Imports of goods from Ukraine in January-September 2025 amounted to $60.1 billion in monetary terms, which is 17.4% higher than in the same period of 2024, while exports decreased by 3.1% to $29.5 billion, according to the State Customs Service (SCS).
“At the same time, taxable imports amounted to $45.9 billion, which is 76% of the total volume of imported goods. The tax burden per 1 kg of taxable imports in January-September 2025 was $0.52/kg,” the agency’s Telegram channel reported on Wednesday.
Traditionally, China imported the most goods to Ukraine – $13.3 billion, followed by Poland – $5.7 billion, and Germany – $4.8 billion.
Ukrainian goods were exported mainly to Poland – $3.7 billion, Turkey – $2.1 billion, and Germany – $1.8 billion.
Of the total volume of goods imported into the country in January-September 2025, 69% of the categories were machinery, equipment, and transport – $23.8 billion (with customs clearance, UAH 148.3 billion, or 29% of customs payments, was paid to the budget), chemical industry products – $9.4 billion (72.9 billion hryvnia paid to the budget, or 14% of revenues), fuel and energy – $7.6 billion (146.6 billion hryvnia paid, accounting for 29% of customs payments).
According to the State Customs Service, the top three most exported Ukrainian goods were food products – $16.2 billion, metals and metal products – $3.4 billion, and machinery, equipment, and transport – $2.8 billion.
“In the first nine months of 2025, UAH 641.9 million was paid to the budget during customs clearance of exports of goods subject to export duties,” the service concluded.
According to Serbian Economist, Croatia has expressed its readiness to consider buying Serbian oil and gas company Naftna Industrija Srbije (NIS) if it will help to settle the consequences of US sanctions against the company, Croatian Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar said.
“Our hand is outstretched – if this is the solution, we are ready for this option as well,” the minister said, commenting on the situation after the US sanctions against NIS came into force.
According to Šušnjar, if such a scenario is realized, Croatia would guarantee the stability of the Jadranski naftovod (JANAF) oil pipeline, which has been cooperating with NIS for more than 40 years, without interfering in Serbia’s retail fuel market.
“This would simplify the situation both for us and for Serbia,” emphasized the minister, who represents the Domovinski pokret party, which is in coalition with Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s ruling HDZ party.
The minister noted that the NIS Pančevo refinery provides up to 20% of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s oil products market, and the current sanctions situation poses additional challenges for the entire region.
“By the end of the month, we will complete the modernization of the refinery in Rijeka, which will allow us to increase refining capacity and thus help Bosnia and Herzegovina, and partially Serbia,” Šušnjar said.
He also emphasized that sanctions against NIS will not affect Croatia’s position in negotiations with Hungarian MOL on oil supplies. According to him, the country is ready to provide sufficient volumes of fuel for Hungary, Slovakia and Serbia when it is possible in terms of geopolitical conditions.
Experts note that Croatia’s possible participation in the fate of NIS could be a compromise option to stabilize the energy market in the Balkans and ensure uninterrupted operation of the JANAF oil pipeline, which is a key link of oil supplies to the region.
Biosphere Corporation has announced its intention to increase its export share in total sales from the current 30% to 50% by 2030.
According to Iryna Nesterenko, vice president of operations at the corporation, as reported to Interfax-Ukraine, exports accounted for 15% of sales before the full-scale war, and by the end of this year, they will grow to 30%, half of which will be to EU countries.
“Our first step abroad took place back in 2006 – shipments of our Freken BOK and Smile brands to Moldova. After that, we actively expanded our presence in Central Asia and the Caucasus (Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan), and in 2022, we began to shift our focus to Europe,” Nesterenko described the historical path of expansion.
She recalled that in the fall of 2022, Biosphere acquired the Austrian brand Alufix, along with production facilities in Romania and branches in four EU countries, which significantly strengthened the company’s position in Europe.
Biosphere Corporation is Ukraine’s largest manufacturer and distributor of household and personal hygiene products and one of the major players in this industry in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The company’s products are represented in more than 25 countries, and its production facilities consist of seven factories in Ukraine and Europe. Created over more than 27 years of activity, Biosphere’s portfolio of 21 own brands includes, among others, Freken BOK, Smile, Novita, Lady Cotton, PRO service, Alufix, and Vortex. At the end of 2023, the company launched a new Tea&Food division with its own Cupsoul production, represented by such tea brands as Graff and Ritz Barton.
In February this year, the founder and CEO of the corporation, Andriy Zdesenko, announced that last year the group’s key businesses increased their revenue by approximately 20% to UAH 7.5 billion, and that this growth is expected to continue in 2025.
