The TAS Group has begun actively investing in real estate development and is carrying out major construction projects in Kyiv, according to the group’s founder, Serhiy Tihipko.
He said the group has begun construction of 220,000 square meters in Obolon and has purchased an additional 5 hectares for this project.
“In 2027, we will begin construction of 350,000 square meters on the Left Bank. This is a fairly large investment,” said Tigipko.
Thus, real estate development is becoming one of the group’s key investment areas, alongside the financial sector and agribusiness.
Such projects are important for Kyiv’s real estate market, as they can increase the supply of residential and commercial space in major districts of the capital. At the same time, real estate development remains a capital-intensive sector that is sensitive to demand, construction costs, the availability of financing, and changes in the population’s purchasing power.
The TAS Group was previously known primarily as a financial and industrial group; however, its active construction of large-scale projects demonstrates an expansion of its interests into real estate and urban development.
GS “UKRSADVINPROM” celebrated its 10th anniversary by hosting a national roundtable titled “Local Grape Varieties: Heritage, Sustainable Development, and Rural Development.”
The event was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine, industry associations, academia, the retail sector, the HoReCa sector, winemaking enterprises, and experts from the agricultural sector.
Deputy Minister Denys Bashlyk congratulated the Union on behalf of the ministry, noting UKRSADVINPROM’s contribution to the development of horticulture, viticulture, and winemaking in Ukraine.
Roundtable participants discussed the development of local grape varieties as a means of preserving Ukrainian identity, cultural heritage, and regional distinctiveness. It was noted that the competitiveness of Ukrainian winemaking should be built not only around the “Made in Ukraine” principle but also around the “Developed in Ukraine” approach, where domestic breeding achievements become part of the national brand.
Particular attention was paid to the need to create a Grape Register and conduct a comprehensive inventory of vineyards in accordance with EU approaches. Meeting these requirements could open up access for Ukraine to European industry support instruments following the country’s accession to the European Union.
Vladimir Pechko, Chairman of the “UKRSADVINPROM” Public Association, noted an alarming trend of shrinking vineyard areas. According to him, approximately 10,000 hectares are currently under vine in Ukraine, a situation that requires additional attention from both the government and the industry.
Participants in the event also emphasized the importance of supporting Ukrainian producers amid the war, developing craft winemaking, promoting Ukrainian wines in domestic and international markets, and enabling producers to participate in international exhibitions, professional presentations, and tasting events.
The “UKRSADVINPROM” General Association brings together participants in the horticulture, viticulture, and winemaking sectors; it participates in promoting Ukrainian products, developing industry policy, and protecting the interests of producers.
The Ministry of Energy of Ukraine has purchased domestic government bonds (OVDP) using funds from the financial reserve for the first time in nearly 20 years, the ministry announced on Wednesday.
“Nearly 400 million hryvnias have already been invested in government securities, and the total volume of such investments in 2026 will amount to approximately 785 million hryvnias,” the Ministry of Energy noted.
In the future, these funds will be used to finance the decommissioning of nuclear facilities.
As explained by the ministry, the purchase of OVDPs was the first step in implementing the mechanism for managing the financial reserve funds as provided for by law.
The financial reserve is formed through regular contributions from JSC “NAEK Energoatom,” which transfers 65.4 million UAH monthly to a special fund to ensure the future decommissioning of nuclear facilities. At the same time, for a long time, the reserve’s funds were not actually invested in financial instruments designed to preserve their value. As a result of inflation, the funds accumulated by 2025 have significantly lost their real value, the Ministry of Energy noted.
Investing the financial reserve in domestic government bonds will protect the funds from inflation, preserve their purchasing power, and ensure additional replenishment of the reserve through income from government securities.
“Ukraine is consistently developing a system of financial support for the future decommissioning of nuclear facilities in accordance with international obligations and global best practices,” the ministry emphasized.
Investing the financial reserve’s funds in OVDPs is a reliable and effective tool for managing state resources. This will help strengthen the financial stability of Ukraine’s nuclear safety system and enhance the state’s ability to fulfill its obligations in the field of nuclear and radiation safety, according to the Ministry of Energy.
ENERGOATOM, financial reserve, GOVERNMENT BONDS, MINISTRY OF ENERGY, nuclear safety
More than EUR20 million is expected to be raised for JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” during the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) as part of the business component, which will involve the signing of certain documents, Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery and Minister of Community and Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba said in an interview with the “Interfax-Ukraine” news agency.
