Ukraine and Romania plan to open the Bila Tserkva-Sighetu Marmatiei border crossing point by the end of this year – Sighetu Marmatiei“ border crossing point on temporary infrastructure for passenger cars while the ”full” infrastructure is being built, according to the Deputy Minister of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine Serhiy Derkach following a meeting with the State Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure of Romania Ionel Scristea.
“The construction of the new Bila Tserkva-Sighetu Marmatiei checkpoint is a priority. The contract for the work has been signed. The construction itself will be divided into three stages. This is a large infrastructure project that requires time and resources,” Derkach said on his Facebook page.
Among other key agreements, he mentioned the synchronization of work at the largest checkpoint with Romania, Porubne-Siret, in order to simultaneously complete the development of lanes for trucks. This will double the throughput capacity, the deputy minister stressed.
According to him, the opening of local checkpoints, in particular one each in the Chernivtsi and Zakarpattia regions, was also discussed. It is noted that these checkpoints will be created for passenger cars and pedestrians.
Among the latest joint developments, Derkach recalled the possibility of large-capacity buses freely traveling through the Dyakovtsi-Rakovets checkpoint.
“The next step is to consolidate this decision without restrictions on an indefinite basis. Plus, add the possibility of crossing with empty trucks. Our Romanian colleagues are considering this possibility and will provide feedback,” the deputy minister said.
A new interview has been published on the Experts Club YouTube channel with leading Ukrainian obstetrician-gynecologist, Doctor of Medical Sciences Volodymyr Terekhov, focusing on key challenges and trends in modern gynecology. The physician, with over 15 years of experience, shares his observations on women’s health, diagnosis and treatment of gynecological diseases, as well as prospects for the development of the field in Ukraine and worldwide.
Main topics discussed
• Late diagnosis issues: According to Terekhov, up to 70% of patients seek medical help only at advanced stages of illness, including cancer, inflammatory, and hormonal disorders.
• Reproductive health: Special attention is given to declining fertility among young women, a growing trend linked to lifestyle, stress, and hormonal imbalances.
• Role of prevention: The guest emphasizes that regular check-ups and screenings (such as cytology and ultrasound) are effective early detection tools for diseases like cervical and ovarian cancer.
• Technological advancement: The conversation also covers progress in minimally invasive surgery, laparoscopy, and new diagnostic methods.
In Ukraine, according to the Ministry of Health and international NGOs, one in three women of reproductive age faces a gynecological condition — from fibroids to endometriosis. Around 4,500 cases of cervical cancer are diagnosed annually, making it one of the most common cancers among women in the country.
Globally, according to WHO, gynecological conditions affect every second woman over 30. Cervical cancer claims more than 300,000 lives annually despite the availability of vaccination and screening. Endometriosis affects up to 10% of women of reproductive age, and infertility affects one in seven couples.
Dr. Volodymyr Terekhov notes that the future of gynecology lies in the integration of new technologies, a multidisciplinary approach, patient education, and digitalization of healthcare. However, this requires investment, reforms, and state support.
Watch the full interview on the Experts Club YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOh20BZmI9g
Subscribe here:
https://www.youtube.com/@ExpertsClub
Rush LLC, owner of the EVA chain in Ukraine, received UAH 14.8 billion in net income in January-June 2025, which is almost 19% more than in the same period of 2024, according to the company’s press service.
The release specifies that net profit for the period amounted to UAH 548 million, while tax payments reached almost UAH 2.5 billion.
In the first half of the year, the company invested UAH 800 million. Significant areas of investment include network development, modernization, and rebranding (almost UAH 150 million), the acquisition of a logistics complex in Brovary from Dragon Capital, as well as the expansion of the self-service checkout network and the introduction of a new store format.
During the first half of the year, the company opened 29 new stores, 16 of which feature the “Women’s Energy” design. The chain now has 1,127 stores in operation, 143 of which feature the “Women’s Energy” design and three in the EVA BEAUTY format.
Thanks to the expansion of its network, EVA has created 225 new jobs. As of June 30, the company had a total of 13,949 employees.
EVA’s private label department continues to develop its portfolio, which currently includes 66 brands. In particular, the division has entered a new category: car fragrances.
In the decorative cosmetics category, the trendy Jelly collection from GlamBee was presented, and the Fabien Marche perfume brand was expanded with two new lines: Hermetic Collection and Kaleidoscop Collection. A new line of skincare products for problem skin, MAY face, was also launched.
The share of private label products in the company’s sales in real terms amounted to 37.88% in the first half of the year. In the second half of the year, specialists plan to focus on developing exclusive private label projects for EVA.UA (beauty gadgets, fitness accessories, etc.), as well as introducing new hair coloring, toning, and styling products to customers.
The company’s logistics department has completed a number of large-scale projects. At the beginning of the year, an agreement was signed with Dragon Capital to acquire a logistics complex in Brovary.
The modernization of the online store’s distribution centers in Lviv and Brovary has increased the maximum order processing capacity from 12-15 thousand to 20 thousand per day at each warehouse. Significant software improvements have been implemented to optimize the selection and control of online orders. All this has made it possible to increase employee productivity in the control and packaging department by 75%, reduce the number of errors in order packaging to 0.013%, cut operating costs for control and packaging by 40%, and reduce the average order picking time by almost 2.5 hours.
Another important area of work for the logistics department is the development of its own courier service. In Dnipro, Lviv, and Kyiv, according to the results of the first half of the year, 68% of courier deliveries are already carried out using the company’s own resources. In the near future, it is planned to expand the service to Odesa and Kharkiv. The share of in-house deliveries to pick-up points in stores has also increased from 54% at the end of 2024 to 64% at the end of the first half of 2025.
