For the second month in our country there is a war. Millions of Ukrainians have become refugees, and the country’s largest cities have become a zone of active hostilities. In this situation, many families have been separated, people often lose contact with their closest relatives.
A team of journalists and media workers put forward an initiative to create a project to search for missing people “Find loved ones”.
We ask citizens whose relatives do not get in touch to send us all the information they have. We recommend using the following form:
1. Full name of the missing person;
2. Your contact details;
3. Photo of the missing person, description of special features;
4. Approximate place of the last stay of the missing person.
The project is non-commercial, all your appeals will be edited and published free of charge in the media.
We invite colleagues from the media to join the initiative!
The project coordinator is Maksim Urakin, deputy head of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency and publisher of the Open4Business project.
Please send information about the missing to e-mail maksim.urakin@gmail.com
The head of the Ukrainian delegation at the talks with the Russian Federation, David Arakhamia, considers the role of the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in this process to be positive, since he initially acted as an “unofficial channel of communication.”
“In fact, to be honest, he plays a very positive role. But I don’t understand why he began to play a public role. Because from the very beginning he had such a role that in negotiations it is called back channel, that is, an additional communication channel, unofficial , which helps to say some complex things in normal human language, and not in diplomatic – what they cannot say officially. Then, thanks to the international press, this hidden channel became known to the whole world in fact. As far as I understand the position, it is no longer hidden and is no longer a back channel, but is another face in the negotiations,” he said in an interview on the air of the national telethon.
Arakhamia believes that Abramovich is trying to position himself as a neutral party in the negotiation process.
“Although we do not perceive it as a neutral side. But, we can say that it is, of course, more neutral than the official side of the negotiations,” the head of the Ukrainian delegation added.
Two citizens of Ukraine were killed in a terrorist attack in the Israeli city of Bnei Brak on March 29, Spokesman for the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Oleh Nikolenko has said.
“Ukrainians lived in Israel for a long time, both residents of Chernivtsi region. The Embassy of Ukraine is currently taking measures to inform the relatives of the victims and provide them with consular assistance, and also interacting with the police as part of the investigation of the terrorist attack,” Nikolenko told Interfax-Ukraine on Wednesday.
The current surplus of nitrogen fertilizers in the Ukrainian market reaches about 200,000 tons, which indicates that the Ukrainian agro-industrial complex is fully supplied with them for the spring sowing campaign, Oleg Arestarkhov, head of corporate communications at Group DF, said in a comment to the Interfax-Ukraine agency.
“The issue with nitrogen fertilizers for Ukraine is completely closed. According to our estimates, as of March 30, their current surplus reaches about 200 thousand tons. There are significant reserves of fertilizers, and Ostchem continues to process all solvent requests from farmers and ship products without any problems,” Arestarkhov emphasized. .
According to him, the company closes the current demand for nitrogen fertilizers within the country.
“The only thing is that in some regions there are logistical problems with delivery due to hostilities,” said a representative of Group DF.
At the same time, he noted that supply chains are constantly being restored. “We are doing everything possible to completely update the logistics. Ukrzaliznytsia is helping us a lot, our logistics company (Nika Trans Logistics, part of Group DF – IF) is working, which delivers fertilizers, our Ukragro NPK warehouses are working,” he said. Arestarkhov.
He added that domestic Ukrainian consumers were and remain a priority, 95% of all fertilizers produced by Ostchem are shipped to the domestic market.
Commenting on the issue of exports, Arestarkhov noted that the government’s permission to export fertilizers in the amount of 70,000 tons per month will in no way affect the security of Ukrainian farmers on the part of the Ostchem holding. The head of corporate communications said that the export of fertilizers by the Black Sea is now impossible due to risks. “Road and rail transport will be the main ones, it is safer, although more expensive,” he said.
According to him, all Ukrainian companies, who wanted to, have already bought fertilizers. “We have not refused anyone. And now we are not refusing anyone. The strongest demand is for saltpeter and UAN. The volumes that we promised to ship to end consumers and contracted, we have shipped and are shipping. You see, now is a very responsible period for the country, and we are clearly aware that this is not just the fulfillment of the agreements concluded by Ostchem, this is a matter of Ukraine’s national food security,” summed up the representative of Group DF.