According to him, the ministry, as part of its resilience efforts, will present situation centers that have been deployed throughout the country. These are centers where dispatchers coordinate air raid alerts or any other threats online 24/7, making decisions regarding the suspension of trains, the evacuation of people, or changes to freight routes.
“This is very serious work that helps us minimize damage and save the lives of passengers and employees, despite constant attacks,” Kuleba emphasized.
The Deputy Prime Minister for Recovery also noted that Ukrzaliznytsia and the port sector are bearing the brunt of the impact amid constant enemy shelling.
“The Russians are doing this entirely deliberately, knowing that in this way they can destroy our export potential so that we cannot ship out what we produce,” Kuleba stressed.
Earlier reports indicated that since the beginning of this year alone, the enemy has launched more than 1,500 attack drones at Ukrainian ports.
In addition, since the start of the full-scale invasion, 966 port infrastructure facilities and more than 200 civilian vessels have been damaged or destroyed.
Furthermore, 257 civilians have been injured or killed as a result of attacks on Ukrainian ports.
“Ukrzaliznytsia,” for its part, noted that during the first quarter of 2026, the enemy carried out 541 strikes on railway infrastructure and rolling stock.
The Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) will take place on June 25–26 in Gdańsk, Poland. The Ukrainian delegation will be led by Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
KSG Agro is investing over 25 million hryvnia in the creation of an autonomous water supply system for one of its pig farms and plans to fully supply it with water from its own sources by the end of 2026, the company’s press service reported on Wednesday.
“We are investing in capital solutions that allow us to minimize any dependence on external circumstances and ensure the uninterrupted operation of our production facilities. The autonomous water supply system will serve as a powerful safeguard against infrastructure risks and, at the same time, lay a solid foundation for reducing operating costs in the long term,” the press service quoted Serhiy Kasyanov, Chairman of the Board of Directors of KSG Agro, as saying.
According to the report, the project involves the reconstruction and modernization of Pumping Station No. 10, which will draw water from the “Dnipro–Kryvyi Rih” canal, as well as the upgrading of pipelines, the installation of new pumping equipment, automated metering systems, and digital water distribution management tools.
As noted in the press release, the project is based on the creation of the “Niva” water users’ organization, which brings together 189 landowners and land users in the region. In accordance with current Ukrainian legislation, the water users’ organization operates as a nonprofit and coordinates the provision of water supply services for the production and land reclamation needs of its members. The land reclamation network, which is being transferred to the organization’s management, covers 1,052 hectares and is one of the three largest irrigation systems in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
KSG Agro noted that the pig farm consumes approximately 20,000 cubic meters of water per month, and the implementation of the project is expected to reduce dependence on external infrastructure amid military risks, minimize water losses, and optimize operating costs.
The company estimates the payback period for the investment at three to four years.
KSG Agro is a vertically integrated holding company engaged in pig farming, as well as the production, storage, processing, and sale of grains and oilseeds. The company’s land bank in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions totals approximately 21,000 hectares. The agricultural holding ranks among the top five pork producers in Ukraine.
Serhiy Kasyanov remains the ultimate beneficiary of the holding company; through Olbis Investment LTD SA, he owns 47.83% of the shares, while 47.57% of the shares are freely traded on the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
AGRICULTURAL HOLDING, INVESTMENT, KSG AGRO, PIG FARM, WATER SUPPLY
The question “What level of English do you need to work abroad?” sounds very simple. It’s as if you could just open a chart, find your profession, see B1, B2 or C1 listed next to it, and calmly pack your suitcase. But in real life, things are a bit more complicated. And, fortunately, it’s not as scary as it sometimes seems.
For most professionals planning to work abroad or in an international environment, the main benchmark is level B2 on the CEFR scale. This is the point where English stops being just a school subject and becomes a working tool. You can hold a conversation, explain your point of view, ask clarifying questions, write a letter, understand colleagues during a meeting, and not get stuck every time someone speaks faster than the narrator in a language learning audio recording.
But it’s important not to overstate things. B2 doesn’t mean “I speak like a native speaker.” It doesn’t necessarily mean perfect pronunciation, flawless grammar, or a vocabulary for every situation, including the subtleties of British irony. B2 is functional independence. You can carry out your tasks in English without needing a constant translator in your head or by your side.
B Level B1B shouldn’t be overlooked either. With this level, you can work in many roles, especially if communication isn’t the central part of the job. For example, if the tasks are more technical, routine, or tied to clear instructions. But B1 often creates a ceiling. It’s as if the person can do the job, but they struggle more in interviews, adapt more slowly, avoid complex conversations, and can’t always demonstrate their true professional level. They have the knowledge and the experience, but English stands in the doorway like a bouncer at a club: “You’re not getting in today.”
