Passenger traffic across the Ukrainian border in the sixth week of autumn, from October 4 to 10, decreased by 8.2% to 515,000, according to data from the State Border Guard Service.
According to it, the number of arrivals to Ukraine during the week decreased from 278,000 to 253,000, while the number of departures fell from 283,000 to 262,000.
The number of vehicles passing through border checkpoints also decreased to 129,000 from 137,000, while the flow of vehicles carrying humanitarian cargo increased from 481 to 501.
As of 9:00 a.m. this Saturday, according to the State Border Guard Service, the largest queue on the border with Poland consisted of 45 cars at the Shehyni checkpoint, with another 35 cars waiting at Krakivets, 25 at Ustyluh, and 10 at Hrushiv.
On the border with Hungary, small queues of 10 cars were observed at the Tysa, Vylok, and Luzhanka crossings, with another 5 cars waiting at Kosyno, while on the border with Slovakia there was a queue only at the Uzhhorod checkpoint — 11 cars.
Finally, on the border with Romania, 15 cars accumulated at the Porubne checkpoint, while there were no queues at all other points, nor on the border with Moldova.
The total number of border crossings this week was, for the first time in a long while, lower than last year’s (by 1.3%), because last year during the same week pilgrims were leaving after celebrating Rosh Hashanah. Therefore, the number of those leaving the country was significantly higher than those entering — 272,000 versus 250,000 respectively. However, vehicle flow was lower then — 124,000.
Last year, passenger traffic remained at about this level until a slight increase during the autumn school holidays, after which it fell by about 20% before the Christmas and New Year holidays.
As reported, since May 10, 2022, the outflow of refugees from Ukraine that began with the start of the war was replaced by an inflow that lasted until September 23, 2022, totaling 409,000 people. However, since late September, possibly under the influence of news about mobilization in Russia and “pseudo-referendums” in occupied territories, and later massive shelling of energy infrastructure, the number of people leaving began to exceed those entering. From late September 2022 to the first anniversary of the full-scale war, this surplus reached 223,000 people.
During the second year of the full-scale war, the number of border crossings leaving Ukraine exceeded entries by 25,000, in the third year by 187,000, and since the beginning of the fourth year by 189,000.
As Serhiy Soboliev, then Deputy Minister of Economy, noted in early March 2023, the return of every 100,000 Ukrainians home adds 0.5% to GDP growth.
In its July inflation report, the National Bank worsened its migration forecast: while in April it expected a net inflow to Ukraine of 0.2 million people in 2026, it now forecasts a net outflow of 0.2 million, matching this year’s estimate. “Net return will begin only in 2027 (about 0.1 million people, compared to 0.5 million in the previous forecast),” the NBU added. In absolute terms, the NBU estimates the number of migrants currently abroad at about 5.8 million.
According to updated UNHCR data, the number of Ukrainian refugees in Europe as of October 3, 2025, was estimated at 5.192 million (5.138 million as of September 2), and worldwide at 5.753 million (5.696 million).
Within Ukraine itself, according to the latest UN data from July this year, there were 3.340 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), compared to 3.757 million in April.
In January-September 2025, Ukrainian enterprises increased exports of ferrous metal scrap by 54.1% compared to the same period last year, from 202,421 thousand tons to 311,840 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS), 28,785 thousand tons were exported in September, 34,713 thousand tons in August, 44,842 thousand tons in July, and a record 47, 691 thousand tons, in May – 28.6 thousand tons, in April – 46.321 thousand tons, in March – 39.908 thousand tons, in February – 25.284 thousand tons, and in January – 15.696 thousand tons of scrap metal.
In monetary terms, scrap exports in January-September increased by 44.6% to $93.571 million from $64.703 million.
During this period, scrap exports were formally carried out mainly to Poland (81.95% of shipments in monetary terms), Greece (5.92%), and Italy (4.50%).
In the first nine months of this year, Ukraine imported 34 tons of scrap worth $13,000 from Poland (53.85%), the Seychelles (30.77%), and the British Virgin Islands (7.69%).
