In January-June this year, Ukraine reduced exports of ferroalloys in physical terms by 11.4 times compared to the same period last year, down to 24,206 thousand tons from 275,854 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Tuesday, exports of ferroalloys in monetary terms decreased 8.2 times to $29.345 million from $240.401 million.
The main exports were to Poland (30.50% of supplies in monetary terms), Turkey (22.13%) and Romania (13.20%).
In addition, in January-June, Ukraine imported 54.932 thousand tons of these products, compared to 3.745 thousand tons in January-June 2023 (an increase of 14.7 times). In monetary terms, imports increased 5.4 times to $90.924 million from $16.874 million.
Imports were mainly from Poland (43.97%), Norway (13.68%) and Kazakhstan (12.71%).
As reported, Pokrovsky Mining and Processing Plant (PGOK, formerly Ordzhonikidze Mining and Processing Plant) and Marganetsky Mining and Processing Plant (MGPK, both in Dnipropetrovska oblast), both part of Privat Group, stopped mining and processing crude manganese ore in late October and early November 2023, while NFP and ZFP stopped smelting ferroalloys. Later, ferroalloy plants resumed production at a minimum level.
In 2023, Ukraine decreased exports of ferroalloys in physical terms by 1.5% compared to 2022, to 344.173 thousand tons, while in monetary terms, exports of ferroalloys decreased by 47.2% to $297.595 million. The main exports were to Poland (52.79% of supplies in monetary terms), Turkey (14.13%) and the Netherlands (8.46%).
In addition, in 2023, Ukraine imported 14.203 thousand tons of these products, which is 30.9% less than in 2022. In monetary terms, imports decreased by 41% to $42.927 million. Imports were carried out mainly from Poland (23.94%), India (16.08%) and Armenia (14.35%).
Prior to the nationalization of the financial institution, PrivatBank organized the business of ZZF, NZF, Stakhanovsky ZF (located on the NCT), Pokrovske (formerly Ordzhonikidze) and Marganetsky mining and processing plants. Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant is controlled by EastOne Group, created in the fall of 2007 as a result of the restructuring of Interpipe Group, and Privat Group.
Secret Service agents escorted former US President Donald Trump off the stage after he fell to the ground at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, CNN reported.
“There were loud pops before Trump fell. Agents then helped him up and there was blood on his face. He yelled back at the crowd and raised his fist. He was then taken to a vehicle and evacuated from the scene,” the report said.
Reporters who witnessed the incident said they heard “a series of loud explosions or loud pops” before Secret Service agents rushed toward Trump.
The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the terms of privatization of a single property complex of the state enterprise Hotel Ukraina at an electronic auction with a starting price of 1 billion 47 million 637 thousand 152 UAH.
The Cabinet’s representative in the Verkhovna Rada Taras Melnychuk said in Telegram that the relevant decision was made at a government meeting on Friday.
As reported, in April, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine included in the list of objects of large privatization SE “Hotel “Ukraine”. In May, the action Commission determined the starting price of privatization of the hotel “Ukraine” 1 billion 47 million 637 thousand 152 UAH.
The capital’s hotel “Ukraine” is a state enterprise, which is under the jurisdiction of the State Property Fund. Hotel category “4 stars” on 14 floors has 363 rooms, six conference halls, rooms for negotiations. There is a parking lot for 80 cars and a shelter with a separate auditorium for 50 people. The total area of the building is 22.4 thousand square meters. The debt of the hotel by now amounts to more than UAH 45 mln.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to pay a visit to Veliobritain next week, The Guardian reports.
According to the publication, Zelensky will also make his first visit to Ireland on Saturday morning. He is scheduled to meet with Irish Foreign Minister Simon Harris there.
Ireland, which has long maintained a policy of military neutrality but has provided non-lethal aid to Ukraine, is expected to offer more support. In particular, it will support Ukraine’s efforts to return some 20,000 children who were forcibly displaced to Russia and Belarus.
The Ukrainian president met with British Prime Minister-designate Keir Starmer at the NATO summit in Washington last week, but this will be his first opportunity to meet with a wider delegation from the Labor government, which will be keen to confirm further UK support.
The conference is reportedly the fourth meeting of the European Policy Community, a collective set up after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, which was the brainchild of French President Emmanuel Macron.
