In January–April of this year, Ukraine reduced its imports of coke and semi-coke by 2.1% in volume terms compared to the same period last year, down to 251,317 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS), 59,900 tons of coke were imported in April, 68,313 tons in March, and 54,408 tons in February.
Coke imports in monetary terms in January–April 2026 increased by 5.7% to $87.651 million. Coke was imported from Poland—accounting for 97.95% of shipments in monetary terms—the Czech Republic (1.63%), and Colombia (0.37%).
The country did not export any coke during the first four months of the year.
As reported, in 2025, Ukraine increased its imports of coke and semi-coke by 5.9% in volume terms compared to the previous year—to 700,650 thousand tons—and increased revenue by 1.4%—to $238.656 million. Coke was imported mainly from Poland (93.37% of shipments in monetary terms), Indonesia (4.01%), and the Czech Republic (2.59%).
In 2025, Ukraine exported 3 tons of coke worth $2,000 to Albania.
Additionally, it was reported that in January 2025, Metinvest suspended operations at the Pokrovsk Coal Group due to changes in the situation on the front lines, electricity shortages, and a deteriorating security situation.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy may visit Serbia as early as this week at the head of a Ukrainian delegation, Serbian television company N1 reported, citing diplomatic sources in Belgrade. But there has so far been no official confirmation of the visit from Kyiv.
In addition, according to the Telegram channel “Serbian Economist,” the Ukrainian delegation is expected to arrive in Serbia in the coming days, and it is not ruled out that it will be personally headed by Zelenskyy. If the trip takes place, it will be the first visit of the Ukrainian president to Serbia since he took office in 2019. N1 separately indicates that, because of the wartime situation, such a trip may be canceled at any moment. The Serbian television channel also reported that diplomatic sources expect the possible signing of a memorandum on trade cooperation between the two countries.
This directly coincides in time with the already announced Ukrainian business mission to Belgrade on May 19–21, 2026, which is to take place as part of the visit to Serbia by Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka.
According to a statement by the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the purpose of the business mission is the participation of the Ukrainian delegation in the Ukrainian-Serbian business forum, the holding of B2B meetings with Serbian companies, visits to enterprises, the establishment of new business contacts, and discussion of potential joint projects. Companies from the agro-industrial complex, fertilizer production, construction, the electrical engineering sector, agricultural machinery manufacturing, energy, and other industries were invited to participate.
On the Ukrainian official side, at the time of preparation of the material, there was no public confirmation of Zelenskyy’s possible visit to Belgrade. At the same time, the fact of the preparation of an economic mission with the participation of Ukrainian business and the visit of Taras Kachka had been publicly announced in advance through the Ukrainian CCI and Interfax-Ukraine.
Zelenskyy’s possible arrival would be a notable diplomatic event for the region. Since the beginning of the war, Serbia has maintained a complicated balance: Belgrade recognizes the territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea, but has not joined Western sanctions against Russia. Contacts between Zelenskyy and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić after 2022 have mainly taken place at international venues. In June 2025, Vučić visited Ukraine for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale war, taking part in the “Ukraine — South-Eastern Europe” summit in Odesa. At that time, he met with Zelenskyy but refused to sign the summit’s final declaration.
For economic relations, the possible visit of the Ukrainian delegation has independent significance even without confirmation of Zelenskyy’s participation. Ukraine and Serbia in recent years have been trying to intensify trade contacts, and the new business forum in Belgrade may become a platform for practical agreements between companies, including in the agricultural sector, energy, construction, and machine building.
On May 20, Lviv will host the “City Development Strategy: Me, You, Society” forum, dedicated to the future of urban development, new approaches to planning and construction, and partnerships between government, business, the architectural community, and society.
The event will bring together representatives of city authorities, developers, architects, urban planners, the business community, and the media. Confirmed participants include AVR Development, ZELEMIN, KUDIN architects, A7 architects, and other companies and professional teams working in the field of urban development.
The forum’s program includes a press conference on “Lviv’s Development: Key Priorities, Tools, and Partnerships,” a presentation session, a panel discussion titled “City Development: New Approaches to Planning and Construction,” as well as networking and informal discussions among participants.
Invited to participate in the forum are Lviv’s Chief Architect Anton Kolomeitsev, CEO of AVR Development and former Chief Architect of Lviv Julian Chaplinsky, founder of ZELEMIN Andriy Pavliv, Chief Architect of Uzhhorod Oleg Borshovsky, representatives of KUDIN architects Viktor Kudin and Olga Ryabova, Bogdan Goy, chief architect of A7 architects projects; Serhiy Zhuk, CEO and co-founder of HBD; Pavlo Gudymov, curator and founder of the “Ya Gallery” art center; Roman Romanets, co-founder of AVR Development; and Oleksandr Maksymov, CEO of Solmix Lighting and the LOFU brand, as well as a lighting designer.
The organizers note that the forum is intended to serve as a platform for an open discussion about what Lviv should look like in the future, how to balance the interests of residents, businesses, and city authorities, and what solutions can create a high-quality, modern, and comfortable urban environment.
Forum program:
5:00–5:20 PM – guest registration, welcome networking
5:20–5:30 PM – official opening
5:30–6:00 PM – press conference “Lviv’s Development: Key Priorities, Tools, and Partnerships”
6:00–6:15 PM – presentation session
6:15–7:45 PM – panel discussion “City Development: New Approaches to Planning and Construction”
7:45–8:00 PM – networking, reception, jazz performance
Registration for the forum is available at: https://forms.gle/AaizLN47CxhXjmBe7
Additional information: +38 044 461 91 28.
