On June 19, PJSC “Khmelnytskoblenergo” announced a tender for compulsory motor third-party liability insurance for owners of land vehicles, according to the Prozorro electronic public procurement system.
The estimated cost of the services is 4.657 million UAH. Documents for participation in the tender will be accepted until June 29. As previously reported, VUSO Insurance Company won a similar tender a year earlier.
Ivan Kupala is one of the most ancient and best-known folk holidays in Ukraine, combining pagan traditions, folk rituals, and Ukrainian folklore. Despite the passage of time, Kupala night, with wreaths, bonfires, songs, and legends about the fern flower, continues to gather thousands of people across the country.
This year, dozens of themed events are planned in Kyiv and Kyiv region — from authentic folk festivities and folklore festivals to concerts, lectures, creative workshops, and modern cultural events.
Journalists of the culture department of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency have prepared a selection of the most interesting events dedicated to the Ivan Kupala holiday, which will take place in the capital and Kyiv region in the coming days.
June 20–21 — Kupala in Vytachiv, Kyiv region
A two-day celebration with folk songs, dances, and wreath weaving will take place in the village of Vytachiv. The organizers have also prepared traditional Kupala rituals.
Admission is free.
June 20 — DanceCulture, VDNG, KYT Pavilion
The event is dedicated to traditional Ukrainian music and dances. The program includes folk dances, live music, and an introduction to Ukrainian cultural heritage.
Ticket price: from UAH 200 to UAH 800.
June 20 — cultural and music festival “Zahrava”
Concerts, dance workshops, and performances by music bands will take place at the Kyiv space Kultmotyv.
Ticket price: UAH 1,300.
June 20–21 — Esoteric Fest, VDNG
The festival will combine live music, a fair, workshops, lectures, and charitable activities.
Ticket price: UAH 300–500.
June 21 — Kupala at the Open-Air Museum
The National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine in Pyrohiv will hold a celebration with workshops, a fair, folklore performances, and the recreation of traditional rituals.
Ticket price: UAH 200.
June 21 — lecture “Bawdy Folklore: Mavkas, Vampires, and Ivan Kupala”
The lecture is dedicated to Ukrainian demonology, folk beliefs, and the traditions of Kupala night.
Participation is for a voluntary donation.
June 23 — workshop on weaving Kupala wreaths
At the Mama Manana space, participants will be taught how to create traditional Kupala wreaths.
Participation fee: UAH 1,500.
June 23 — Kupailo at Mamayeva Sloboda
The program includes a fair, performances by folklore groups, and evening festive activities.
Ticket price: UAH 500 for adults and UAH 100 for children.
June 23 — “Find Yourself” event
The organizers have combined Kupala traditions with yoga, ethno music, brunch, and self-discovery practices.
Ticket price: UAH 900.
June 23 — concert by the band FOLKULAKA
A thematic concert dedicated to Ivan Kupala will take place at Pepper’s Club.
Ticket price: UAH 390–890.
June 27 — Ivan Kupala on Trukhaniv Island
Guests can expect wreath weaving, folk traditions, and an evening by the bonfire.
Admission — donation of UAH 200.
June 28 — Kupala at the Ukrainian Village Ethno Complex
A folklore program featuring the YasnoKrasno band will take place in the village of Buzova.
Admission is free.
June 28 — Ivan Kupala from students of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute
The program includes a quest, workshops, wreath weaving, and traditional gatherings by the bonfire.
Participation is for a donation.
A detailed list of cultural events in Kyiv is also available on the ty_kyiv
ty_kyiv is the official information partner of the Open4Business website.
PJSC “A/T Tobacco Company ‘V.A.T. – Pryluky’” (Chernihiv Oblast), a subsidiary of the international British American Tobacco (BAT), will pay 54 million hryvnias in dividends to its shareholder between June 18 and 30 of this year.
According to the company’s filing with the disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), the shareholder approved the decision on June 18.
“The entire dividend amount will be paid in full in June 2026; if it is not possible to make the full payment during that period, the payment deadline will be extended in accordance with the sole shareholder’s decision,” the statement reads.