The EVA.UA marketplace already offers over 350,000 products from EVA itself and over 130 partner sellers. The growth rate of the company’s online store traffic in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024 was 26%, the growth rate of orders was 35%, and the growth rate of turnover was 56%.
More than a third of orders on EVA.UA continue to be placed via the company’s mobile app. At the end of the first half of the year, it had over 5.6 million installations and over 800,000 active users per month. In the first half of the year, the company integrated the VISUAL by EVA functionality into the app. In addition, EVA launched a personalized consultation service with a cosmetologist expert in Viber and Telegram chatbots. Currently, EVA chatbots have over 2 million subscribers.
Rush LLC, which manages the EVA chain, was founded in 2002. As of early 2025, the chain had 1,109 stores in operation.
According to Opendatabot, the owner of Rush LLC is listed as Incetera Holdings Limited (100%), a Cypriot company, with Ruslana Shostak and Valeria Kiptika as the ultimate beneficiaries.
At the end of 2024, Rush’s revenue increased by 28.2% compared to the previous year, to UAH 27 billion. Net profit decreased by 36.7%, to UAH 1.4 billion.
State-owned Oschadbank (Kyiv) has put the Ramada Encore hotel and the Europa business center up for sale through the OpenMarket (SE “SETAM”) the Ramada Encore hotel and the Europa business center under a financial leasing procedure, setting the initial value of the capital property at over UAH 797 million.
The bank’s statement notes that the administrative and hotel complex with a total area of 39,590 square meters and a two-level parking lot of 17,500 square meters is being auctioned off under financial leasing terms. The property includes a 22-story four-star Ramada Encore hotel and the Europa business center.
The hotel has 332 rooms and 58 apartments, and its infrastructure includes a conference center of over 4,000 square meters with 20 conference rooms, a two-level parking lot, fitness centers, and restaurants.
The property is located in Kyiv on Stolychne Shosse, 103, at the intersection of three major highways in the direction of Obukhiv and Koncha-Zaspa, which ensures high traffic and accessibility.
According to the terms of the auction, the starting price of the financial lease property is UAH 797.7 million.
The winner of the auction will be determined by the highest bid for the amount of the first lease payment, which participants will submit during the auction. The bid increment is UAH 1 million.
The term of the financial lease is 10 years (120 months), with a schedule of subsequent payments specified in the lot documentation. The lessor’s remuneration is 8.59% per annum, calculated on the outstanding balance. To participate in the auction, a guarantee payment of UAH 10 million must be made.
The auction is scheduled for August 19, 2025.
As reported, Wyndham Hotel Group (WHG) opened its largest four-star hotel under the Ramada Encore brand in June 2012 as part of the Stolychny multifunctional complex (formerly Domosfera) at 103 Stolychne Shosse in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv.
In March 2024, Oschadbank put up for sale through the Atmosfera shopping and entertainment center’s electronic trading system the Ramada Encore Kyiv hotel in the capital, 11 land plots in Kozin (Kyiv region), and a monetary claim against Niteo Company LLC for UAH 1.79 billion.
According to Opendatabot, the owner of Niteko Company LLC is FC NJ Management LLC, and the ultimate beneficiary is Dmytro Buryak.
Global insured losses from natural catastrophes in the first half of 2025 reached $80 billion, which is almost double the 10-year average, according to the Swiss Re Institute.
According to its website, this already exceeds half of the projected annual figure of $150 billion.
Swiss Re Institute notes that wildfire losses have risen sharply over the past decade as rising temperatures, more frequent droughts and changing rainfall patterns combine with suburban sprawl and a concentration of high-value assets.
For example, he said, wildfires in Los Angeles County, USA, in January resulted in insured losses of about $40 billion in the first half of 2025, while insured losses from severe convective storms (SCS) reached $31 billion.
“By 2015, insured losses related to wildfires accounted for about 1% of all natural catastrophe-related insured losses. Since eight of the 10 most expensive wildfires in recorded history occurred in the last 10 years, the share of insured losses related to wildfires has risen to 7%,” the Swiss Re Institute explained.
Meanwhile, the institute said: although the first half of 2025 saw several devastating thunderstorms with severe hail and tornado outbreaks in the US, total losses caused by SCS fell below both the projected trend of $35 billion and the record-breaking events of 2023 and 2024.
“However, SCS continue to be a major driver of global natural catastrophe insurance losses, with annual volatility highlighting their ongoing threat to property and infrastructures,” Swiss Re Institute said in a statement
As insured losses rise globally, overall economic losses are also rising, with Swiss Re Institute reporting $143 billion in the first half of 2025, up from $130 billion in the same period in 2024.
Soybean exports from Ukraine in the 2025-2026 marketing year (MY, July-June) may decrease by more than a third and amount to about 2.7 million tons due to the expected reduction in crop production, the possible impact of export duties, and the continued attractiveness of processing, according to the information and analytical agency APK-Inform.
Experts recalled that Ukraine exported 3.97 million tons of soybeans during September-July 2024-2025 MY, which is 28% more than in the same period last year and set a new record for the season.
“The significant increase in export rates was achieved primarily thanks to the record harvest of this crop in the country in 2024, as well as attractive prices and geographical proximity to key global importers,” analysts explained.
At the same time, in their opinion, the record pace of soybean shipments in the summer may be stimulated by the expected introduction of a 10% duty on soybeans from September 2025, if the Ukrainian president signs the relevant bill.
Among the top buyers of Ukrainian soybeans in the current season, experts named Turkey (968,600 tons, up 39% from the previous season), Egypt (673,000 tons, down 31%), and the Netherlands (546,000 tons, up 2.7 times).
“In total, in the 2024/25 season, soybean exports from Ukraine could reach about 4.1-4.2 million tons (+26%), which could be a new record for the industry,” APK-Inform concluded.
