Romania has signed a package of contracts worth EUR5.7 billion with the German defence firm Rheinmetall for the supply of combat vehicles, air defence systems, ammunition and ships, the company has announced.
Rheinmetall describes it as the largest international order in its recent history.
The package includes 298 Lynx combat vehicles, Skyranger air defence systems, medium-calibre ammunition, ammunition components, as well as four vessels – two offshore patrol vessels and two vessels for diving operations. Deliveries are set to begin in 2028 and be completed in 2030.
The deal is of not only military but also industrial significance for Romania. Rheinmetall plans to significantly expand its capacity in the country and invest several hundred million euros. Over 50% of production is to be carried out in Romania or in cooperation with local companies, and the supply chain is set to include more than 200 subcontractors.
According to Rheinmetall CEO Armin Papperger, the company, together with its Romanian partners, intends to create a “broad defence ecosystem” in the country. Mihai Iurca, the Romanian representative for the SAFE programme, noted that the contract should not only modernise Romania’s defence capabilities but also serve as a step towards reviving the national defence industry.
The new deal forms part of a broader process to strengthen Romania’s defence industry on NATO’s eastern flank. Earlier, Romania and Rheinmetall agreed to build a EUR535 million gunpowder production plant in the town of Victoria in Brașov County. Construction is set to begin in 2026, take around three years and create approximately 700 jobs.
For the region, this is one of the largest defence industry projects in recent years. Romania is strengthening its role as a military and industrial hub for NATO on the Black Sea, whilst Rheinmetall is establishing itself as one of the main suppliers of equipment, ammunition and air defence systems to Eastern European countries.
According to the Interfax-Ukraine Culture project, the biographical documentary “Kuzma: Terribly Funny,” dedicated to Andriy Kuzmenko, the leader of the band “Skryabin,” will be released in Ukrainian theaters on August 13.
As the film’s creators told the agency, the film is based on archival materials, most of which have never been published before. The project was produced by KNIFE! Films, known for the films “Yaremchuk: The Incomparable World of Beauty,” “Okean Elzy: Storm Watch,” and “EPISODES: Ukraine at the World Cup.”
“We wanted the viewer to spend this time with Kuzma himself—to see him as he really was,” said the film’s producer, Maksym Serdyuk.
The film was directed by Artem Grigoryan. The film tells the story of Andriy Kuzmenko’s life journey—from a young man from Novoyavorivsk to one of the most influential figures in Ukrainian pop culture.
According to the creators, over 400 hours of video and audio material, as well as more than 22,000 photographs, were processed during the project.
In turn, director Artem Grigoryan emphasized that the team sought to portray the musician beyond established stereotypes and reveal little-known aspects of his life.
In parallel with the Ukrainian release, the film will be screened in 20 countries worldwide. B&H Film Distribution is the film’s distributor in Ukraine. The film’s genre is biographical documentary.
As previously reported, musician, TV host, and leader of the band “Skryabin” Andriy Kuzmenko died on February 2, 2015, in a traffic accident near Kryvyi Rih. He was 46 years old. The band “Skryabin,” which he founded, became one of the symbols of Ukrainian popular music in the 1990s and 2000s, and his work and statements remain popular among Ukrainians to this day.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/culture/1173343.html
The Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry invites Ukrainian companies to participate in the practical workshop “Capacity Building Workshop on the Ethical Impact Assessment of AI”, which will take place on June 11, 2026, in Kyiv.
Artificial intelligence is becoming one of the key tools for business transformation today. AI solutions help companies optimize internal processes, analyze data faster, increase the efficiency of communications, improve customer service, automate routine tasks, and open up new opportunities for development.
At the same time, the use of artificial intelligence requires not only technical understanding, but also a responsible approach to issues of security, data protection, transparency, non-discrimination, risk management, and compliance with legal requirements.
These are the topics that the practical workshop at the Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry will be dedicated to. The event aims to demonstrate the multifaceted nature of AI — from the practical implementation of artificial intelligence-based solutions in business processes to understanding ethical standards, regulatory approaches, and how these issues are gradually being formed and implemented in Ukraine.