C1 isn’t necessary for everyone. This level is for those for whom the language is one of their primary work tools. Management, sales, consulting, HR, teaching, negotiations, public speaking, and working with highly complex documentation. These are situations where you need to do more than just “get your point across”—you need to influence, persuade, defuse conflicts, give presentations, lead complex discussions, and quickly respond to nuances.
One of the most common mistakes people make before relocating is confusing English for job interviews with English for work. These are two different worlds, even though they’re right next to each other.
An interview is a genre all its own. You need to be able to talk about yourself, explain your experience, describe your strengths, answer awkward questions, stay composed under stress, and not start a sentence with “How do you say…” five times in a row. You can prepare for an interview fairly quickly if you already have a basic level of English. You can work through typical questions, learn vocabulary specific to your field, rehearse your answers, and gather a few compelling stories about your experience.
But then the day-to-day work begins. And that’s when English reveals its true nature.
At work, you need to understand colleagues with different accents. One speaks quickly, another swallows half his words, a third uses slang, and a fourth writes messages as if he’s saving letters for his grandchildren. You need to read internal documents, participate in meetings, respond to changes, negotiate deadlines, clarify tasks, and sometimes say “I disagree” in a way that sounds professional rather than like a diplomatic blunder.
That’s exactly why many people experience a strange contrast after moving: they passed the interview, got the job, but the first few months are still difficult. Not because their language level is “bad.” But because they didn’t prepare for those specific situations. They prepared for getting in, but not for life on the inside.
Another pitfall is self-assessment. This is especially true for those who have been reading in English for a long time, watching videos and TV shows, or listening to podcasts. Passive comprehension often develops faster than active speaking. A person might understand an article perfectly but get flustered when they have to explain their point of view in 20 seconds during a phone call. At that moment, the brain behaves like an old computer with 47 tabs open: everything seems to be there, but nothing loads in time.
That’s why, before relocating, it’s helpful not just to think, “I’m roughly at the Intermediate level,” but to honestly assess your level according to the CEFR. And it’s best to assess not only grammar but also speaking, listening, writing, and real-world scenarios. After all, someone might know the tenses but be unable to confidently handle a short phone call. Or they might speak well on everyday topics but struggle with professional vocabulary.
Your English level depends on both the country and the industry. In some companies, English will be the primary language of communication. In others, it’s needed only for documentation, correspondence, or contact with international clients. In large cities and international teams, the requirements are usually higher. In local companies, a lower level is sometimes sufficient, but English quickly becomes important for career growth anyway.
For IT, finance, marketing, logistics, medicine, education, service, or management, the requirements also vary. For example, a developer sometimes only needs to confidently understand tasks, write short messages, and participate in daily stand-ups. A project manager, on the other hand, needs the language for negotiations, conflict resolution, presentations, reports, and explaining complex decisions. Formally, both might have a B2 level, but the substance of that B2 will differ.
This is where the most important part begins: you need to prepare not for “English in general,” but for English tailored to a specific role. If you plan to work in customer service, you need to practice real-life conversations, handling complaints, clarifying details, and using polite phrasing. If you’re heading into IT, you’ll need to handle meetings, technical discussions, status updates, correspondence, and interviews. If your goal is a managerial position, the focus should be on argumentation, presentations, negotiations, and precise phrasing.
Business Language systematically structures this training: first, your actual level is assessed; then your goal is defined; and finally, the program is tailored to the situations you’ll actually encounter after relocating or working internationally. It’s not an abstract “conversational course” where today’s topic is food, tomorrow’s is the weather, and the day after tomorrow’s is happy raccoons in Canada. It’s practical preparation for specific work scenarios.
The ideal level of English for working abroad isn’t the one that looks good on a resume. The ideal level is the one that allows you to do your job, build relationships with colleagues, pass interviews, not remain silent in meetings, and not miss out on opportunities just because of a language barrier.
To get started, B1+ is enough for many people, provided the role doesn’t require complex communication. For stable employment and career growth, the best benchmark is B2. For leadership, client-facing, and public-facing roles, you should aim for C1.
The key is not to wait for the moment when your English becomes “perfect.” That moment often never comes, even for very strong students. It’s better to honestly define your goal, understand the gap between your current level and the one you need, and then practice the specific skills that will yield the best results.
Because relocating and working abroad isn’t a language exam taken just to get a good grade. It’s real life, where English isn’t meant to gather dust on a shelf but to get the job done. Like a good tool: when you need it most.
