Ukrainians in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) were set to lose their Employment Authorization Documents (EADs) as of July 22, but a Massachusetts court temporarily suspended that decision the day before, according to Valeriy Chaly, chairman of the board of the Ukrainian Cultural and Media Center (UKMC), who served as Ukraine’s ambassador to the U.S. from 2015 to 2019.
“On July 22, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians with TPS status were set to lose their jobs in the U.S. Because initially there was one regulation, and then the president’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill Act’ (IBBBA) was introduced, and it shortened the validity period of the work permit—the so-called EAD—to July 22… In just one state, the matter went to court, and that court has so far temporarily suspended the decision,” Chalyi described the situation during a discussion organized by NV dedicated to lobbying and promoting Ukraine’s interests in the U.S.
The diplomat noted with regret that the new wave of Ukrainian refugees in the U.S. has so far been unable to unite and organize to defend themselves, and many advocacy organizations dealing with issues of American political and military support have also failed to provide assistance to Ukrainians.
“The situation for these Ukrainians in America is very difficult right now. But our government isn’t doing anything about it—not at all,” Chalyi noted, although, in his opinion, the vast majority of these Ukrainians will not return to Ukraine anyway.
He told the “Interfax-Ukraine” news agency that the current TPS term for Ukrainians expires on October 19 of this year, and if it is not extended and a person does not have any other legal status, they will have to leave the U.S. According to Chaly, the decision to extend this status must be made no later than 60 days before its expiration, that is, by mid-August.
According to information on specialized websites, on July 21, the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts, in the case of Venezuelan Association of Massachusetts v. USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), issued an emergency injunction preventing the termination of EADs for TPS beneficiaries—including Ukrainians—effective July 22. A final decision on this matter is expected no later than August 5, 2026.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) may extend TPS status for Ukrainians for 12 or 18 months; if DHS does not issue a decision by August 20 of this year, the status will be automatically extended for another 6 months.
According to the nonprofit organization Nova Ukraine, the cost of the initial TPS application is $510, while a TPS-based EAD costs $1,030, and the reduced fee under certain conditions is $560.
Current estimates indicate that more than 100,000 Ukrainians hold TPS status in the U.S.
As previously reported, the EU recently decided to extend temporary protection for Ukrainians for another year—until March 4, 2028—but to impose restrictions on granting it to those subject to military service.
From July 13 to 19, JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” (UZ) transported 647,100 passengers, and the most popular train last week was the Kyiv–Przemyśl route, which carried 13,800 people, according to a company announcement on its Telegram channel.
According to the published data, the average number of passengers per car during the reporting period was 378.
Meanwhile, the number of passengers in children’s groups that week totaled 21,600.
“The most popular destination is the Carpathians. The vast majority of children traveled to Tatariv, Vorokhta, and Yasinya. Ensuring seats for organized groups of children is a priority, so when tickets are issued for these trips, they are the first to receive them,” Ukrzaliznytsia emphasized.
It is noted that the number of military personnel transported via the special reserve from July 13 to 19 was 3,600.
According to data provided by Ukrzaliznytsia, from July 13 to 19, the highest demand was observed on the Kyiv–Lviv route, where 173,200 requests were recorded and 32,700 passengers were transported.
On the Kyiv–Odesa route, the figures were 107,900 and 23,500 passengers, respectively; on the Kyiv–Przemyśl route, 76,600 and 14,700; on the Kyiv–Kharkiv route, 66,900, with 20,200 passengers transported; and on the Kyiv–Dnipro route—57,100 and 15,600, respectively
Ukrzaliznytsia clarified that there were five passengers vying for each seat on the Kyiv–Lviv, Kyiv–Odesa, and Kyiv–Przemyśl routes; four on the Kyiv–Dnipro route; and three on the Kyiv–Kharkiv route.
Among other things, the company evacuated 243 people from the Donetsk and Dnipropetrovsk regions that week and operated trains for representatives of 15 diplomatic delegations.
In early June, Ukrzaliznytsia told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency that this year’s summer passenger travel season would be more challenging than last year’s due to rising demand and a reduction in the number of railcars.
The median price of apartments in Ukraine rose by 3% between January and June 2026—to $61,000—with Uzhhorod nearly catching up to the capital in terms of housing prices, according to an OLX study.
According to the platform’s analytical center, the apartment market in Ukraine showed moderate growth in the first half of 2026. The number of listings increased by 4%, and the average number of responses per listing rose by 3%; the median price of apartments in dollars increased by 3% and stood at $61,090 as of June.
The most significant increase in the price of one-bedroom apartments on the secondary market was recorded in Vinnytsia (+11%), Khmelnytskyi (+9%), as well as Chernivtsi and Zaporizhzhia (both +7%). Price declines were observed in Kherson (-13%), Rivne (-4%), and Kyiv (-3%).