Do you remember that feeling when you know a hundred English words but can’t put them into a simple sentence? When “cat,” “dog,” and “London” are running through your head, but when a tourist asks you a question, you just smile awkwardly? This is a starting point that many people know. It seems that there is an invisible wall between you and the world of English.
But there comes a point when this wall begins to crumble. It doesn’t happen all of a sudden, but it’s a feeling you can’t mistake for anything else. This is the moment when the language turns from a set of rules and words in a textbook into a living instrument. This magical stage is called the Elementary level. Experts use the terms A1 or A2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR), but the point is not in the name. It’s about transformation: you move from passive knowledge to active use of the language for communication, travel, and discovery.
Elementary level is your ignition key. It is the foundation on which you will build your skyscraper of fluency. Let’s take a look into your near future and see what amazing doors the completion of this stage will open for you.
The greatest desire of every language learner is to start speaking. And it is at the Elementary level that your dreams begin to come true. It’s no longer just memorized phrases like “My name is…” or “London is the capital of Great Britain”. This is the beginning of your personal story in English.
You will be able to not only introduce yourself but also talk about yourself, your family, work and hobbies using simple but confident sentences. And all this thanks to basic grammar, which at this stage becomes your reliable assistant.
● Present Simple allows you to talk about your habits and everyday life: “I drink coffee every morning”, “I work as a manager”. You can describe your working day or what you like to do on weekends. ● Past Simple brings your memories to life. You can share your impressions of your last vacation, tell us what movie you watched yesterday, or discuss important events in your life. The “going to” construction turns your dreams into concrete plans. You can discuss with a new friend where you’re going to go this weekend or what you plan to do in the evening. Imagine the situation: you are sitting in a cozy cafe somewhere in Prague. You don’t just point at the menu, you confidently say: “Can I have a cappuccino and a croissant, please?”. You can ask for the price, pay and say thank you. This is a small but important victory. Or you meet another traveler and can make small talk about where you are from, what you do, and what you like. Your vocabulary, which at this stage reaches 500-1000 active words, becomes the toolkit that allows you to build these first bridges between cultures.
One of the most exciting moments in learning a language is that “click” when a continuous stream of incomprehensible sounds suddenly breaks down into familiar words. This is the moment when the world around you literally starts talking to you.
At Elementary level, you develop the fundamental skill of listening comprehension in a variety of settings. It’s important to remember that you won’t be able to understand fast-paced native speakers or complex news stories. Your superpower lies elsewhere: you can get the gist if the speaker speaks slowly, clearly and uses familiar vocabulary on everyday topics.
Think about these scenarios that are becoming a reality for you:
● At the airport: You hear a clear announcement: “Flight to… Berlin… gate… number ten”. There is no panic. You understand everything and calmly walk to your gate. You can understand the short, simple directions and instructions.
● At the hotel: The receptionist slowly explains to you: “Breakfast is from 7 to 10”. You nod because you understand the key information.
In a conversation: Your new foreign friend is talking about his family, and you catch some familiar words: “I have a brother and a sister. We live in a big house.” You may not understand every word, but you get the gist of it, and now you can start a conversation.
This is the skill of selective listening – the ability to grab the most important information you need here and now from the flow of speech. It turns chaos into order and gives you an incredible sense of control and confidence.
The world of text also opens up to you in a new way. Signs that used to be just a decorative element now carry information for you. Short messages are no longer hieroglyphs.
Reading at the Elementary level is primarily a practical skill for orientation in space. You will be able to read and understand easily:
● Signs on the streets and in public places: “Entrance”, ‘Exit’, “Open/Closed”, “Information”.
● Menus in a restaurant or cafe by finding familiar names of dishes and drinks. ● Short and simple messages, for example, in a messenger from a friend or in a sale announcement. ● Simple personal letters or postcards by capturing the main idea.
Writing is no longer a challenge. You can now not only write your name, but also leave a meaningful message. Your new skills include:
● Filling out simple questionnaires and registration forms at hotels or airports (Name, Surname, Nationality).
● Writing a short message to a friend: “Let’s meet at 6 pm” or “I am late, sorry”. ● Writing a simple personal letter or signing a greeting card, expressing simple thoughts and wishes. Write a few sentences about yourself, your family, or your home.
If, while reading this, you recognized yourself in many situations and your heart was happy to think of new opportunities, this is a great sign! Perhaps you are already at the Elementary level or have even surpassed it.
The best way to find out is to take a small, friendly test. It’s not an exam, it’s just a way to confirm your progress and see how much you already know. It only takes a few minutes, but it will give you a clear understanding of your current knowledge.
Click here to take our Elementary test and get instant confirmation of your new superpowers.