Dividends will be paid in U.S. dollars directly to the shareholder via bank transfer. According to the NSSMC, 100% of the company’s shares are owned by Precis (1814) Limited.
According to information in the disclosure system, the company continues its regular practice of paying dividends. Specifically, on May 19, 2026, the shareholder decided to pay 52 million UAH in dividends from May 19 to May 31; on April 9, to pay the same amount of dividends from April 9 to April 30; in March, the same amount from March 17 to March 31; and similarly in February and January. At the same time, the total amount of dividends to be paid this year has not been specified.
As previously reported, the National Bank of Ukraine has limited the transfer of dividends abroad to no more than EUR1 million per month.
According to the company, “V.A.T. Pryluky” is one of the largest manufacturers and exporters of tobacco products in Ukraine, producing cigarettes under international brands and the national brand “Pryluky,” as well as TVEN.
According to the company’s annual report filed with the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), in 2025 it saw its net profit decline by 37.3% compared to 2024—to 413.6 million UAH—amid an 11.8% decrease in net revenue to 5.04 billion UAH. Retained earnings amounted to 4.9 billion UAH.
The company produced more than 8 billion filtered cigarettes worth 2.95 billion UAH, 729 million TVEN units worth 422 million UAH, and nearly 3 billion filters worth 742.5 million UAH.
Average selling prices were 423.71 UAH per 1,000 cigarettes and 652.4 UAH per 1,000 TVEN units. Export volume totaled 0.95 billion UAH, or approximately 1.84 billion cigarettes. The main customer is “BAT Sales and Marketing Ukraine.”
The Ukrainian BALEX Group of Companies is investing over $15 million in the construction of a new production and logistics complex, which will be located within the Bila Tserkva Industrial Park; the groundbreaking ceremony took place on June 18 as part of the “Industrial Evolution: Manufacturing Drives the Economy” forum.
The BALEX Group of Companies is a technology partner to the food industry and Ukraine’s largest integrated manufacturer of compressed yeast, fillers, dry mixes, improvers, confectionery glazes and fillings, plant-based ingredients, and craft beer.
As Stanislav Haidai, CEO of the BALEX Group of Companies, explained at the forum, even during the war, in 2023, the company acquired an unfinished facility and launched production of plant-based cream there. “In the suburbs of Kharkiv, we established one of the most successful enterprises producing this product. And now here (at FOP ‘Bila Tserkva’), we are building new facilities covering 11,000 square meters. There will be three production lines, logistics… We will be the first in Ukraine to produce plant-based cream for export,” he said.
He emphasized that production capacity is also continuing to expand in Kharkiv, and an R&D center has already been launched this year. “Our main driving force—and this may sound cliché—is responsibility, first and foremost, for ourselves, for our people, and for our teams. And it is precisely this that drives business forward, develops the economy, and creates such incredible industrial parks,” said Haidai.
Construction of the BALEX production complex will take place on a 7.8-hectare site within the Bila Tserkva Industrial Park. The project envisages three development phases between 2026 and 2030.
The first phase will include the production of fillings, glazes, and confectionery mixtures, plant-based products, as well as supply chain infrastructure facilities. The total built-up area of the first phase will be 11,378 square meters.
Representatives of state authorities, local government, the business community, and project partners took part in the time capsule ceremony. Among the event’s participants were Mykola Kalashnyk, head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration; Volodymyr Vovkotrub, secretary of the Bila Tserkva City Council and acting mayor; and Vasyl Khmelnytskyi, founder of UNIT. City and the Bila Tserkva Industrial Park, Vasyl Khmelnytskyi; founder of the BALEX Group of Companies, Oleksandr Bandurka; and co-founder and CEO of the BALEX Group of Companies, Stanislav Haidai.
