According to Serbian Economist, unknown persons damaged the monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko in Novi Sad, Serbia.
According to available information, the monument was splashed with black paint, and the letters of the surname on the monument were also damaged.
The Ukrainian Embassy in the Republic of Serbia said it was deeply outraged by the incident and called it a “shameful act,” urging Serbian law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident and bring those responsible to justice. The diplomatic mission also noted that such actions are aimed at undermining Ukrainian-Serbian relations.
The Serbian Embassy in Ukraine also condemned the actions of the vandals and stated that it was deeply outraged by the incident and, after returning to Ukraine in 2025, is actively working to restore mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries.
The Shevchenko monument in Novi Sad was erected in February 2021 on the initiative of the Ukrainian-Rusyn community in Serbia.
Global spending on information and communication technologies (ICT) in 2026 will increase by 10% and reach $4 trillion, forecasts the analytical organization International Data Corporation (IDC). At the same time by 2029 the indicator may grow to $6 trillion.
The largest category of expenditures in the current year will be software – this article will account for more than a third of all costs, according to IDC analysts. At the same time, the hardware category will show the highest growth rates, in the neighborhood of 15%.
The main sectors in terms of investment in ICT will be information services and software, banking and retail. Together they will account for over $1 trillion in spending. About $2 trillion will be spent in the U.S., with Western Europe spending $908 billion and China spending $355 billion.
Former majority owner of the Agro-Region agricultural holding and former Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine Aivaras Abromavičius will focus on investments in the Ukrainian technology sector and projects related to the future reconstruction of the country after selling the asset to the Kernel group.
“The day after the deal was closed, I already invested in a Ukrainian technology company. I think the corresponding press release will appear in the coming weeks. My wife and I want to remain very active people, so I am not planning to retire. On the contrary, now we must look at those Ukrainian companies that will become critically interesting when large-scale reconstruction begins,” he said during a Business Breakfast at Forbes Ukraine.
According to Abromavichus, shifting focus from the agricultural sector to IT and infrastructure projects is a logical step after almost 20 years of investing in Agro-Region. He noted that the technology market in Ukraine is currently showing high stability, and the upcoming reconstruction will create demand for assets in areas that will ensure economic recovery.
The investor added that despite his exit from agribusiness, he plans to attract foreign capital to Ukraine, focusing on companies with high growth potential.
Details of the new deal in the technology sector are not being disclosed until the investment round is officially completed.
Abromavichus also announced a number of promising areas for investment in Ukraine. He noted that the country has already become a “world champion in agrotech and militech,” so these are the areas to invest in. The businessman paid special attention to infrastructure and noted that although logistics was a step “where everyone wanted to be present,” now, due to falling prices, “it’s a different game.”
In his opinion, investors should focus on assets that will be in demand during reconstruction and software companies.
“I really like technology companies… we should go to Ukraine and look at them,” he concluded.
Aivaras Abromavičius is a Lithuanian-Ukrainian entrepreneur, former Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine (2014-2016) and former Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Ukroboronprom (2019-2020), who was a key partner of the investment company East Capital for a long time. Currently, Abromavičius owns shares in a number of Ukrainian IT startups and technology companies through controlled investment structures, and also has interests in real estate and consulting.
The sale of 100% of the Agro-Region group of companies (shareholders — Aivaras Abromavičius and Lars Erik Hokansson) to Andriy Verevsky’s Enselco group was one of the largest M&A transactions in Ukraine’s agricultural sector since February 2022. The investment company Dragon Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to the sellers, while OMP provided legal support. As a result of the acquisition of assets with a land bank of 41,000 hectares in the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, and Khmelnytskyi regions, the Kernel Group (through Enselco) has increased its total land fund to 550-600 thousand hectares.
