The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) is unlikely to be able to establish how large sums of foreign currency cash used by those involved in the Midas case entered Ukraine
“Midas,” so it proposes to introduce a special form of accounting, said the head of the NABU detective unit, Alexander Abakumov, who is leading the case.
“This is the second time we have encountered such a large amount of money that arrived in Ukraine in packages from the US Federal Reserve Bank. And for the second time, we will obviously find ourselves in a situation where we will not get an answer to the question of how they got into Ukraine,” he said at a meeting of the Temporary Investigation Commission (TIC) on Economic Security chaired by People’s Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak (Voice) in Kyiv on Monday.
According to him, the US Federal Reserve System records who it sells these funds to, but in Europe, while in Ukraine no one is doing this.
“There is a proposal to the People’s Deputies to introduce a form of accounting for the import of such amounts of cash into Ukraine, to whom they are sold, and this, in fact, will be a great contribution to preventing such situations,” the NABU representative concluded.
Deputy Head of the National Bank of Ukraine Dmytro Oliynyk thanked him for this proposal.
“We will consider it, and I will report back,” he said at the meeting of the Verkhovna Rada Committee.
Zheleznyak also confirmed his readiness to consider this proposal in the Rada.
He recalled that specifically in the case of Operation Midas, we are talking about the so-called “white” (and not new “blue”) dollars found in the case files, in Federal Reserve packaging, totaling about $4 million.
Oliynyk stated that Ukraine currently does not have a unique registry that would allow the barcode and FRB packaging number to be verified and the origin of these banknotes in Ukraine to be determined.
“Regarding how the bills are imported in general. Currently, there are eight banks that import dollars and euros into Ukraine. Some of them use them only for their own purposes, while others sell them to banks and other participants in the financial market,” said the National Bank representative, describing the current state of cash currency imports.
According to him, billions of dollars are imported into Ukraine, and it is impossible to single out a specific million without a registration system.
“Plus, imports are not only taking place during the war, they have been happening constantly: old banknotes are being taken out, new ones are being brought in, and it is impossible to say for sure where this million was, whether it was in a bank, on the gray market, or in some collection company or exchange office,” Oliynyk stated.
He said that the National Bank had begun collecting information on the system in order to summarize how banks trade currency among themselves and who uses it for their own purposes. “But we are talking about transactions worth billions of dollars. It is difficult to single out a small amount,” the deputy chairman emphasized once again.
In the first 10 months of 2025, Ukraine exported 36,400 tons of honey worth over $84 million, with more than 70% going to European Union countries, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture Taras Vysotsky said during a forum on the European integration of Ukraine’s honey sector.
He noted that Ukraine is traditionally among the top five global honey exporters, continuing to develop beekeeping even in the difficult conditions of war.
“Ukraine is one of the leaders in honey exports to the EU. This testifies to the high quality, trustworthiness, and competitiveness of our products. The development of digital tools, modernization of production, and strengthening of quality control are gradually creating conditions for scaling exports not only to the EU but also to the markets of Asia and the Middle East,” he wrote on Facebook.
At the same time, Vysotsky stressed that Ukraine should ensure full compliance with EU standards and improve production traceability: clearly record where the honey comes from, which apiaries produced it, and how its quality was checked. This approach will open up new and long-term market opportunities for Ukrainian beekeepers.
According to Vysotsky, there are currently 62,697 apiaries and over 2.84 million bee colonies in the Apiary Passport Register.
“According to experts, integration into the EU market could increase Ukrainian honey exports by 25-30% in the next three years. Our task is to do everything possible to make this forecast a reality,” the deputy minister concluded.
India imported $14.72 billion worth of gold in October 2025, according to data from the country’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry. This is three times more than in October last year, 1.5 times more than in September this year, and is set to be a historic record (last year, a slightly higher figure was reported in November, but it was later revised).
“The growth in gold imports in October was phenomenal, despite very high world prices,” said Indian Deputy Minister of Commerce and Industry Rajesh Agrawal, according to The Hindu. “The growth in silver was also phenomenal.” Silver imports increased 6.3 times, to $2.72 billion.
“The continuous rise in gold prices ahead of the festive season could have led to speculative demand, which may not be sustained in the future, possibly leading to some decline in imports in the coming months,” warns Aditi Nayar of Indian rating agency ICRA.
In just 10 months of 2025, India imported $50.74 billion worth of gold, up 17% from the same period last year (October’s results reversed the trend).