As reported, due to the sharp increase in exports of strategic raw materials from Ukraine, the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture initiated the introduction of a licensing and quota regime for scrap exports with a zero quota. A public discussion of the draft resolution is currently underway. Its implementation is expected to contribute to the smooth operation of Ukraine’s metallurgical and foundry industries, as well as to stabilize the situation with regard to meeting the demand for scrap on the domestic market of Ukraine.
In 2024, Ukraine’s scrap collection companies increased their exports of ferrous metal scrap by 60.7% compared to 2023, from 182,465 thousand tons to 293,190 thousand tons. In monetary terms, scrap exports for the year increased by 73.2% to $91.311 million from $52.723 million.
In January-September of this year, Ukraine reduced exports of semi-finished carbon steel products in physical terms by 38.5% compared to the same period last year, to 941,511 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS), in monetary terms, exports of carbon steel semi-finished products fell by 40.7% to $450.242 million.
The main exports were mainly to Bulgaria (36.68% of supplies in monetary terms), Turkey (16.78%), and Poland (13.70%).
During the period in question, Ukraine imported 80,635 thousand tons of semi-finished products worth $59.445 million, mainly from Oman (37.26%), Germany (22.19%), and India (16.31%), while in the first nine months of 2024, it imported 5 tons of semi-finished products worth $5 thousand.
As reported, in 2024, Ukraine increased its exports of semi-finished carbon steel products in physical terms by 56.7% compared to 2023, to 1 million 886,090 tons, while revenue in monetary terms increased by 52.4% to $927.554 million. The main exports were to Bulgaria (32.06% of supplies in monetary terms), Egypt (18.50%), and Turkey (11.14%).
In 2024, Ukraine imported 306 tons of semi-finished products worth $278 thousand from the Czech Republic (88.13%), Romania (7.19%), and Poland (2.88%), while in 2023, it imported 96 tons worth $172 thousand.
Intense fighting broke out between Afghan and Pakistani forces on the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, marking one of the most serious escalations in recent years.
According to reports from the Afghan side, 58 Pakistani soldiers were killed during night operations, and 25 border posts were captured. Pakistani authorities confirm the deaths of 23 of their soldiers and claim significant losses on the Afghan side, exceeding 200 people.
Pakistan cites air strikes on its targets in Kabul and eastern Afghanistan, including strikes on suspected Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) positions, as the cause of the conflict. The Afghan side claims that in response to repeated violations of its airspace by Pakistan, it launched an operation to capture border positions.
As a result of the intensification of fighting, the Pakistani authorities closed key border crossings — Torkham and Chaman, as well as a number of smaller border crossings.
Engineering and consulting company Sigma+ plans to attract $200 million in investments for real estate projects in Ukraine in 2026, according to the company’s press service. According to the report, the company currently has more than 500,000 square meters of real estate in its portfolio, of which 390,000 square meters are residential properties.
The company focuses on attracting international investments. The priority for the period 2027-2030 is the implementation of 1 million square meters of projects, both residential and commercial. In addition, Sigma+ plans to conduct an audit of four projects in the capital to further attract financing and complete construction, according to the press release.
Sigma+ is an engineering and consulting company that provides a full range of services, from market analysis and concept development to construction management, cost control, project auditing, sales, and marketing.
According to Opendatabot, the owner and ultimate beneficiary of Sigma Engineering Plus LLC (Kyiv), registered in December 2024, is the company’s CEO Anna Laevskaya.
The Portugal Golden Visa (ARI) program, launched in 2012, was initially based on real estate investments, but after reforms, it is now more focused on funds, donations, and capital investments.
Key parameters and changes.
1) In 2023, real estate was excluded as the main route for the program, forcing investors to switch to funds, business projects, or donations.
2) The minimum investment in a fund is €500,000.
3) In 2024, a record 4,987 golden visas (main applications + dependents) were issued, which is 72% more than a year earlier.
4) Since the program began, more than 15,619 visas have been issued to investors and about 22,000 visas to family members (as of September 2024).
China remains the largest country of origin for investors, but interest from the US, Brazil, Turkey, and other countries has increased. Changes to the program have prompted investors to diversify their investments, favoring funds and non-interest-bearing methods.
Source: http://relocation.com.ua/portugal-golden-visa-program-program-features-from-relocation/
