Several Ukrainian cities are represented in the current Numbeo Crime Index ranking. Odesa has the highest score among them (55.2), followed by Dnipro (53.7), Kharkiv (47.2), Kyiv (45.5), and Lviv (37.2).
In Numbeo’s global list, these cities are ranked as follows: Odesa – 160th, Dnipro – 177th, Kharkiv – 233rd, Kyiv – 247th, and Lviv – 320th.
The bottom of the current global ranking is occupied by Pietermaritzburg (South Africa) – 82.8 and Pretoria (South Africa) – 81.8, while Abu Dhabi (UAE) – 11.0 is listed as the safest city in the table. In Europe, Marseille has the highest Crime Index (66.7) and The Hague has the lowest (19.9).
Numbeo was launched in April 2009. The Crime Index is based on user surveys and reflects a subjective assessment of safety rather than statistics on reported crimes. The current rating is continuously updated and is based on data from the last five years, so the results should be interpreted as an indicator of perception and used in conjunction with official sources.
Ukrainian athletes have already received 20 licenses in five sports for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy), according to the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine (NOC).
“Exactly one month until the start of the main event of the quadrennium! At the moment, Ukrainian athletes have won 20 licenses in five sports (biathlon — 10, cross-country skiing — 5, alpine skiing — 2, short track — 2, figure skating — 1),” the NOC said in a statement.
It is noted that there are still 12 days left until the end of the qualification period — until January 18.
As reported, at the 2026 Winter Olympics (February 6-22) in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy), athletes will compete for 195 medals in 16 Olympic sports.
The president of the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of Ukraine, Vadym Guttsait, expects Ukraine to perform successfully at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy), as it did at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris (France). Ukraine won 12 medals and ranked 22nd in the medal count at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Ukraine supports the proposal of Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani to establish a truce during the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Minister of Youth and Sports Matvey Bedny expects the “necessary minimum” number of licenses for Ukrainian athletes to participate in the 2026 Olympics in Italy, and also says that there is hope for success in freestyle skiing and biathlon.
Three medical institutions in Kyiv, Kropyvnytskyi, and Zaporizhzhia received new 1.5 Tesla magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines purchased by the state-owned enterprise Medical Procurements of Ukraine (MPU).
According to a press release from MZU, the GE Healthcare Signa Champion MRI machines were received by the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv, the City Emergency Hospital in Kropyvnytskyi, and the City Emergency and Ambulance Hospital in Zaporizhzhia.
“The purchased models provide high-quality imaging without the use of ionizing radiation and are designed for detailed examination of the central nervous system, cardiovascular system, abdominal and pelvic organs, musculoskeletal system, as well as for the detection of oncological changes,” the Ministry of Health reports.
The devices were purchased by order of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine in 2024. These three MRI machines are the final deliveries of this equipment from the batch purchased under the 2024 budget.
In total, in 2023-2024, the Ministry of Health purchased 33 MRI machines with a magnetic field strength of 1.5 and 3 Tesla. In 2025, the Ministry of Health purchased 20 such devices with a power of 1.5 Tesla with funds from the European Union within the framework of the Ukraine Facility program.
HOSPITAL, Kropyvnytskyi, Ministry of Health, MRI, Zaporizhzhia
On January 6, the Lviv city municipal enterprise “Lvivvodokanal” announced its intention to conclude with IC “VUSO” (Kiev) the contract of compulsory insurance of civil liability of owners of land vehicles (OSAGO).
As reported in the system of electronic procurement Prozorro, the company’s price offer amounted to UAH 1.161 million against UAH 1.796 million expected cost of purchasing services. Insurance company Kraїna with the offer of UAH 1.177 mln and SG TAS with UAH 1.4 mln also took part in the tender.
The Kryvyi Rih Mining and Metallurgical Plant PJSC ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih (AMKR, Dnipropetrovsk region) continues to restore the operational capacity of locomotives in railway workshop (RW) No. 2 under the GAP-III high-risk equipment repair program.