The Agro-Region Group is a high-tech integrated business comprising three operating clusters and approximately 200,000 tons of elevator capacity. The company specializes in growing corn, wheat, sunflowers, rapeseed, and soybeans, with an annual harvest of 200,000 tons. According to YouControl, at the time of the transaction, Aivaras Abromavičius owned a controlling stake in the holding (53.6%) through Garna Stockholm Holding AB, while Lars Erik Hokansson’s share was 44.28%. The deal was closed after receiving all necessary regulatory approvals, becoming a landmark investment signal for the industry amid martial law.
Montenegrin authorities issued 679 temporary residence and work permits to Ukrainian citizens in 2025, which is 1.67% of the total number of 40,567 permits, according to the annual report of the Employment Plant of Montenegro (ZZZCG), citing data from the Ministry of Interior.
A total of 40,567 permits were issued to foreigners in Montenegro in 2025 – 2,548 (6.7%) more than in 2024. Of these, 27,689 came under the quota, while 12,878 were issued outside the quota.
Foreign workers came from 107 countries.
Permits for temporary stay and work in Montenegro in 2025, by nationality (from higher to lower)
Turkey – 10,346 (25.50%)
Serbia – 8,148 (20.09%)
Russia – 7,429 (18.31%)
Azerbaijan – 2,513 (6.19%)
Albania – 2,098 (5.17%)
Bosnia and Herzegovina – 1,902 (4.69%)
Kosovo – 1,543 (3.80%)
North Macedonia – 766 (1.89%)
Ukraine – 679 (1.67%)
Belarus – 469 (1.16%)
India – 364 (0.90%)
Mexico – 257 (0.63%).
Serbian Economist notes that the 6 largest labor source countries provided 79.96% of all permits issued.
https://t.me/relocationrs/2327
In 2025, Ukrainian banks issued 8,282 thousand mortgage loans worth UAH 15.69 billion, which is 4.3% more than in 2024, when 8,807 thousand loans worth UAH 15.05 billion were issued, while the number of loans issued decreased by 6.0%, according to the results of a survey by the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU).
“The quality of the mortgage portfolio remains high: the share of non-performing loans is only 13%,” the regulator commented on the results.
According to the National Bank, in December 2025, 952 mortgage loans were issued in Ukraine for UAH 1.96 billion, which is 28.3% more than in November, when 743 loans were issued for UAH 1.52 billion.
As specified by the NBU, out of 38 banks surveyed, 14 financial institutions issued mortgage loans in December last year. Most of the deals were concluded in the primary housing market: 539 in December for UAH 1.13 billion, compared to 434 in November for UAH 0.91 billion.
On the secondary housing market, 413 deals were concluded for UAH 0.83 billion, compared to 309 in November for UAH 0.61 billion.
The weighted average effective rate in the primary housing market in December 2025 decreased to 8.11% per annum (8.14% in November), and in the secondary market to 8.66% (9.42%).
Survey data show that in December 2025, most loans were issued in Kyiv and the Kyiv region – 538 for UAH 1.18 billion (60.1% of the total volume), followed by Lviv region – 47 loans worth UAH 103 million, Odesa region – 40 loans worth UAH 78 million, and Volyn region – 38 loans worth UAH 69 million.
As reported, partner banks of the state affordable mortgage program “єОселя” issued a total of 7,769 loans worth almost UAH 15 billion in 2025, including 4,881 loans for “first sale” housing, including 1,499 apartments in buildings under construction.
Today, February 25, the Oscar cinema in the Gulliver shopping center in Kyiv will host the premiere of a new film directed by Jim Jarmusch, Father Mother Sister Brother, before the wide release, the press service reports.
The film is the winner of the main award of the Venice Film Festival – the Golden Lion.
The film stars Tom Waits, Adam Driver, Mayim Bialik, Charlotte Rampling, Cate Blanchett, Vicky Crips, India Moore, and Luca Sabbat.
Jim Jarmusch is one of the leading directors of American independent cinema, known, among other things, for his films Only Lovers Survive and Coffee and Cigarettes.
The pre-premiere screening in Kyiv will allow the audience to see the film before its official release in Ukraine.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/culture/1147265.html