“It is designed to foster stronger ties between EU and non-EU leaders in an informal setting. Previous conferences have been held in Spain, Moldova and the Czech Republic,” it said.
In addition to the UK, non-EU countries invited include Norway, Iceland, Georgia, Kosovo, Serbia, Albania and Turkey, although Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s president, who has not attended previous summits, has not confirmed his participation.
PJSC Transnational Corporation Granit of the Kovalska Industrial and Construction Group owned by Oleksandr and Serhiy Pylypenko won the State Service of Geology and Mineral Resources auction for the sale of a special permit for the extraction of granite from the Korosten-Shchorsivska-II area of the Korosten deposit (Zhytomyr region). NADRA.INFO reports citing data from the UBIZ.ua platform, accredited by Prozorro.Sale.
The auction took place on Friday, 12.07.2024 (NADRA.INFO announced the auction). The only competitor to TNK Granit was I.B.K. Development LLC owned by Oleksandr Lukianets, Oleh Volyntsev, and Vitaliy Zhukovsky.
The auction was the second repeat and started at UAH 5,898,024.89. This is twice less than the initial cost of the first auction (UAH 11,796,049.78), which did not take place on 06.06.2024, and a quarter less than the repeated auction on 06. 25.2024. It is worth noting that during previous attempts, TNK Granit could not buy the special permit because it was the only bidder (the procedure requires at least two bidders).
During today’s auction, the participants did not bid. The final bids (aka initial bids) are as follows:
The bidding is available here. If the winner refuses to buy the lot, it will forfeit UAH 11,796,049.78 of the guarantee fee.
TNK Granit has been developing the neighboring Korosten deposit since 2006. As we wrote earlier, open sources show that Kovalska’s group controls such mining facilities (some of which we wrote about here and here):
https://nadra.info/2024/07/kovalska-buys-a-second-special-permit-for-the-korosten-granite-deposit/
In January-June this year, Ukrainian companies increased imports of copper and copper products in value terms by 33.4% year-on-year to $75.101 million.
According to customs statistics released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine on Tuesday, exports of copper and copper products increased by 5.4% to $41.555 million over the period under review.
In June, Ukraine imported copper worth $10.114 million and exported it worth $8.658 million.
In addition, in January-June 2024, Ukraine increased imports of nickel and products by 68.3% compared to the same period in 2023 to $12.954 million (in June – $1.880 million), aluminum and aluminum products by 24.1% to $208.745 million (in June – $36.852 million).
At the same time, it reduced imports of lead and lead products by 3.9% to $560 thousand (in June – $137 thousand), imports of tin and tin products increased by 19.5% to $1,350 million (in June – $330 thousand), and increased imports of zinc and zinc products by 37.4% to $28,340 million (in June – $5,110 million).
Exports of aluminum and aluminum products in the first six months of 2024 increased by 12.8% compared to the same period a year earlier to $54.175 million (in June – $10.383 million), lead and lead products decreased by 30.8% to $5.404 million (in June – $1.070 million), nickel and nickel products amounted to $422 thousand (in June – $180 thousand), while in January-June 2023 it was $125 thousand.
Zinc exports for the first six months of this year amounted to $98 thousand (in June – $14 thousand), while in January-June 2023 it was $72 thousand. Exports of tin and products amounted to $181 thousand (in June – $35 thousand) against $52 thousand in the same period a year earlier.
As reported, in 2023, Ukraine increased imports of copper and copper products by 2.2 times compared to 2022 – up to $140.795 million, while exports decreased by 20.1% to $72.078 million.
In addition, in 2023, Ukraine decreased imports of nickel and products by 74.2% compared to 2022, to $15.391 million, and increased imports of aluminum and aluminum products by 7.7%, to $366.463 million.
At the same time, it reduced imports of lead and lead products by 65.2% to $989 thousand, imports of tin and tin products by 23% to $2.728 million, but increased imports of zinc and zinc products by 18.8% to $45.966 million.
Exports of aluminum and aluminum products last year increased by 0.7% compared to 2022 to $97.616 million, lead and lead products increased by 23.5% to $14.778 million, and nickel and nickel products amounted to $532 thousand, while in 2022 it was $1.268 million.
In 2023, the company exported $130 thousand worth of zinc, compared to $1.331 million in 2022. Exports of tin and tin products amounted to $159 thousand against $424 thousand in 2022.