Interfax-Ukraine is the official media partner of the forum.
Serbian entrepreneur Bogoljub Karić said he is ready to join negotiations on the purchase of the Russian stake in Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) and offer around EUR 2 billion for it, the Telegram channel “Serbian Economist” reports. His appearance among potential buyers may change the configuration of the struggle for Serbia’s largest oil and gas company.
According to Serbian media, Karić said that a group of local industrialists is ready to submit an offer “that cannot be refused.” According to him, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the management of the company itself, were informed of the intention to buy out NIS shares. Karić also claims that the Russian side received the corresponding letter of intent.
Vučić, commenting on this initiative, reacted with irony, saying that in Serbia “two people with two billion euros have already been found,” and expressed hope that these funds would be invested in the country’s economy. Reuters previously reported that the little-known Serbian group Senator had submitted an application to OFAC to purchase the Russian stake in NIS for $2.35 billion.
The issue of NIS’s future has intensified amid U.S. sanctions pressure on Russian energy assets. Washington demands the withdrawal of Russian shareholders from the Serbian oil company, and the deadline for completing the deal has been set for May 22. At the same time, any deal will require not only the consent of the current shareholders and the Serbian authorities, but also approval from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control — OFAC.
In parallel, Belgrade is holding talks with Hungary’s MOL. Earlier, MOL signed an agreement to purchase the Russian stake in NIS, while the Serbian authorities, for their part, are seeking additional guarantees regarding the operation of the oil refinery in Pančevo — the only refinery in the country. The stability of its operations and the supply of fuel to the domestic market remain key conditions for Belgrade.
At present, Gazprom Neft remains the largest shareholder of NIS, with a stake of about 44.85%, while another 11.30% belongs to a structure linked to the Russian side. The Republic of Serbia owns approximately 29.87% of the shares, and the remaining securities are held by minority shareholders.
Karić’s public entry into the process strengthens the intra-Serbian scenario around NIS. Whereas Hungary’s MOL was previously named as the main contender, the possibility is now being discussed that the Russian stake could pass to Serbian capital. However, such an option remains complicated: it depends on the position of the Russian shareholders, the Serbian government, U.S. sanctions procedures, and the readiness of new investors to ensure not only the price of the deal, but also the stable operation of the country’s entire oil infrastructure.
NIS is Serbia’s largest oil and gas company. It is engaged in the exploration and production of oil and gas, oil refining at the Pančevo refinery, wholesale and retail trade in petroleum products, and also manages a network of filling stations in Serbia and the region.
Bogoljub Karić is a Serbian entrepreneur, one of the country’s best-known businessmen of the 1990s and 2000s. His business interests have historically been connected with the banking sector, construction, telecommunications and industrial projects.
From 2021 through the first quarter of 2026, Dubai has issued over 167,000 long-term Golden Visas to family members of skilled professionals, according to data from the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (GDRFA Dubai).
According to GDRFA Dubai, a total of 167,124 residence permits were issued to families of specialized talent during this period. Another 100,286 residency permits were issued to families of real estate investors, 70,247 to family members of scientists and specialized experts, 37,022 to relatives of major investors, and 3,259 to families of foreign retirees. In addition, thousands of additional visas were issued to relatives of entrepreneurs, outstanding students, and figures in the humanities.
Statistics show that family relocation is becoming one of the key areas of Dubai’s migration policy. The emirate is focusing not only on attracting individual specialists, investors, and entrepreneurs, but also on securing their families’ long-term presence in the country. According to local authorities, the increase in the number of family residence permits reflects foreigners’ confidence in Dubai’s social infrastructure, education, healthcare, and digital government services.
Based on the structure of issued permits, the most active groups of foreigners in this segment remain skilled professionals and their families, real estate investors, scientists and experts, as well as major investors. A separate large category is specifically linked to the real estate market: over 100,000 residence permits for families of real estate investors indicate that home purchases remain one of the key channels for long-term relocation to Dubai.
By nationality, the official statistics from the GDRFA Dubai do not disclose the distribution of family Golden Visas in the published data. However, the demographic structure of the UAE as a whole remains predominantly expat-driven: foreigners account for about 88.5% of the country’s population, and the largest communities are traditionally represented by people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, Iran, Egypt, and other countries in the region and Asia.
The UAE Golden Visa is a long-term residency visa that allows foreign talent, investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, professionals, students, and other categories to live, work, or study in the country.
For Dubai, the program has become a tool for competing for capital and human resources, as well as a way to retain wealthy and highly sought-after foreign nationals along with their families.
Imports of insulated wires and cables, including fiber-optic cables, to Ukraine in January–April 2026 increased by 23.8% compared to the same period in 2025, reaching $220.8 million.
According to statistics from the State Customs Service, the largest suppliers of these products to Ukraine were China—$59 million, or 26.7% of total imports—Hungary—$57.7 million, or 27%—and Poland—$29.2 million, or 13.2%.
For comparison, in January–April 2025, imports from Hungary amounted to $51.7 million, from China—$36 million, and from Poland—$26 million.
As reported, according to the State Customs Service, in 2025 Ukraine increased imports of insulated wires and cables by 24.3% compared to 2024—to $590.7 million.
