Ukraine allocates $45–50 billion annually to weapons production, and funding for the Armed Forces is secured, stated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Ukraine is currently allocating $45–50 billion annually to weapons production. We have managed to reach what I consider to be a very high level. We have the funds to finance the Armed Forces of Ukraine. We must ensure precisely this sufficient level of funding for both production and the army, and not just for now, for these years, but for the long term,” Zelenskyy said at a press conference with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday.
The head of state noted that Ukraine is working to provide “this level of funding, unprecedented in our history,” exclusively for all types of domestically produced weapons.
On April 20, Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine is investing $30 billion in the defense industry for 2026, but the defense sector is ready to produce $60 billion worth of goods.
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.
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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.