JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” increased its net loss by 17.3% in January-March 2026 compared to the same period in 2025—to 7.9 billion UAH—as a result of constant enemy shelling and rising energy costs, according to a company statement on Facebook on Monday.
“The first quarter of 2026 was a difficult test for Ukrzaliznytsia. The enemy carried out 541 strikes on railway infrastructure and rolling stock—that is half the number of all attacks in 2025,” Ukrzaliznytsia reported.
The company specified that 1,700 railway facilities were damaged as a result of enemy attacks, and 28 railway workers were injured while performing their duties.
According to Ukrzaliznytsia’s consolidated interim financial report, net revenue increased by 2.2% to 21.8 billion UAH, while gross losses rose by 35.9% to 7.2 billion UAH.
The operating loss for the first quarter of 2026 also rose by 16.5% to 6.6 billion UAH.
In addition, due to abnormal cold weather, freight volumes for January–March 2026 decreased by 6.4% compared to last year—to 34.8 million tons of cargo, the report states.
It is noted that long-distance passenger traffic decreased by 10% compared to the same period in 2025, down to 5.8 million passengers. The company attributed this to enemy attacks on passenger trains and railway infrastructure.
“Because of this, railway workers were forced to temporarily reduce or change train routes. The situation was further complicated by rising fuel prices amid the conflict in the Middle East and general market instability,” the statement said.
It is noted that in March of this year, the purchase price of diesel fuel rose by nearly 50%, and the increase in electricity prices resulted in additional costs of 2.58 billion hryvnias.
“Ukrzaliznytsia is forced to optimize development and restoration costs as much as possible to ensure uninterrupted service under difficult conditions, although it requires additional resources for repairs,” the company added.
At the same time, Ukrzaliznytsia stated that it is exceeding its operational efficiency improvement program by more than 10.2 billion UAH, specifically by leasing space through Prozorro, transferring non-core assets, and other measures.
The Kernel agricultural holding, one of the largest in Ukraine, has increased the size of its land bank by 48% over the past year—to 530,000 hectares—following the acquisition of Enselco Holding Limited (approximately 190,000 hectares) and the sale of a portion of assets comprising leased land in the Kharkiv region (approximately 14,000 hectares) to Agroton Public Limited.
“As a result of the completion of both transactions, the total area of leased agricultural land under the Group’s management reached 530,000 hectares, which is 48% more than in the previous year, further strengthening the Group’s position as the largest agricultural producer in Ukraine,” – according to the consolidated financial report for the third quarter of fiscal year 2026 (FY, January–March 2026).
The document notes that “Kernel” has completed the 2026 planting campaign across the entire area of its expanded land bank.
“Unfavorable weather conditions in late winter and early spring forced the replanting of part of the acreage under winter crops. Following these adjustments, corn remains the primary crop, accounting for 48% of the planted area (255,000 ha compared to 172,000 ha last year), which has generally remained unchanged compared to the 2025 crop structure,” the report states.
The group also expanded the areas planted with sunflowers (to 88,000 ha from 46,000 ha) and rapeseed (to 43,000 ha from 3,000 ha), increasing their shares to 17% and 8%, respectively, compared to 13% and 1% in the previous planting season. The area under wheat in absolute terms increased from 94,000 ha to 106,000 ha, while its share in the crop mix decreased from 26% to 20%.
The area under soybeans decreased significantly—from 24,000 ha to 9,000 ha—and currently accounts for only 2% of the total planted area.
As reported, in April 2026, Kernel signed an agreement to acquire Enselco Holding Limited for $348 million. The company comprises an integrated agribusiness with a land bank of approximately 190,000 hectares, a network of grain storage facilities, agricultural machinery, and a rail fleet for grain transportation.
According to the report, an agreement to sell approximately 14,000 hectares of leased land in the Kharkiv region, along with agricultural machinery and a grain storage facility, was signed on May 22.
Kernel Agri-Holding is the world’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, Ukraine’s largest grain exporter, an operator of an extensive network of logistics assets, and a leading producer of grain and oilseeds in Ukraine. It is one of the largest producers and sellers of bottled oil in Ukraine. It is engaged in the cultivation and sale of agricultural products.
According to the results for the first nine months of 2026, Kernel reduced its net profit by 5% to $208 million, while its revenue increased by 0.4% to $3.092 billion, and EBITDA by 1% to $403 million.
The M.M. Amosov National Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery of the National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine (NAMSU), with the assistance of the Ukrainian Embassy in Italy, has received five ventilators.
As reported by the embassy on its Facebook page, the equipment will enhance the medical facility’s ability to provide care to patients and ensure the continuous work of doctors under the difficult conditions of wartime.