Kyiv has so far managed to retain first place in terms of real estate prices ($75,040 median price for a one-bedroom apartment), followed by Uzhhorod ($74,749) in second place and Lviv ($73,805) in third. The lowest prices were in Kherson ($13,235), Zaporizhzhia ($15,935), and Mykolaiv ($20,217).
In Ukraine’s largest cities, the trend in one-bedroom apartment prices varied by district. The most consistent price growth was observed in Odesa, where apartment prices rose by 2–4% across all districts. The most expensive apartments were in the Primorsky District ($65,449), while the most affordable were in the Peresypsky District ($32,388).
In Kharkiv, the largest increases were recorded in the Industrial (+15%, to $23,678), Slobidskyi (+13%, to $24,363), and Osnovyanskyi (+11%, to $34,403) districts.
In Lviv, most districts also saw an increase in housing prices, with the most significant increases occurring in the Zaliznychny (+12%, to $72,874) and Frankivskyi (+9%, to $75,320) districts.
At the same time, prices in Kyiv mostly remained stable or declined, with the sharpest drop in the Dniprovskyi district (-10%). Pecherskyi remains the most expensive ($163,134), while Desnianskyi is the most affordable ($44,859).
The trend in Dnipro was the most mixed: depending on the district, price changes ranged from +17% in the Soborny district ($43,926) to -22% in the Shevchenkivskyi district ($31,998).
Bulgarian authorities are considering changing the methodology for determining the taxable value of real estate, which could lead to an increase in annual property taxes and transaction costs when buying or selling real estate.
The changes may be included in the 2027 state budget, said Bulgarian MP Yavor Gechev. The legislative framework for implementing the new system is scheduled to be drafted in October–November 2026, after which a special working group will determine the new valuation coefficients. A final decision has not yet been made.
When calculating the taxable value, it is proposed to take into account more accurately the property’s location, type, and technical condition, the year of construction, as well as actual prices on the real estate market. The current methodology has not been revised for many years, so the tax assessment of many apartments and houses is significantly lower than their market value.
According to tax consultant Mykola Ivanchev, a reasonable increase in the tax value could be 20–30%. At the same time, he recommends limiting the increase to 20% to avoid placing an excessive burden on property owners, especially retirees and low-income citizens.
As an example, the expert cited an apartment or house in Sofia with a market value of 150,000–200,000 euros, whose tax assessment is approximately 50,000 euros. At the municipal rate of 2 per mille, the owner currently pays about 100 euros per year. After a 20–30% increase in the assessment, the payment could rise to approximately 120–130 euros.
The reform will affect more than just owners’ annual payments. The tax assessment is used to calculate a portion of local taxes, notary fees, and other costs associated with the purchase or sale of real estate. Therefore, an increase in the assessment will make transactions somewhat more expensive even if municipal rates remain unchanged.
Legal experts suggest that rising costs associated with purchasing and maintaining housing could affect demand. Properties that previously attracted buyers with low taxes and operating costs may become less appealing if mandatory payments increase significantly.
Authorities have long delayed revising the methodology due to the high proportion of homeowners. According to estimates by participants in the discussion, over 90% of Bulgaria’s residents own real estate, so a tax increase could trigger significant public and political backlash.
At the same time, the idea of a higher tax on second and subsequent apartments is being discussed. However, experts consider this difficult to administer: about 8–9% of the population owns multiple properties, and the additional costs for municipalities may prove to be comparable to the expected revenue.
Thus, Bulgaria has not yet made a decision to raise the property tax. At this stage, discussions are focused on updating the tax assessment of properties, with the possible implementation of a new methodology starting in 2027. The actual amount of payments will depend on the approved coefficients and rates set by each municipality.
In response to the recent fines imposed by the European Union on the American tech companies Apple, Google, and Amazon, U.S. President Donald Trump called the move “discrimination” and promised additional investigations and tariffs.
“The European Union is at it again and, as always, has targeted major American companies directly! After fining Apple $15 billion, Meta $3 billion, Amazon $2.5 billion, and many others for no reason at all, we have just been informed that Google—a truly cutting-edge and amazing company—has been fined another $1 billion without any explanation,” he wrote on the social media platform Truth Social.
Trump emphasized that the total amount of fines imposed on Google exceeded $18 billion.
“This illegal and highly discriminatory practice began at such high levels during the first year of Joe Biden’s administration, but it will not continue under a Trump administration,” he stressed.
Trump noted that the U.S. “will immediately launch a Section 301 investigation into the practice of ‘robbing’ American companies and, as a result, American taxpayers.”
