Dynamics of services exports in January-September 2025 by the most important items compared to the same period in 2024, %
A joint Polish-Ukrainian enterprise, PK MIL SA, has been established to manufacture, among other things, Ukrainian self-propelled howitzers “Bogdan” and towed howitzers “Bogdan-BG,” according to the press service of the Polish company PONAR Wadowice, on whose premises the production facility is being set up.
“PONAR Wadowice SA and Kramatorskie Zakłady Budowy Ciężkich Obrabiarek (KZVV) have established a joint Polish-Ukrainian enterprise, PK MIL SA, which will work to strengthen the European defense industry and implement the priorities of the ReArm Europe initiative,” the company said in a statement on its website.
It is reported that the company’s goal is to produce 155-mm NATO-standard artillery systems, in particular the Bogdan self-propelled howitzer and the Bogdan-BG towed howitzer. The project will be implemented on the basis of European production capacities and close industrial cooperation between Poland and Ukraine.
PK MIL SA is part of the PONAR Wadowice group, and PONAR Wadowice SA owns a controlling stake of 51% in PK MIL SA. This provides the company with stable capital, a technological and organizational base, and allows it to effectively use the experience of the PONAR Wadowice group in implementing projects for the defense sector.
It is emphasized that the creation of PK MIL SA is a response to “the growing demand for proven, reliable, and scalable artillery systems. The new company will make it possible to increase production capacity, shorten supply chains, and more effectively coordinate activities in the defense sector.”
Bogdan is the first Ukrainian 155 mm (NATO standard) wheeled self-propelled artillery system (SAU) adopted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in 2023. It has high accuracy, rate of fire (up to 5-6 rounds/min), and a range of up to 40-60 km. Its production is constantly being scaled up.
The Ukrainian team has already won ten medals — three gold, two silver, and five bronze — and is in second place in the medal count after the Chinese team, which has one more medal, according to the results of the second day of competition at the XIV Winter Paralympic Games, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine reported on Facebook on Sunday.
In turn, the National Paralympic Committee of Ukraine reports that on Sunday, the Ukrainian team won one silver and three bronze medals.
“The final point of Ukraine’s second day of competition at the 2026 Paralympics was two high awards in para-biathlon in the individual 12.5 km race among athletes with visual impairments: Maksym Murashkovskyi (Kyiv) and leader Vitalii Trush (Zakarpattia Oblast) won the silver medal; this is the first medal for this tandem at the Paralympics, as these Games are the athletes’ debut! Dmytro Suyarko (Volyn region) – leader Oleksandr Nikonovych (Kyiv region) won bronze,” according to the committee’s Facebook page.
The Ministry of Sport reported that two other bronze medals in para-biathlon were won by Ukrainian athletes on Sunday in individual races. “Individual race, men, sitting class: Taras Rad, 3rd place… Individual race, women, standing class: Oleksandra Kononova, 3rd place,” the statement said.
In addition, para snowboarding competitions took place on Sunday. A Ukrainian athlete took fourth place in them. “Snowboard cross, men, SB-UL class, preliminary run 1: Vladislav Khilchenko 4th place, did not advance to the quarterfinals,” the ministry said.
It is reported that on Monday, the Ukrainian team at the 2026 Paralympics will have a training day, and on Tuesday, March 10, the ski races will start.
As reported, on March 7, Ukraine finished the first day of competition at the 2026 Paralympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo in first place with six medals: three gold, one silver, and two bronze.
The Ukrainian team won a triple podium in the competition for athletes with visual impairments: Ukrainians won all three medals – Oleksandr Kazik – gold, Yaroslav Reshetynsky – silver, Anatoliy Kovalevsky – bronze.
Oleksandra Kononova, representing the Kyiv region, won a gold medal in the para-biathlon sprint race among athletes in the standing class at the 2026 Winter Paralympic Games. This is the fifth gold medal of her Paralympic career and the third in para-biathlon. She also has three gold medals in cross-country skiing. Taras Rad won gold in the 7.5 km sitting biathlon sprint race.
European farmers’ organizations have appealed to the European Commission to seek the cancellation of Ukraine’s 10% export duty on soybeans and rapeseed, according to industry media reports.
The appeal was sent by the Spanish agricultural association ASAJA and the European association of farmers’ organizations Copa-Cogeca. In their opinion, the introduction of export duties on Ukrainian oilseeds could lead to a redistribution of raw material flows and negatively affect the EU market.
Farmers’ associations believe that the current restrictions may stimulate the processing of raw materials within Ukraine and reduce the volume of oilseed supplies to the European market. In this regard, they call on the European Commission to hold consultations with the Ukrainian side and seek the cancellation of the relevant measures.
As reported, a 10% export duty on soybeans and rapeseed has been in effect in Ukraine since September 2025, which is to be gradually reduced over several years.
At the same time, representatives of the European agricultural sector believe that such measures could change the balance in the EU oilseed market and affect the region’s processing industry.
Mykhailo Nestor is stepping down as Director of Digital Products at Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, after seven years with the company.
“I am happy that I was able to build a product company from scratch with a wonderful team according to the highest standards within a huge (in my opinion, the best in Ukraine) corporation,” Nestor wrote on Facebook.
According to him, he is also leaving his position as Chief Product Officer at the IT company Kyivstar.Tech.
“I did much more than I planned, but, of course, less than I would have liked — there are always more ideas,” Nestor emphasized.
In a comment to DOU, he said that he plans to move into the deftech sphere, but it is not yet known which company he will join.
Nestor’s personal Facebook page notes that from April 2018 to May 2019, he held the position of Product Management at the DreamTeam esports platform, and then in March 2022, he became a co-founder of the KOLO charitable foundation.
According to Serbian Economist, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has announced that the country will soon open its first large military drone factory in cooperation with a foreign partner. According to him, serial production in the republic should begin by the end of April. The announcement was made during the presentation of the national development strategy “Serbia 2030.”
Vucic noted that in the current international environment, “might makes right,” and stressed that Serbia must not remain weak. He linked the development of defense production to the task of maintaining peace and stability, stating that strengthening the army and police is necessary precisely as a deterrent. According to the president, Serbia allocates more than 2.5% of its GDP to the army and police.
The president specified that smaller drones had previously been assembled and developed in Serbia, both in the army and in the private sector. In particular, he mentioned the Komarac 1 and Komarac 2 models. The existence of such systems is confirmed by materials from the Serbian Ministry of Defense, which mention the use of Komarac 1 and Komarac 2 drones, with the latter designed, among other things, to destroy more heavily defended targets.
At the same time, Vucic described the new project as significantly larger and more technologically advanced, calling it a product of “the highest global standard.” Neither the name of the foreign partner, nor the investment parameters, nor the estimated production volumes have been officially disclosed at this time.
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