Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Kyivpastrans plans to purchase 16 new trolleybuses by end of 2026

The municipal enterprise (ME) Kyivpastrans plans to purchase 16 new low-floor city trolleybuses with a length of over 11.9 m by December 1, 2026, for an estimated amount of UAH 306.344 million, according to the website of the Kyiv City State Administration.

“The renewal of the rolling stock is necessary to improve transport safety, ensure the stable operation of public transport, and reduce travel intervals on routes,” the statement said.

The required total passenger capacity is about 100 people, including 34 seats. The interior must provide space for passengers with reduced mobility, wheelchairs, strollers, and ramps.

Trolleybuses must be equipped with heating and air conditioning systems, tinted windows, LED lighting, external and internal information displays, and a system that blocks movement when the doors are open.

In addition, the vehicles must be equipped with a loudspeaker system for announcing the route and stops, as well as space for installing GPS trackers for traffic control and equipment for automated fare payment.

As reported, in October 2025, Kyivpastrans canceled the purchase of 40 low-floor trolleybuses for an expected amount of more than UAH 1.008 billion due to the inability to make changes to the technical requirements of the tender documentation, which would lead to a change in the estimated purchase price.

Earlier, Kyiv canceled the purchase of 20 buses for almost UAH 83 million by the end of 2025, announced at the end of August 2025, for the same reason.

In addition, as part of a EUR 50 million loan agreement with the European Investment Bank, Kyiv announced in the summer of 2024 the purchase of 12-meter and 18-meter trolleybuses without specifying the number of each length, but the final outcome of this tender is still unknown.

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Marseille tops list of Europe’s most dangerous cities – ranking

In Numbeo’s European sample (Europe: Current Crime Index by City), the highest Crime Index is recorded in Marseille (France) – 66.7. It is followed by Birmingham (UK) – 63.8, Grenoble (France) – 62.6, Naples (Italy) – 62.3, and Coventry (UK) – 61.7.

At the bottom of the European list, i.e., among the most peaceful cities according to the ranking, are The Hague (Netherlands) – 19.9, Tampere (Finland) – 20.4, Eindhoven (Netherlands) – 20.9, as well as Trondheim (Norway) and Utrecht (Netherlands) – 21.0 each.

Numbeo publishes crime/safety indices based on user surveys. The current version is continuously updated and is based on data from the last five years. The project has been running since 2009 and is widely cited in the media and city comparison services, but the indicators reflect subjective perceptions of safety and are not a substitute for official statistics.

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Aluminum prices rose to their highest level since April 2022

Aluminum prices rose to their highest level since April 2022 during trading on Tuesday.

Aluminum on the LME rose 0.8% to $3,111 per ton. Prices for other metals also rose: zinc added 1.5% and reached $3,241.5 per ton.

Aluminum is widely used as a structural material. The main advantages of aluminum are its lightness, malleability, corrosion resistance, high thermal conductivity, and the non-toxicity of its compounds. In particular, these properties have made aluminum extremely popular in the manufacture of cookware, aluminum foil in the food industry, and for packaging. The first three properties have made aluminum the main raw material in the aviation and aerospace industries (recently, it has been replaced by composite materials, primarily carbon fiber). After construction and the production of packaging—aluminum cans and foil—the largest consumer of metal is the energy industry.

Nickel rose to 15-month high on news from Indonesia

The price of nickel rose to a 15-month high amid reports that Indonesia is tightening control over metal production volumes.

The price of nickel for delivery in three months rose 6.1% during trading on Tuesday to $18,045 per ton, the highest since October 7, 2024.
“Indonesia’s tightening of production controls through a slower quota approval process and planned quota reductions in 2026 is a fairly effective factor in price growth,” said ING analyst Eva Manti.

She notes, however, that the increase in nickel prices is unlikely to be sustainable, as the market is still expected to see a significant supply surplus in 2026.

The day before, Indonesian publication Bisnis.com reported that the country’s authorities had allowed mining companies to temporarily focus on previously approved metal production quotas for 2026 while new quotas are under consideration.
Nickel is used in the production of stainless steel and for nickel plating. Nickel is also used in the manufacture of batteries, in powder metallurgy, and in chemical reagents.

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Copper prices hit new record high on Tuesday

Copper prices hit a new record high on Tuesday amid signs of limited supply and growing demand linked to electrification and investment in data centers.

The price of copper futures for delivery in three months on the London Metal Exchange (LME) rose 3.1% during trading to $13,387.5 per ton. Since the beginning of 2026, the price of copper has risen 6.6%, exceeding $13,000 per tonne for the first time on Monday.

“The rise in copper prices above $13,000 per ton is due to the growing imbalance between structural supply constraints and accelerated demand growth amid electrification and investment in data centers,” notes ING analyst Eva Manti. “Years of underinvestment and prolonged problems at mines have left the market with virtually no room for maneuver.”

The strike at Capstone Copper’s Mantoverde gold-copper mine in northern Chile, which began last week, has heightened concerns about a shortage of copper supply in the global market this year.

Copper is widely used in electrical engineering, pipe manufacturing, alloy production, medicine, and other industries.

Earlier, the Experts Club information and analytical center released a video dedicated to global copper production and leading producing countries – https://youtube.com/shorts/_h8iU50z8C0?si=a-XkgGEfeUxseQNa

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Ranking of the world’s most dangerous cities has been published, with Odessa and Dnipro in second hundred

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.

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