According to his estimates, the price of nitrogen fertilizers will not fall in the near future. “I don’t think there will be a fall in the near future, it’s unlikely. Rather, on the contrary. Although the winter period is over, the price of gas, which is the main raw material for the production of nitrogen fertilizers, for obvious reasons, remains too high at European hubs. Many factories in the world are stopped, and fertilizer producers that are working will not trade fertilizers at a loss, at a price below cost,” he explained.
Arestarkhov added that the balance between supply and demand is seriously disturbed in the world ammonia markets, and the problems affect not only nitrogen fertilizers, but also potash fertilizers, which are complex.
“The new price levels are something that many farmers are already accustomed to. It hurts businesses. Margins are falling for both fertilizer and agricultural producers. It will take time for global fertilizer markets to get out of the turbulence zone and return to a state of stability, balance and predictability Only peace and the solution of all geopolitical issues can stabilize the markets. Everything else is derivative,” the representative of Group DF emphasized.
Group DF is consolidating the assets of businessman Dmitry Firtash in the gas distribution, chemical, titanium and port industries, as well as in agriculture and media.
The nitrogen sub-holding of Ostchem includes Cherkasy Azot, Rivneazot, Severodonetsk Azot Association, as well as Stirol in the occupied Gorlovka (Donetsk region).
The armed invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine had a strong impact on the operations of PJSC “Philip Morris Ukraine”, the tobacco company had the most difficulties with logistics, since its factory and the largest warehouses of products are located in the Kharkiv and Kiev regions, where active battles are now being fought with Russian invaders.
“You can imagine the difficulty we faced when it comes to logistics and delivery of the product. It took us two weeks to resume deliveries in 12 regions and the product is still quickly disappearing from the shelves. Some of our partners stop paying on contracts, so we have to to cover this at the expense of our reserves,” said Maxim Barabash, CEO of the company, in a blitz interview with the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Wednesday.
Philip Morris was able to reopen ten branded Iqos smoke-free food stores across the country in the past week, he said, and plans to open two more this week.
Barabash stressed that during the war with the Russian Federation, the company focuses on the safety of its employees.
“Those who work in stores and warehouses have an air raid shelter nearby. The rest of the teams work remotely, helping both in commercial and volunteer projects, for example, our colleagues with evacuation and delivery of humanitarian aid,” the CEO explained.
He recalled that Philip Morris International Inc. (PMI) in March took concrete steps to wind down the work of its branch in the aggressor country Russia: it stopped the planned investments and withdrew the current ones, namely the installation of a new line for the production of tobacco sticks for Iqos Iluma worth $150 million. In addition, the company canceled the launch of new commercial projects in 2022 and removed a number of cigarette brands from sales in Russia
“Currently, the company is working on options for a proper exit from the Russian market,” Barabash said about the corporation’s plans in the Russian Federation.
Philip Morris International, which includes PJSC “Philip Morris Ukraine”, is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of tobacco products. It produces cigarettes in more than 50 factories and sells them in 180 countries.
The company has been operating in Ukraine for more than 20 years, owns a factory in the Kharkiv region. More than 1.3 thousand people work at the company’s enterprises.
PJSC “Philip Morris Ukraine” in 2020 increased its net profit by 5% compared to 2019 – up to UAH 2.73 billion, assets increased by 18% over the year – up to UAH 11.51 billion, and retained earnings – by 55, 5%, up to UAH 7.79 billion.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that he signed decrees on the recall of Ukrainian ambassadors due to the fact that “they are losing time on the diplomatic front” in the countries of their diplomatic mission against the backdrop of Russian aggression in Ukraine.
“There are those who work together with everyone for the defense of the state. In order for Ukraine to win its future. We appreciate the work of each such person. And there are those who waste time just to remain in office. Today I signed decree on the recall of such a person, on the recall of such an ambassador from Morocco. They also returned the ambassador from Georgia. With all due respect – there will be no weapons, there will be no sanctions, there will be no obstacles for Russian business – please look for another job,” Zelensky said in a statement. video message on Wednesday evening.
He also added that he expects concrete results in the coming days from the work of Ukrainian diplomats in Latin America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Africa.
“I expect the same results from military attachés every day. The diplomatic front is one of the key fronts. And everyone there must work as efficiently as possible to win and help the Ukrainian army. Just like every one of our defenders on the battlefield. So does everyone on the diplomatic front,” summed up the president.