The project was implemented with the support of the Ukrainian association “Malva” in Verona.
State Aviation Enterprise (SAE) “Ukraine” (Boryspil, Kyiv Oblast) announced on May 18 its intention to enter into a contract with PJSC “Ukrainian Fire and Insurance Company” for civil aviation risk insurance.
According to the Prozorro electronic public procurement system, the total expected cost of the services is 37.669 million UAH, while the bid submitted by the company—the sole tender participant—is 37.345 million UAH.
UPSK PJSC was registered in 1993. It specializes, in particular, in motor vehicle insurance, financial risk insurance, travel insurance, property insurance, cargo insurance, and baggage insurance. According to the company, Alexander Mikhailov owns 99.999% of the insurer’s shares. According to the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), the company ranks 16th among Ukraine’s non-life insurers in terms of premiums collected in 2025.
The Supervisory Board of PJSC “Insurance Company ”PZU Ukraine” (Kyiv), in connection with the need to expand its regional network, has decided to establish a customer service center and a regional office in Bila Tserkva, the company reported in the NSSMC’s information disclosure system.
Also, pursuant to the Supervisory Board’s decision of May 29, Regional Office No. 5 for corporate sales will be established in Lviv and Regional Office No. 4 for corporate sales in Dnipro.
At the same time, due to the need to optimize the structure and reduce administrative expenses, the supervisory board decided to close the customer service center in Zviahel and the regional office in Zhytomyr.
PZU Ukraine Insurance Company is backed by one of the largest insurance groups in Central and Eastern Europe—the PZU Group, which includes the parent company of PZU Ukraine Insurance Company—PZU S.A. According to the National Bank, PZU Ukraine ranks 10th in terms of premiums collected for 2025 among non-life insurers in Ukraine (47 companies).
In 2025, Spain granted citizenship to a record number of foreign residents—299,732 people—which is 18.7% more than the previous year. This was the highest figure since 2013, when the INE began compiling these statistics. In 2024, 252,476 foreigners received Spanish citizenship; in 2023, 240,208; and in 2022, 181,581.
The largest group of new Spanish citizens in 2025 were immigrants from Morocco—42,114 people. They were followed by citizens of Colombia—37,712, Venezuela—36,271, Honduras—20,745, Peru—15,920, Cuba—14,390, Ecuador—13,689, Argentina—11,291, the Dominican Republic—9,915, and Nicaragua—8,951
Thus, nine out of the ten largest groups of new Spanish citizens came from countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. This reflects the specifics of Spanish legislation: for citizens of Ibero-American countries, as well as certain other categories, the residency requirement for applying for citizenship can be significantly shorter than the standard 10-year period.
In terms of the method of obtaining citizenship, the majority of cases involved naturalization through residency—253,836. Another 45,715 people obtained citizenship through an option applicable, in particular, to individuals who were under the parental authority of a Spanish citizen, or to those whose father or mother was Spanish and was born in Spain.
Women accounted for 55.4% of Spain’s new citizens, while men accounted for 44.6%. The largest age group was people aged 30 to 39, followed by those aged 40 to 49.
Regionally, the highest number of new citizens was registered in Catalonia—70,933—and the Community of Madrid—69,566. Together, these two regions accounted for 46.9% of all cases of Spanish citizenship acquisition in 2025. They were followed by the Valencian Community—32,388, Andalusia—27,538, the Basque Country—14,230—and the Canary Islands—13,366
Ukrainian citizens were also included in Spain’s naturalization statistics but do not belong to the largest groups of new citizens. According to a detailed INE table, 2,588 Ukrainian citizens obtained Spanish citizenship in 2024.
In 2023, there were 2,693 such cases, in 2022 – 3,206, in 2021 – 2,167, and in 2020 – 2,254.
The Ukrainian presence in Spain remains significant. According to data from Spain’s Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security, and Migration, as of December 31, 2025, there were 338,576 Ukrainian citizens in the country with valid residence permits. By March 31, 2026, that number had risen to 345,995 people.
The growth in the number of new Spanish citizens is occurring against the backdrop of an increase in the country’s foreign population and Madrid’s active migration policy. Spain remains one of the key destinations for migrants from Latin America, North Africa, and Eastern Europe, as well as one of the EU’s most popular markets for relocation, labor migration, and real estate purchases.
These statistics are important for the real estate market, as naturalization and long-term residency boost domestic demand for housing. Unlike traditional foreign investors, new citizens and long-term residents are more likely to purchase real estate not only for investment or vacation purposes, but also for permanent residence, work, family integration, and their children’s education.
For Ukrainians, Spain also remains a notable destination for residence, although the mass naturalization of Ukrainian citizens has not yet reached the scale seen among Latin American and Moroccan groups.