India is one of the world’s largest consumers of gold, producing virtually none itself.
Earlier, the Experts Club analytical center presented an analysis of the world’s leading gold-producing countries in its video on YouTube channel — https://youtube.com/shorts/DWbzJ1e2tJc?si=YuRnDiu7jtfUPBR9
The first nuclear power plant (NPP) in Kazakhstan will be named “Balkhash”, the press service of the republic’s atomic energy agency reported.
“According to the results of the final meeting of the Competition Commission, the name ”Balkash” nuclear power plant was recognized as the winner, which received the largest number of proposals from citizens. The chosen name also corresponds to the international practice of naming nuclear power plants by geographical feature,” the report on the results of the nationwide contest for the best name of the nuclear power plant reads.
The contest committee also determined the name in Russian and English: “Balkhash Nuclear Power Plant” and Balkhash Nuclear Power Plant.
The first NPP, which will be located near Lake Balkhash, will be built by Rosatom. The Russian company has signed a roadmap with Kazakhstan for the construction of two VVER-1200 nuclear power units. The construction of the plant will take approximately 11 years and may be completed in 2035-2036. The issue of attracting state export financing at the expense of the Russian Federation is being studied for the construction of the plant.
Research work near the village of Ulken on Balkhash started on August 8. Here, as part of preliminary surveys, Rosatom’s specialists will explore at least three sites in Zhambyl district, for which they will drill 50 wells with depths ranging from 30 to 120 meters. Based on the hydrogeological features of the site, seismic stability parameters and others, a decision will be made on the exact location of the NPP.
The government said that the second and third nuclear power plants in Kazakhstan could be built by China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC).
Ukrnafta, Ukraine’s largest network of filling stations, has started selling winter diesel fuel, which will ensure reliable engine operation at low temperatures, Ukrnafta said in a press release on Monday.
“Ukrnafta winter diesel has stable performance properties and remains effective even at temperatures as low as -21°C,” the company noted.
It recalled that the use of winter diesel allows drivers to start the engine smoothly in freezing weather and maintain optimal parameters of the car’s operation throughout the cold period.
“Preparing for the winter season is traditionally one of the priorities for our company. We strive to provide our customers with confidence in their vehicles in any weather“, – noted in ”Ukrnafta”.
JSC “Ukrnafta” – the largest oil company in Ukraine, is the operator of the largest national network of filling stations – Ukrnafta. In 2024, the company entered into the management of Glusco assets. In 2025 finalized a deal with Shell Overseas Investments BV to purchase the Shell network in Ukraine. The company operates a total of 663 filling stations.
The company is implementing a comprehensive program to restore operations and update the format of its network of filling stations. Since February 2023, the company has been issuing its own fuel coupons and NAFTACard, which are sold to legal entities and individuals through Ukrnafta-Postach LLC.
Ukrnafta’s largest shareholder is Naftogaz of Ukraine with a 50%+1 share stake. In November 2022, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the AFU decided to transfer to the state a share of the corporate rights of the company owned by private owners, which is now managed by the Ministry of Defense.
The EU Council announced on Saturday that it has agreed with the European Parliament on a €192.8 billion EU budget for 2026.
“Today’s agreement demonstrates that Europe is able to act even in challenging times. The EU budget for 2026 will allow us to realize our common priorities: security, competitiveness and border management – while ensuring that we can respond quickly and effectively to unforeseen needs and crises,” said Nicolai Wammen, Minister of Finance of the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU and the Council’s chief negotiator on the 2026 budget.
The total EU budget commitment for 2026 is €192.8 billion and total disbursements €190.1 billion. “Commitments are legally enforceable promises to spend money on activities whose implementation is spread over several financial years. Payments cover expenditure arising from commitments made under the EU budget in the current and previous financial years,” the council explains in a published communiqué.
This is the sixth annual budget of the EU’s long-term budget for 2021-2027. The 2026 budget is complemented by measures to support post COVID-19 recovery under the special NextGenerationEU program, the document notes.
Disbursements for EU defense and security in 2026 are planned at €2.25 billion. For migration and border management – 3.88 billion euros. For neighborhood policy and foreign policy – 16.56 billion euros. For the common market, innovation and digitalization – 23.33 billion euros.
Now the EU Council and the European Parliament must formally approve the agreement reached. The EU Council is expected to approve it on November 24. A qualified majority vote is required to pass the budget, according to the communiqué.