The purpose of the workshop is practical training for real businesses. Participants will be able to obtain specific tools for the responsible use of artificial intelligence in their activities, assess the potential risks of applying AI, and understand how to minimize these risks without losing the efficiency of business processes.
During the event, the Ethical Impact Assessment tool — an assessment of the ethical impact of AI — will be presented. It helps companies analyze the impact of AI solutions, identify possible risks, and make more balanced management decisions regarding the use of new technologies.
Representatives of business, entrepreneurs, business associations, non-governmental organizations, as well as companies that already use or are only planning to implement artificial intelligence-based solutions are invited to participate.
Among the announced speakers and participants in the discussion are representatives of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, as well as leading technology companies and partners that have practical experience in implementing AI solutions, including Google, Microsoft, and other representatives of the business and expert community.
Date: June 11, 2026
Time: 09:30 — 15:30
Venue: Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Kyiv, 10 Stritenska St.
Format: offline
Participation: by prior registration
Registration is available at the following link:
https://forms.gle/GVRYw9nTxC51LZFh6
For organizational matters, please contact:
Valeriia Zabashta
zva-zed@ucci.org.ua
+380 50 366 49 97
Valeriia Malevanets
vvm-ier@ucci.org.ua
+38 050 591 25 70
The Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce and Industry invites Ukrainian companies to join a practical discussion on how artificial intelligence can become a tool for business development, increasing efficiency, and responsible digital transformation.
The private agricultural enterprise (PAE) “Agroprodservice” (village of Nastasiv, Ternopil district) has begun construction of a feed mill with a capacity of 400,000 tons of feed per year in the “Western Ukrainian Industrial Hub” industrial park (village of Ostrov, Ternopil region) with an investment of 1.5 billion UAH, reported Dmytro Kysilevsky, deputy chairman of the parliamentary committee on economic development (Servant of the People faction).
“… construction of a new feed mill with an elevator complex has begun. The facility, with a production capacity of 400,000 tons of compound feed per year, is scheduled to begin operations in 2027. Land preparation work is currently underway at the site,” the deputy wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
Kisilevsky noted that the new feed mill with an elevator complex will occupy an area of 5 hectares, and this land is part of a new plot that was incorporated into the industrial park after it ran out of available space. In December 2025, the “Western Ukrainian Industrial Hub” expanded its area from 10.6 hectares to 55 hectares. The old plot is fully developed with industrial facilities covering 71,000 square meters.
According to the deputy head of the committee, to import equipment, “Agroprodservice” plans to take advantage of the zero duty and VAT rates on production equipment provided by law for industrial park participants.
In addition, the “Western Ukrainian Industrial Hub” is preparing an application for state co-financing of industrial park infrastructure development. To meet the needs of the new plant, the company plans to secure funding to connect 10 MW of additional electrical capacity, Kysilevsky reported.
ChAP “Agroprodservice,” established in 1999, is a diversified agricultural holding operating in the Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk regions. It cultivates approximately 45,000–50,000 hectares of land and owns grain storage facilities with a capacity of 200,000 tons, as well as seed and feed mills. The holding is among the top five largest pork producers in Ukraine (60,000 head) and also maintains a herd of 16,000 head of cattle and 600,000 head of poultry.
In 2025, the agricultural holding invested UAH 45 million in the launch of the “Babushka Marusya” food products plant at the “Western Ukrainian Industrial Hub” industrial park. The enterprise specializes in the production of canned vegetables, pickles, and semi-finished products, with a design capacity of 650 tons of products per year. Additionally, the “Nasha Ptitsa” (chicken processing) and “Ternopil Meat Processing Plant” divisions operate within the hub.
According to data from YouControl, the ultimate beneficiaries of Agroservice are Tetyana Chaikivska (70%) and Andriy Baran (30%). Until 2020, the business was owned by the company’s founder; it is now owned by Ivan Chaikivsky, secretary of the Verkhovna Rada’s Agrarian Committee.