The U.S. president promised a “very high price” for the European Union for “this illegal and highly unethical behavior.”
“The fines will be completely rescinded, and we expect a substantial tariff to be imposed on them as soon as possible,” Trump promised.
As reported, the European Commission (EC) announced on Thursday its decision to impose a fine of 890 million euros on Google for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Source: https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/116976043318889040
If you are creating your own application and registering a corporate developer account in the Apple App Store or Google Play, you will most likely be required to provide a D-U-N-S Number when completing the documentation. For many Ukrainian technology companies, this requirement comes as a surprise at the final stage of launching a product.
A D-U-N-S Number, also known as a DUNS number, is a unique nine-digit identifier of a legal entity in the international Dun & Bradstreet system. It allows digital platforms, banks, investors and foreign partners to compare information about a company and verify that it is genuinely registered, has a confirmed address and a defined legal status.
Apple requires a D-U-N-S Number when registering a company or another organisation in the Apple Developer Program. The corporation uses it to verify the applicant’s legal name, address and status.
The company must be an independent legal entity capable of entering into agreements with Apple. A trademark, project name, branch or conventional commercial name is not suitable for such registration. It is the official name of the legal entity that will be displayed in the App Store as the seller of the application.
In addition to a D-U-N-S Number, the organisation will need:
If the application is registered by an individual or an independent developer, Apple does not require a D-U-N-S Number. However, in this case, the developer’s personal name, rather than the name of the company or brand, will be indicated in the App Store as the seller.
Google also requires a D-U-N-S Number when creating a developer account on behalf of an organisation. The number is used to verify the company together with the Google payment profile data, official registration documents and the identity document of the authorised representative.
An organisational account is recommended for companies that release commercial products. For financial applications, cryptocurrency wallets, healthcare services, VPN applications and government digital products, Google explicitly requires registration on behalf of an organisation.
During registration, the data in Google Payments, the developer profile and the Dun & Bradstreet database must match. Differences in the spelling of the company name, address, postal code or legal form may result in additional verification or a delay in activating the account.
A D-U-N-S Number is not a licence, quality certificate or guarantee that an application will be approved. Apple and Google independently verify the software product, compliance with platform rules, security and developer information.
However, obtaining the number creates an international company profile that can be used far beyond the App Store and Google Play. Foreign corporations use D-U-N-S when registering suppliers, checking counterparties, granting commercial credit and organising international procurement. The identifier may also be required during negotiations with investors, banks, distributors and major customers.
“A D-U-N-S Number gives a company the opportunity to be recognisable in the international environment and reduces the barrier of first contact,” said Maksym Urakin, Director for Development and Marketing at Interfax-Ukraine and Head of the D&B-Interfax-Ukraine business unit.
According to him, it is particularly important for Ukrainian IT companies to create a verifiable digital profile in advance. A developer may have a high-quality product and a strong team, but for an American platform, it is initially an unknown legal entity whose data must be verified.
A D-U-N-S Number helps link the application not only to the account of a specific programmer, but also to an officially registered Ukrainian company. This is important for further scaling, attracting investment, selling corporate subscriptions and entering the markets of the United States, the EU, the Middle East and Asia.
Before submitting an application, the company should prepare the official name of the legal entity in Ukrainian and English, its registered address, contact telephone number, information about the manager, legal form, registration date and information on the number of employees.
Before applying for a new number, it is necessary to check whether a D-U-N-S Number has already been assigned to the company. If the number exists but the profile contains outdated information, it is better to update the data rather than create a new record.
Particular attention should be paid to the English spelling of the company name and address. This information must be displayed identically in D&B, registration documents, Apple Developer, Google Payments and on the corporate website.
Obtaining the number does not always happen instantly. Apple recommends allowing up to five business days for the assignment of a D-U-N-S Number through its associated process and up to two additional days for the updated data to be transferred to its system. In other cases, international processing of the application may take several weeks, so it is better to begin the procedure before the planned publication of the application.
The official representative of Dun & Bradstreet in the Ukrainian market is the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. Its specialised D&B-Interfax-Ukraine unit helps companies obtain a D-U-N-S Number and work with the international business data database.
Specialists can help check whether a number has already been assigned, prepare information about the legal entity, submit an application and eliminate discrepancies in the corporate profile. At the same time, the final decision on registering a developer account is made directly by Apple or Google.
For information on obtaining a D-U-N-S Number, companies may contact the specialised D&B resource at dnb.ua or call +38 (044) 270-65-74.
For Ukrainian developers, a D-U-N-S Number is becoming a practical element of entering the international digital market. The sooner a company brings its legal documents, website, corporate email and international business profile into alignment, the lower the risk of delays when launching an application in the App Store or Google Play.
