In the first 4 months of 2026, more than 11,000 fires broke out in ecosystems across Ukraine, resulting in 27 deaths and 35 injuries, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
“As a result of these fires, 27 people died and another 32 were injured. At the same time, only about 350 of the total fires were caused by Russia’s aggression—all the rest were caused specifically by human negligence or the deliberate burning of dry vegetation,” the service’s Telegram channel quoted Viktor Vitovetsky, Director of the Department of Civil Protection and Preventive Activities at the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, as saying.
According to him, to prevent fires, State Emergency Service specialists carried out more than 8,000 preventive measures, of which more than a thousand involved the use of UAVs. The use of drones is a new practice for the State Emergency Service, which helps not only to identify arson of dry vegetation but also to identify those responsible.
” “The State Emergency Service continues to hold accountable those who burn grass and leaves; however, the fines are not sufficient to compensate for the damage caused. As of today, since the beginning of 2026, fines have been imposed on more than 1,600 people for a total amount of approximately 3.5 million UAH,” Vitovetsky noted.
Under a memorandum between the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development of Ukraine and the Kyiv National University of Construction and Architecture, and with the support of the flagship project “Movement Without Barriers,” a team of researchers has developed a pilot AI accessibility consultant in ChatGPT.
The tool helps users quickly obtain basic answers with references to DBN standards, which, in particular, regulate issues of inclusivity and accessibility, as well as advice for specific spaces or situations.
The AI consultant does not replace architects and accessibility experts, but it can serve as a convenient first step to get oriented, verify solutions, or prepare for working with specialists.
“For me, the topic of accessibility isn’t an abstract policy, but a personal story. My dad is a veteran with a disability who uses a wheelchair, and every day I see the barriers he faces. That is why the launch of the AI accessibility consultant is an important step toward making spaces in Ukraine truly accessible, not just ‘on paper.’” — Artem Goncharenko, Accessibility Ambassador at the Ministry of Education and Science
This approach is intended to make the process of creating an accessible environment more systematic, consistent, and understandable for communities, businesses, and everyone who works with public spaces.
The AI consultant is constantly updated with materials and technical data. The project is coordinated by the KNUBA Veterans Institute and the KNUBA Expert Working Group on Accessibility. If you have any questions while using the tool, please contact us at: veterano@knuba.edu.ua.
The materials generated by the AI Consultant are for informational purposes only. It is recommended to verify the information in accordance with current regulations and consult with specialists if necessary.
According to Fixygen, the U.S. bank Morgan Stanley has launched a pilot cryptocurrency trading service on its E*Trade platform, Bloomberg reports.
Full access to the service will be available later this year. The E*Trade platform has 8.6 million customers.
The new service features lower fees—0.5% of the dollar value of the transaction. The largest cryptocurrency exchange in the U.S., Coinbase, charges 0.6%, the popular platform Robinhood charges 0.95%, and Charles Schwab charges 0.75%.
Morgan Stanley is developing cryptocurrency products across various business lines, aiming to integrate traditional finance with decentralized finance.
“This is much more than just trading cryptocurrency with lower fees,” Jed Finn, head of the wealth management segment for high-net-worth individuals, told Bloomberg. “In a sense, this strategy eliminates the middlemen who eliminate middlemen.”
Until recently, bank clients had to turn to other players for cryptocurrency products.
Morgan Stanley is also working to enable clients to convert crypto assets into exchange-traded fund shares without having to sell them first, according to Bloomberg sources. Additionally, in the second half of the year, the bank plans to introduce the ability to trade tokenized stocks for institutional clients.
In April, Morgan Stanley became the first Wall Street bank to launch a Bitcoin ETF, and in February, it applied for a license to provide custody services for digital assets.
The business confidence index for Ukraine’s construction market rose by 1.9 percentage points (pp) in the second quarter of 2026 compared to the first quarter, reaching “minus” 25.7%, according to the State Statistics Service (SSS).
According to data from a survey of construction companies conducted by the agency, the assessment of the current volume of orders improved by 1.7 pp to “minus” 41.5%. Specifically, 54% of the surveyed companies assessed their current order volume as normal for the season, while 45% deemed it insufficient.