In 2025, the company increased its net profit by 9.3% to UAH 1.60998 billion, with revenue growing by 23.9% to UAH 5.27487 billion.
A new project, LemoCard, has entered the crypto-financial services market, offering users a multi-card service for payments using cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies, the project’s organizers told Open4Business.
The project was created by Swiss and Canadian companies as an alternative to traditional banking amid the implementation of new European MiCA regulations for the crypto market.
The service allows users to top up their balance with cryptocurrency, after which the funds are automatically converted into fiat currency for payments. Thus, customers can use digital assets for everyday payments, paying in retail chains with regular euros or hryvnias.
The platform operates 24/7. It also offers round-the-clock customer support in five languages.
You can set up a virtual account in just a few minutes via Telegram, the official web version of the service, or the mobile apps for iOS and Android.
To fully use the wallet, users must complete the standard KYC identity verification process. This is a mandatory step for financial services that handle payment cards and cryptocurrency transactions.
Currently, the service offers two Mastercard cards in euros. LemoCard also supports direct SEPA transfers between European accounts within the system. The developers plan to add Visa cards in US dollars in the near future.
One of the service’s drawbacks is the 2.5% fee for topping up the card with cryptocurrency converted to euros. The project claims that competitors often offset lower fees with hidden charges.
LemoCard is compatible with Apple Pay and Google Pay, allowing users to make contactless payments with the cards. Additionally, users can request a physical card to be mailed to them.
The service also features an affiliate program with a two-tier reward system. Users can earn 0.25% of the financial turnover generated by their referrals and the users they invite.
The launch of LemoCard demonstrates that the market for crypto cards and crypto financial services continues to evolve, despite increased regulation in Europe. For users, such products provide a way to link cryptocurrency assets to the familiar payment infrastructure of Mastercard and Visa.
Uzbekistan plans to implement a number of large-scale infrastructure projects in the fields of road and air transport, aimed at improving regional connectivity, developing logistics, and increasing the country’s transit potential.
One of the key projects will be the construction of the alternative “Tashkent–Samarkand” highway. The new 282-km road will pass through the Tashkent, Sirdarya, Jizzakh, and Samarkand regions. This first-class highway, featuring a concrete pavement and six lanes, will allow speeds of up to 150 km/h.
The project includes the construction of 12 interchanges, 91 bridges, 16 overpasses, 60 underpasses, and over 250 drainage structures. There are also plans to implement an intelligent transportation system, build terminals, roadside service facilities, and weigh stations. The goal is to accelerate negotiations with potential investors and begin construction as soon as possible.
At the same time, the modernization of aviation infrastructure is underway. Currently, seven international airports are being reconstructed, and in recent years, new airports have opened in Muynak, Kokand, Zama, Shakhrisabz, Saryasi, and Soh districts. The total number of airports in Uzbekistan has reached 18.
Particular attention is being paid to the development of the Navoi International Airport as a major logistics hub. By 2030, the number of flights here is planned to increase 2.3-fold—to 7,000 per year. Passenger traffic is expected to reach 150,000 people, and cargo traffic—45,000 tons annually. A “free port” economic zone is also planned on the airport grounds, focused on providing technical and commercial services to aircraft.
The project to build the “New Tashkent” International Airport has also been reviewed. The new aviation complex will be able to serve up to 20 million passengers per year. The project involves the construction of a terminal with an area of over 208,000 square meters, the construction of two runways, each four kilometers long, and the creation of 169 aircraft parking bays. Preparatory work and negotiations with design and contracting organizations are currently underway.
Another priority will be the development of a system to supply civil aviation with jet fuel. By 2030, jet fuel production is planned to reach 600,000 tons per year, and storage capacity is to be increased from 49,000 to 80,000 tons. New fuel complexes will be built at the airports in Navoi, Andijan, Bukhara, Urgench, and New Tashkent.
A phased transition to international standards for aircraft storage and refueling is also planned, along with the full digitization of fuel complex management and stricter monitoring of compliance with technical requirements.