According to materials in the corporate publication Metallurg, the TEM2U-8679 diesel locomotive was recently repaired, becoming the fifth locomotive to be restored under the GAP-III repair program. The repaired diesel locomotive was put back on the rails at the end of 2025.
It is specified that five locomotives were repaired at Repair Center No. 2 under this program during the full-scale war. The purpose of these repairs is to improve the technical condition, accident-free operation, and ensure the stable operation of locomotives used for the company’s rail transportation.
The first locomotive repaired under this program was the TEM2-2203, manufactured in 1970, and the last of the five repaired locomotives was the TEM2U-8679. Specialists from ZC No. 2 and a contractor replaced the diesel engine parts, cooling sections, and wheel sets on the TEM2U-8679 locomotive, repaired the electrical equipment and cable and wire parts, installed a new battery, and worked on restoring the compressor to working order, etc.
In the future, it is planned to install modern equipment, American engines, control systems, and crew compartments on the locomotives.
ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih is the largest producer of rolled steel in Ukraine. It specializes in the production of long products, in particular, rebar and wire rod.
ArcelorMittal owns Ukraine’s largest mining and metallurgical complex, ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih, and a number of small companies, including ArcelorMittal Beryslav.
European digital-first banking group Iute Group plans to enter the Ukrainian market by launching a bank under the IuteBank brand with a focus on digital banking services for everyday financial needs, the company said on its website on Tuesday.
“This step is aimed at supporting our long-term goal of expanding digital banking services in a disciplined and responsible manner,” said Iute Group CEO Tarmo Sild.
According to the announcement, the market entry involves an agreement with the Deposit Guarantee Fund (DGF) after approval by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
Under the agreement, Iute Group plans to acquire PJSC “Transitional Bank ”Iute Bank” with a banking license, to which a selective portfolio of low-risk assets and corresponding retail deposit liabilities totaling approximately EUR4 million were transferred from the insolvent RVS Bank.
The expected price of the transaction will be EUR120 thousand, with financing planned from the group’s available liquidity. Iute Group also reported that it expects the net loss of Ukrainian banking operations in 2026 not to exceed EUR3 million.
Upon completion of the transaction, the Ukrainian banking structure is to become the successor to the selected assets and deposit liabilities of RVS Bank. The assets to be transferred mainly include government bonds and cash, while the loan portfolio and related credit risks are not planned to be transferred.
The company expects that around 13,000 retail customers will be transferred as part of the deal, along with their accounts and deposits, but without the branch network.
The bank’s CEO will be Artur Muravitsky, who has over 22 years of experience in the financial sector and previously held the position of deputy chairman of the board of TAScombank and management positions at Ukrposhta, Finance Bank, and VTB Bank in Ukraine.
According to Iute Group, the initial steps after the deal is done will include capitalizing the bank, putting together a key team, and getting ready to launch digital banking services.
As reported, in December, the Deposit Guarantee Fund announced a competition for the best proposal to settle RVS Bank, which the National Bank had declared insolvent. As part of this procedure, the transitional bank Iute Bank was created, headed by Muravitsky.
According to the NBU, as of November 1, 2025, RVS Bank ranked 53rd (UAH 819.8 million) among 60 solvent banks in terms of assets.
According to information on the Iute Group website, it was founded in 2008 by Sild and Allar Niinepuu and is currently a technology-oriented financial services provider serving over 970,000 customers in the Balkans, as well as being present in the Moldovan market since 2008. The group is headquartered in Tallinn, has over 800 employees and more than 50 branches.
Iute Group expanded through several non-bank financial institutions to Albania in April 2015, North Macedonia in September 2017, and Bulgaria in February 2019, and in 2022 acquired a 95% controlling stake in Moldova’s Energbank.
Iute Group provides lending, payment, currency exchange, and insurance brokerage services.