BALEX Company LLC was founded in 1994; its authorized capital is 50.6 million UAH, and its ultimate beneficiaries are Oleksandr Bandurka (49.85%), Iryna Bandurka (28.25%), and Stanislav Haidai (19.73%). BALEX Company’s headquarters and production facilities are located in Kharkiv. The company also has representative offices in Kyiv, Lviv, and Kropyvnytskyi and exports its products to more than 20 countries worldwide.
According to OpenDataBot, the company reported 169.7 million UAH in revenue for 2025, a 27.7% decrease from 2024, with net profit totaling 117.88 million UAH compared to 134.4 million in 2024.
The projects of entrepreneur Vasyl Khmelnytskyi’s holding company UFuture—FOP “Bila Tserkva” and “Bila Tserkva 2”—were included in the Register of Industrial Parks in 2018. The total area of the parks is 70.3 hectares; the area of industrial and warehouse buildings will total 235.4 thousand square meters, with plans to construct 30 facilities. As of 2026, 19 tenants are operating in the park, including both Ukrainian and international companies.
The project is being implemented by the UFuture holding company, with Astrobild LLC serving as the developer. The development strategy calls for attracting over $250 million in investments by 2030.
Farmers in the Odesa region were the first in Ukraine to begin the harvest; specifically, the harvest of winter barley and peas has begun, according to Oleg Kipper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration.
“The initial results of the harvest indicate good yields. This allows us to view the prospects for this year’s harvest campaign with optimism,” Kipper noted.
According to his data, farmers in the Odesa region are expected to harvest grains and legumes from nearly 770 thousand hectares this year. As is traditional, winter and spring wheat account for the largest share of the crops—over 522,000 hectares. Barley covers nearly 176,000 hectares, peas—about 74,400 hectares, and rapeseed—over 175,000 hectares.
As previously reported, a total of about 11.3 million hectares were sown with winter and spring grains and legumes in Ukraine this year, while total oilseed crops covered more than 20 million hectares.
Ukraine’s major industrial associations and groups oppose Ukrzaliznytsia’s significant and unjustified increase in freight rates, which would deal yet another blow to Ukraine’s economy.
Business representatives expressed this position at a press conference titled “A Tariff Blow to the Ukrainian Economy: Leading Industries Oppose Ukrzaliznytsia’s Unfair Increase in Freight Rates” at the Interfax-Ukraine news agency on Tuesday.
Oleksandr Kalenkov, president of the “Ukrmetallurgprom” Association, noted that while the draft order on raising tariffs has not yet been made public, the issue is being actively discussed. He emphasized that “Ukrzaliznytsia” is a state monopoly and that corruption is present in its operations. The company must operate transparently, and its activities should be overseen by an independent body—the National Commission for State Regulation in the Transport Sector—the creation of which has been under discussion in Ukraine for 17 years.
“We hope that the decision to raise tariffs will be made objectively. Moreover, freight transportation has always been profitable. Specifically, Ukrzaliznytsia’s operating profit in 2024 amounted to 20 billion hryvnias; profitability remained steady in 2025, and we also expect Ukrzaliznytsia to operate profitably this year. However, the volume of freight is decreasing: from 315 million metric tons in 2021 to 160 million metric tons in 2025,” said Kalenkov.
He added that the business community is trying to engage in a constructive dialogue with the company. In particular, there is the issue of subsidizing passenger transportation, but passenger transportation cannot be subsidized at the expense of private businesses; it must be funded through the budget. However, the business community can invest its own funds to provide support.
“Ukrzaliznytsia has opportunities to improve efficiency through its operational activities. Furthermore, it has the ability to secure external financing, whereas the private sector currently lacks such opportunities. So let’s resolve these issues together, rather than making decisions behind closed doors,” urged the head of Ukrmetallurgprom.
Kalenkov added that following the press conference, a joint appeal to the government would be drafted.
“We are prepared to accept a fare increase of up to 10%. And Ukrzaliznytsia itself must improve its efficiency. We need a normal, open discussion about the transportation situation,” he concluded.
Pavlo Kachur, head of the Association of Cement Producers of Ukraine (Ukrcement), noted that the transportation situation is becoming critical, and this threatens not only a specific industry but the Ukrainian economy as a whole.