Sixty-eight percent of respondents expect to raise prices for their services by the end of the second quarter of this year. Only 2% of respondents forecast a decrease in the cost of construction work, while 30% do not expect any changes in pricing policy.
According to State Statistics Service data, the companies surveyed have an average of six months’ worth of orders, which corresponds to the pre-war level at the beginning of 2022.
The agency notes that in the second quarter of 2026, construction will be negatively impacted by labor shortages (56.1%), financial constraints (48.2%), weather conditions (23%), insufficient demand (20.8%), and other factors (42.7%).
About 23% of the surveyed companies expect a reduction in the number of employees in April–June, while 57% believe that their numbers will remain unchanged, and 19% forecast an expansion of their workforce.
According to the State Statistics Service, 25% of respondents noted an increase in the volume of construction work completed in the past quarter, while 41% reported a decrease in volumes.
The survey showed that 98% of Ukrainian construction companies find it quite difficult to predict future business developments.
The statistical data is presented excluding territories temporarily occupied by the Russian Federation and parts of territories where hostilities are (were) taking place.
In April 2026, Ukraine reduced its electricity imports by 41%—to 558,300 MWh, according to the DIXI Group analytical center, citing data from Energy Map.
“This is the second consecutive month of declining volumes of purchases from abroad,” the center noted.
At the same time, exports rose by 10%—to 33,300 MWh—but remained insignificant and occurred only during specific hours of temporary surplus in Ukraine’s power grid. By the end of the month, Ukraine had imported 17 times more electricity than it exported.
As explained by DIXI Group, the decline in imports and the modest growth in exports in April were driven by several factors. On the one hand, predominantly warm and clear weather, as well as longer daylight hours, contributed to increased generation from solar power plants and reduced the load on the power grid due to lower consumption. On the other hand, the security situation remained tense: at least three waves of heavy shelling were recorded during the month (on April 1–2, 3, and 16), resulting in infrastructure damage and limitations on available generation. An additional factor was the temporary reinstatement of differentiated price caps starting April 1, which reduced the economic attractiveness of imports during certain hours.
Under these conditions, consumption restrictions were periodically applied to balance the power system, but they were significantly less extensive than in March.
Hungary accounted for the largest share of imports in April—305,600 MWh, or 55%. Poland and Romania accounted for 125,200 MWh and 124,200 MWh, respectively—22% each. Meanwhile, Moldova accounted for 3.2 thousand MWh (1%), and Slovakia for 0.13 thousand MWh (<0.1%).
For comparison: in April 2025, imports amounted to 187.0 thousand MWh—three times less than in the reporting month.
“The average utilization of the permitted transmission capacity in April was 36.9% of the approved nominal value (2.1 GW),” DIXI Group reported. In turn, in March of this year, this figure stood at 60.4%. The maximum value of 88.4% was recorded on April 19 between 9:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.
The nominal capacity limit for imports from EU countries to Ukraine and Moldova has been 2.45 GW since January. At the same time, part of this capacity is used for electricity imports to Moldova, so approximately 2,100 MW of commercial imports are available to Ukraine. However, the amount of permitted import capacity for each country in the bloc is dynamic and may vary depending on the operational situation in the countries’ power systems.
Ukrzaliznytsia JSC is deploying over 800 modular shelters across the country to enhance employee protection in light of the increasing number of attacks on railway infrastructure, according to a company statement released on Wednesday.
“These shelters allow people to take cover quickly during an alert and protect against debris during shelling. And this isn’t just theory: yesterday (May 5 – IF-U), such a shelter in the Kharkiv region saved the life of a female conductor who evacuated in time after receiving a danger alert,” Ukrzaliznytsia reported on Telegram.
It is noted that these shelters will be installed in the most dangerous locations.
Ukrzaliznytsia emphasized that this initiative is part of the company’s resilience plan, which aims to ensure uninterrupted operations and protect people under difficult conditions.
Since the beginning of 2026, approximately 983 attacks on railway infrastructure have been recorded, Ukrzaliznytsia noted.
As reported, on May 5, the enemy attacked Ukrzaliznytsia infrastructure in the Kharkiv, Poltava, and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