Elementary is your solid foundation. What’s next? And then there’s Pre-Intermediate, the first floor of your knowledge skyscraper, which offers a much wider view. At this stage, conversations get longer, jokes get funnier, and texts get more interesting. You begin not only to survive in the English-speaking environment, but to feel more and more comfortable in it.
What if our first test seemed too easy for you and you passed it with flying colors? Congratulations! It looks like you are ready for the next challenge and are on the verge of reaching the Pre-Intermediate level. This means that you are ready to deepen your grammar knowledge, expand your vocabulary and talk about more complex topics.
Test your ambitions and try your hand at the Pre-Intermediate test to see what new heights await you.
The Elementary level is not just another step in your education. It is your personal breakthrough. This is the moment when English turns from an abstract school subject into a universal key that opens the door to new countries, new friends, new music and new career opportunities.
This is proof that you can achieve your goals. It is the confidence that inspires you to move on. It is your ticket to a world without borders. And the most interesting is yet to come. So don’t stop. Communicate, listen, read – and you will be surprised how quickly you will start not only speaking but also thinking in English.
Prepared by ENGLISH.KH.UA
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Slovenia’s real estate market continues to show strong demand, with a steady presence of foreign buyers, particularly from neighboring EU countries. Although the country’s property sector is smaller and more regulated than those of Croatia or Montenegro, Slovenia remains one of the most attractive investment destinations in Central Europe — offering political stability, EU membership, and a balance between Alpine lifestyle and Mediterranean proximity.
According to data from Slovenia’s Geodetic Administration and industry analysts for early 2025, around 6–7% of all real estate transactions in the country involve foreign citizens — a figure that has remained stable over the past three years.
Among foreign buyers, the leading nationalities are:
1) Austria – approximately 28% of transactions involving foreigners;
2) Germany – around 22%;
3) Italy – roughly 14%, mainly in the coastal Primorska region;
4) Croatia – about 8%, driven by cross-border purchases in the northeast;
5) Hungary and Switzerland – jointly accounting for about 10%.
Buyers from outside the EU (including the U.K., Israel, and the United States) represent a smaller but growing segment, often focusing on luxury mountain properties in Bled, Bohinj, and Kranjska Gora, or on historic residences in Ljubljana’s old town.
The Slovenian real estate market continues to experience price growth, albeit at a more moderate pace compared to its peak years. In 2024, average residential prices increased by 6.8%, while in Ljubljana — by over 10%. Newly built apartments and energy-efficient houses remain the most sought-after properties, while older buildings without renovation are less competitive.
Despite strong fundamentals, experts expect foreign share in property transactions to remain around 6–7%.
At the same time, rising connectivity with Austria, Italy, and Croatia — including through new rail and road infrastructure — is expected to stimulate cross-border investment and second-home demand.
In the medium term, Slovenia’s property market is likely to remain stable but competitive, with local and EU buyers dominating, and luxury and eco-friendly segments gaining ground.
Slovenia’s real estate sector combines European stability with regional charm. Foreign investors, particularly from Austria, Germany, and Italy, continue to view the country as a safe, high-quality destination for second homes and long-term investment — though affordability and supply remain key constraints.
Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s leading express delivery company, installed more than 8,000 new parcel terminals over the year, bringing their total number to 30,600, according to a press release issued by the company on Wednesday.
“As of October 6, the company has 44,983 service points, including 14,336 branches. Over the past year alone, more than 8,000 new parcel terminals have been installed, and over the past week, another 259,” the document says.
As previously reported by Nova Poshta, in the first half of this year, its branch network grew by 708 points to 13,985, and the number of parcel terminals increased by more than 4,000 to 28,326, while in mid-2024 there were 12,180 and 18,370 thousand, respectively.
“Parcel locker delivery is a global trend that is rapidly gaining momentum in Ukraine. We plan to invest about UAH 1 billion in the development of the parcel locker network by the end of 2025,” said Artur Kudelin, director of the parcel locker department at Nova Poshta, in the release.
The company added that while three years ago less than 10 million shipments per year passed through parcel lockers, now there are 46 million, and by the end of 2025, the company plans to reach 75 million deliveries.
“We see a clear trend: the opening of a parcel terminal (for example, near a cottage community) immediately stimulates the growth of online purchases in that area. Therefore, the expansion of the network contributes to the development of the entire online commerce ecosystem in general,” Kudelin noted.
According to the release, more than 4,000 parcel terminals in the network are powered by solar panels, and a “locker” service has also been introduced for temporary storage or transfer of items.
The main activity of Nova Poshta is express delivery of documents, parcels, and palletized large-sized cargo.
In the first half of 2025, the company increased its revenue by 23% compared to the same period in 2024, to UAH 24.6 billion. The volume of parcels and cargo delivered amounted to 238 million (7% more).