“We support raising tariffs, but we advocate for an objective increase. Balanced rates must be adopted. No one has any interest in the collapse of any industry!” Kachur emphasized.
The head of “Ukrcement” proposed a set of solutions, including allowing private rail operators to participate in freight transportation, since, according to his data, up to 50 trains are unable to find locomotives for transport. Kachur also highlighted the need to raise salaries for train drivers and “Ukrzaliznytsia” employees, as well as the need to address the issue of passenger transportation, particularly commuter services.
He also spoke in favor of adopting anti-crisis measures and the need for “Ukrzaliznytsia” to publicly disclose its plans regarding where the funds generated by the tariff increases will be allocated.
“We support Ukrzaliznytsia presenting a program to modernize its rolling stock. We support the adoption of performance indicators for freight delivery so that the railway can report on this,” Kachur explained.
Serhiy Kudryavtsev, Executive Director of the Ukrainian Association of Ferroalloy Producers (UkrFA), supported the proposal regarding fares and resolving the issue of cross-subsidization. At the same time, for enterprises in the ferroalloy industry located in areas of active hostilities, the cost of freight delivery is a critical issue.
“The cost of transporting manganese to Nikopol has increased fivefold. And this is a matter of survival for our companies,” said Kudryavtsev.
Vladimir Gusak, CEO of the Federation of Transport Employers of Ukraine, expressed surprise at Ukrzaliznytsia’s plans to raise tariffs.
“This is yet another attempt by Ukrzaliznytsia to raise freight tariffs: by 30% starting in August 2026 and by another 15% starting in January 2027. That is, by nearly 50%. This shows a complete lack of understanding of the realities,” Gusak said, adding that the main problem is the chronic losses in passenger transportation. At the same time, the volume of freight transportation is declining: now, with every fare increase, companies are forced to either reduce shipments or switch to other modes of transport just to stay afloat.
“In the current situation, we believe a moratorium on railway fare increases should be implemented until the war ends,” Gusak emphasized.
Konstantin Saliy, president of the All-Ukrainian Union of Building Materials Manufacturers, noted that in developed countries, fare increases are approved only after consultations, and this issue always receives close attention.
“A 2–3% price increase in the EU causes significant public discontent. Here, however, it’s 30% right off the bat. And this will trigger a chain reaction of price increases—we’ll feel it first, and then consumers will,” Saliy predicted, adding that “Ukrzaliznytsia” could secure funding through land taxes, the development of retail trade at train stations, and other areas, rather than by raising fares. The company should streamline its administrative staff and optimize its expenses. And shifting its problems onto Ukrainians and Ukrainian businesses is the wrong approach, Saliy concluded.
Oksana Nechay, a logistics specialist for rail transport at the Kovalska Industrial and Construction Group, noted that every increase in production costs is practically catastrophic for their company.
“It will lead to a loss of customers, and we operate in the domestic market. And this will result in a drop in tax revenues. The next increase could also take a toll on part of the industry. Both we and Ukrzaliznytsia stand to lose. We are not opposed to an increase, but it must be justified, because we are interdependent,” Nechay said.
Ksenia Orynchak, Executive Director of the National Association of the Mining Industry of Ukraine (NADPU), reported on a “casual meeting” of mining industry representatives last week, as well as an appeal to the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Development, and the State Regulatory Service to prevent an increase in railway tariffs.
“We outlined the negative consequences. Meanwhile, the EU is currently focusing on environmental issues. But Ukraine is moving in the opposite direction, shifting from rail to road transport due to Ukrzaliznytsia’s stance,” Orynchak noted, proposing that a joint appeal following the press conference highlight the need to pursue an environmentally friendly approach in line with the SVA.
Source: https://interfax.com.ua/news/press-conference/1177028.html
BUSINESS, freight rates, INDUSTRY, KUDRYAVTSEV, Nechay, Saliy, TRANSPORTATION, UKRZALIZNYTSIA, КАЛЕНКОВ, Оринчак
