branches in four EU countries, which significantly strengthened the company’s position in Europe.
Biosphere Corporation is Ukraine’s largest manufacturer and distributor of household and personal hygiene products and one of the major players in this industry in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The company’s products are represented in more than 25 countries, and its production facilities consist of seven factories in Ukraine and Europe. Created over more than 27 years of activity, Biosphere’s portfolio of 21 own brands includes, among others, Freken BOK, Smile, Novita, Lady Cotton, PRO service, Alufix, and Vortex. At the end of 2023, the company launched a new Tea&Food division with its own Cupsoul production, represented by such tea brands as Graff and Ritz Barton.
In February this year, the founder and CEO of the corporation, Andriy Zdesenko, announced that last year the group’s key businesses increased their revenue by approximately 20% to UAH 7.5 billion, and that this growth is expected to continue in 2025.
Do you remember that feeling when you know a hundred English words but can’t put them into a simple sentence? When “cat,” “dog,” and “London” are running through your head, but when a tourist asks you a question, you just smile awkwardly? This is a starting point that many people know. It seems that there is an invisible wall between you and the world of English.
But there comes a point when this wall begins to crumble. It doesn’t happen all of a sudden, but it’s a feeling you can’t mistake for anything else. This is the moment when the language turns from a set of rules and words in a textbook into a living instrument. This magical stage is called the Elementary level. Experts use the terms A1 or A2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), but the point is not in the name. It’s about transformation: you move from passive knowledge to active use of the language for communication, travel, and discovery.
Elementary level is your ignition key. It is the foundation on which you will build your skyscraper of fluency. Let’s take a look into your near future and see what amazing doors the completion of this stage will open for you.
The greatest desire of every language learner is to start speaking. And it is at the Elementary level that your dreams begin to come true. It’s no longer just memorized phrases like “My name is…” or “London is the capital of Great Britain”. This is the beginning of your personal story in English.
You will be able to not only introduce yourself but also talk about yourself, your family, work and hobbies using simple but confident sentences. And all this thanks to basic grammar, which at this stage becomes your reliable assistant.
● Present Simple allows you to talk about your habits and everyday life: “I drink coffee every morning”, “I work as a manager”. You can describe your working day or what you like to do on weekends. ● Past Simple brings your memories to life. You can share your impressions of your last vacation, tell us what movie you watched yesterday, or discuss important events in your life. The “going to” construction turns your dreams into concrete plans. You can discuss with a new friend where you’re going to go this weekend or what you plan to do in the evening. Imagine the situation: you are sitting in a cozy cafe somewhere in Prague. You don’t just point at the menu, you confidently say: “Can I have a cappuccino and a croissant, please?”. You can ask for the price, pay and say thank you. This is a small but important victory. Or you meet another traveler and can make small talk about where you are from, what you do, and what you like. Your vocabulary, which at this stage reaches 500-1000 active words, becomes the toolkit that allows you to build these first bridges between cultures.
One of the most exciting moments in learning a language is that “click” when a continuous stream of incomprehensible sounds suddenly breaks down into familiar words. This is the moment when the world around you literally starts talking to you.
At Elementary level, you develop the fundamental skill of listening comprehension in a variety of settings. It’s important to remember that you won’t be able to understand fast-paced native speakers or complex news stories. Your superpower lies elsewhere: you can get the gist if the speaker speaks slowly, clearly and uses familiar vocabulary on everyday topics.
Think about these scenarios that are becoming a reality for you:
● At the airport: You hear a clear announcement: “Flight to… Berlin… gate… number ten”. There is no panic. You understand everything and calmly walk to your gate. You can understand the short, simple directions and instructions.
● At the hotel: The receptionist slowly explains to you: “Breakfast is from 7 to 10”. You nod because you understand the key information.
In a conversation: Your new foreign friend is talking about his family, and you catch some familiar words: “I have a brother and a sister. We live in a big house.” You may not understand every word, but you get the gist of it, and now you can start a conversation.
This is the skill of selective listening – the ability to grab the most important information you need here and now from the flow of speech. It turns chaos into order and gives you an incredible sense of control and confidence.
The world of text also opens up to you in a new way. Signs that used to be just a decorative element now carry information for you. Short messages are no longer hieroglyphs.
Reading at the Elementary level is primarily a practical skill for orientation in space. You will be able to read and understand easily:
● Signs on the streets and in public places: “Entrance”, ‘Exit’, “Open/Closed”, “Information”.
● Menus in a restaurant or cafe by finding familiar names of dishes and drinks. ● Short and simple messages, for example, in a messenger from a friend or in a sale announcement. ● Simple personal letters or postcards by capturing the main idea.
Writing is no longer a challenge. You can now not only write your name, but also leave a meaningful message. Your new skills include:
● Filling out simple questionnaires and registration forms at hotels or airports (Name, Surname, Nationality).
● Writing a short message to a friend: “Let’s meet at 6 pm” or “I am late, sorry”. ● Writing a simple personal letter or signing a greeting card, expressing simple thoughts and wishes. Write a few sentences about yourself, your family, or your home.
If, while reading this, you recognized yourself in many situations and your heart was happy to think of new opportunities, this is a great sign! Perhaps you are already at the Elementary level or have even surpassed it.
The best way to find out is to take a small, friendly test. It’s not an exam, it’s just a way to confirm your progress and see how much you already know. It only takes a few minutes, but it will give you a clear understanding of your current knowledge.
Click here to take our Elementary test and get instant confirmation of your new superpowers.
Elementary is your solid foundation. What’s next? And then there’s Pre-Intermediate, the first floor of your knowledge skyscraper, which offers a much wider view. At this stage, conversations get longer, jokes get funnier, and texts get more interesting. You begin not only to survive in the English-speaking environment, but to feel more and more comfortable in it.
What if our first test seemed too easy for you and you passed it with flying colors? Congratulations! It looks like you are ready for the next challenge and are on the verge of reaching the Pre-Intermediate level. This means that you are ready to deepen your grammar knowledge, expand your vocabulary and talk about more complex topics.
Test your ambitions and try your hand at the Pre-Intermediate test to see what new heights await you.
The Elementary level is not just another step in your education. It is your personal breakthrough. This is the moment when English turns from an abstract school subject into a universal key that opens the door to new countries, new friends, new music and new career opportunities.
This is proof that you can achieve your goals. It is the confidence that inspires you to move on. It is your ticket to a world without borders. And the most interesting is yet to come. So don’t stop. Communicate, listen, read – and you will be surprised how quickly you will start not only speaking but also thinking in English.
Prepared by ENGLISH.KH.UA
Contact us, they will always help
