The second largest Ukrainian mobile operator, Vodafone Ukraine (VFU), invested UAH 754 million in strengthening the energy resilience of its network in 2024, equipping 65% of its base stations (BS) with backup power systems capable of providing autonomous operation for 4 to 72 hours.
“As of the end of 2024, all of the company’s base stations are equipped with backup power systems, 65% of which are capable of providing backup power for 4 to 72 hours in the event of a planned or emergency power outage,” the company said in a management report on its official website.
Over the past two years, the company has been investing in new types of batteries for its communications facilities, installing lithium-ferrous (LiFePO4) batteries at its base stations. They are much better suited to harsh operating conditions with frequent and prolonged power outages and are capable of providing 13 times more charge cycles, according to the statement.
In 2024, Vodafone Ukraine installed and planned to install 83,400 lithium-iron batteries (20,850 48V batteries with a capacity of 100 Ah), which is 1.5 times more than the capacity of the network at the beginning of 2024. The equipment can operate autonomously for 4 to 20 hours.
The mobile network is also supported by 1,932 generator sets, including its own stationary and mobile generators, as well as generator sets from partners and customers.
During the full-scale war alone, Vodafone Ukraine purchased about 500 mobile generators and the necessary auxiliary equipment for their operation. In 2024-2025, the company plans to further increase their number to comply with the relevant orders of the National Center for Operational and Technical Management of Telecommunications Networks (NCTU). It plans to purchase 250 stationary diesel generator sets (DGS) and 250 mobile generators, according to the company’s statement.
The statement also said that in 2024, Vodafone Ukraine built three solar power plants in the Poltava and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
Earlier, the company’s CEO Olga Ustinova said that Vodafone Ukraine had invested UAH 2 billion in rechargeable batteries over the past two years to power base stations during power outages.
According to the results of a survey conducted by Active Group in cooperation with the Experts Club think tank, most Ukrainians have a neutral attitude towards Malaysia — 69.0% of respondents chose this option.
A positive attitude was expressed by 16.6% of respondents: 12.5% chose the answer “mostly positive,” and another 4.1% — “completely positive.” In turn, 4.9% of Ukrainians expressed a negative attitude, of which 3.7% said “mostly negative” and 1.1% said “completely negative.” Another 9.5% of respondents were unable to decide on an answer.
“Malaysia remains a relatively unknown country for Ukrainians, which is why neutral attitudes prevail. However, we see that positive assessments are three times higher than negative ones, which indicates a positive image of the country in the minds of Ukrainians,” comments Maksim Urakin, candidate of economic sciences and founder of the Experts Club analytical center.
Ukrainians are mostly neutral about Malaysia, but among those who have a clear idea about the country, positive assessments are three times higher than negative ones. This indicates a friendly background for the development of intergovernmental relations and tourist interest.
The presentation of the study is available at the link.
ACTIVE GROUP, DIPLOMACY, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, URAKIN
A nationwide sociological survey conducted by Active Group and the Experts Club analytical center in April 2025 examined Ukrainians’ public attitude towards Armenia. The results indicate a moderately positive perception of the country.
38.3% of respondents expressed a positive attitude toward Armenia: of these, 29.9% were mostly positive, and 8.4% were completely positive. At the same time, 49.0% of Ukrainians expressed a neutral position toward the country. Only 7.9% of respondents have a negative attitude: 7.3% are mostly negative, and 0.6% are completely negative. Another 4.9% were unable to give a definite answer.
“Ukrainians’ attitude towards Armenia shows a tendency towards neutrality, which indicates that emotional ties remain limited,” commented Maksim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center.
The presentation of the study is available at the link.
ACTIVE GROUP, DIPLOMACY, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, URAKIN
Shareholders of Ukrainian Fire Insurance Company (UPSK, Kyiv) at a meeting on May 1, 2025, decided to allocate UAH 11.2 million of undistributed profit for 2024 to dividends, the company reported in the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC).
The dividend per share is UAH 0.7.
Earlier, the draft resolution of the shareholders’ meeting reported that UPSK’s profit for 2024 amounted to UAH 15.788 million, of which UAH 11.2 million was planned to be allocated for the payment of dividends and UAH 4.588 million was to be left undistributed.
As reported, UPSK shareholders at the meeting on November 5, 2024, considered the issue of allocating UAH 4.8 million of undistributed profit for 2023 to dividends, and at the meeting on May 7, 2024, UAH 25.6 million for 2022.
PJSC UPSK was registered in 1993. It specializes, in particular, in insurance of motor vehicles, financial risks, tourists, property, cargo, and luggage.
The insurer is a member of the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine and has 36 licenses to conduct insurance activities: 20 for voluntary insurance and 16 for compulsory insurance.
According to the National Securities and Stock Market Commission, as of the second quarter of 2024, Alexander Mikhailov owns 99.999% of the insurer’s shares.
The insurer’s authorized capital is UAH 100 million.
According to the results of a nationwide survey conducted by Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club think tank in April 2025, most Ukrainians have a positive or neutral attitude towards Azerbaijan.
Thus, 42.4% of respondents expressed a positive attitude towards the country, of which 33.6% were mostly positive and 8.8% were completely positive. A neutral attitude was chosen by 45.4% of respondents. Only 7.7% of Ukrainians expressed a negative opinion: 6.9% were mostly negative, and 0.7% were completely negative. Another 4.5% were undecided.
“Azerbaijan is perceived quite positively by Ukrainians, which is the result of both historical contacts and current support in the international arena. At the same time, the high level of neutrality indicates the absence of deeper emotional attachment,” said Maksim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center.
Ukrainians generally have a positive or neutral attitude toward Azerbaijan, while the percentage of negative assessments is quite low.
The presentation of the study is available at the link.
ACTIVE GROUP, DIPLOMACY, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, URAKIN
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published its first forecast for grain exports from Ukraine for the 2025/26 marketing year (MY): it expects wheat exports to grow to 16.5 million tons from 16 million tons in 2024/25 MY and corn exports to grow to 24 million tons from 22 million tons.
According to the forecast on the US agency’s website, this year’s wheat harvest in Ukraine will decrease slightly to 23 million tons from 23.4 million tons last year, while domestic consumption will decline to 6.6 million tons in this MY from 6.7 million tons in the previous MY, with carryover stocks remaining at 1.49 million tons.
As for corn, the USDA expects its harvest to increase to 30.5 million tons from 26.8 million tons last year, as well as an increase in domestic consumption to 6.23 million tons from 5.15 million tons and carryover stocks from 0.31 million tons to 0.6 million tons.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, the total harvest of feed crops this year will amount to 37.04 million tons, compared to 33.47 million tons last year, and their exports in 2025/26 MY will reach 27.58 million tons, up from 24.48 million tons in 2024/25 MY.
Overall, the USDA expects wheat harvests to increase this year to 808.5 million tons from 799.7 million tons last year, and corn harvests to increase to 1,265.0 million tons from 1,221.3 million tons.
As for wheat exports, according to the US Department of Agriculture, in 2025/26 MY, they will increase to 212.99 million tons from 206.12 million tons this MY, and corn exports will increase to 195.81 million tons from 189.35 million tons.
