In 2024, Ukrzaliznytsia plans to put 120 grain hoppers for conventional and European gauge into operation, Gennady Maydanyk, director of the commercial work department of UZ, said at a meeting of the export office at UZ on Wednesday.
According to him, the recently introduced hopper cars for 1520 and 1435 mm gauge transportation are already being tested.
“By the end of the year, the company plans to add 120 of these grain hoppers to the fleet of the Transportation Logistics Center branch. The main advantage of the cars is that they can travel across Ukraine and abroad without overloading,” explained the UZ representative.
Cardboard and Paper Company LLC (Lviv), a major Ukrainian manufacturer of cardboard tubes and sanitary products, increased its production by 7% in 2023 to UAH 1 billion 268.5 million compared to 2022.
According to UkrPapir Association statistics provided to Interfax-Ukraine, the company slightly reduced its output of cardboard products in physical terms to 26.4 thousand tons, while increasing its production of paper base for sanitary products by 12.6% to almost 8 thousand tons. Production of toilet paper in rolls increased by 49% to 6.1 million units.
At the same time, in December, the company reduced its paper and cardboard production by 35.5% compared to the same month in 2022, to 2 thousand tons, which is also almost 35% less than in November last year.
LLC “Cardboard and Paper Company” produces products and semi-finished products from waste cardboard (cardboard sheets, corners, sleeves), cellulose and recycled waste paper (toilet paper, towels, napkins TM Papero). The company supplies its products, in particular, to the EU countries.
Among its customers are Biosphere and Arterium corporations, Nestle, Khlibprom, and Yarych confectionery.
As reported, in 2022, the factory increased its commercial output by 51.5% compared to 2021, up to UAH 1 billion 186 million, without stopping work during the year. Net profit tripled to UAH 263.7 million.
Metinvest Mining and Metallurgical Group, including its associates and joint ventures, paid UAH 14.6 billion in taxes and duties to the budgets of all levels in Ukraine in 2023.
According to the company’s press release on Wednesday, Metinvest remains the backbone of the country’s economy in the face of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The press release specifies that the largest deductions include a unified social tax, which amounted to UAH 3.3 billion, income tax – UAH 3.2 billion, and personal income tax – more than UAH 3 billion.
At the same time, last year Metinvest’s Ukrainian enterprises increased land payments by almost 10% compared to 2022, to UAH 1.2 billion. Environmental tax payments also increased to UAH 608 million.
In addition, subsoil use fees in the amount of UAH 2.2 billion became a significant source of revenues for the state and local budgets of Ukraine in 2023.
Yuriy Ryzhenkov, CEO of Metinvest Group, noted that the company had survived another extremely difficult year of war. Despite the serious challenges for the country in general and Ukrainian business in particular, it managed to survive and rebuild its operations in the new environment.
“Despite the problems with asset utilization and the aggressor’s naval blockade, despite the loss of control over assets in Mariupol, the shutdown of Avdiivka Coke and a significant reduction in the number of employees due to the war, Metinvest remains one of the largest taxpayers in Ukraine. And the refusal of tax benefits due to the company under the law allowed us to allocate additional funds to those areas where it is most needed. We continue to support Ukrainians and the army on their path to victory and call on every business to join in and support Ukraine through taxes, donations, assistance to the Armed Forces and civilians during the challenges we are all facing now,” the top manager emphasized.
“Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of steel and mining companies. The group’s enterprises are located mainly in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovs’k regions.
The main shareholders of the holding are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%), which jointly manage it.
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest Group.
In 2023, Ukrnafta paid over UAH 25.7 billion in taxes, including UAH 4.36 billion in income tax, said Sergiy Koretsky, CEO of the company.
“By paying taxes, each of us helps the Ukrainian defense forces in the fight against the common enemy. In turn, each hryvnia received by the budget should be transformed into high-quality body armor, uniforms, drones, weapons, ammunition and other important purchases for the army. By paying taxes, we make the best investment together – in our free future!” he wrote on his Facebook page.
As reported, in 2023, Ukrnafta increased oil and condensate production by 3% (by 39.9 thousand tons) compared to 2022 – up to 1 million 409.9 thousand tons, gas production by 5.8% (by 60.4 million cubic meters), up to 1 billion 97.4 million cubic meters.
“Ukrnafta’s strategic goal is to double its oil and natural gas production to 3 million tons and 2 billion cubic meters by 2027, respectively.
“Ukrnafta is Ukraine’s largest oil producer and operator of a national network of 537 filling stations, of which 456 are in operation.
Ukrnafta’s largest shareholder is Naftogaz of Ukraine with a 50%+1 share. On November 5, 2022, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine decided to transfer the corporate rights of the company owned by private owners, which is now managed by the Ministry of Defense, to the state.
Number of applicants per vacancy (comparison) as of 01.07.2023
Source: Open4Business.com.ua and experts.news
The capital’s wine restaurant Wine Love has reopened its doors to visitors at 100 Velyka Vasylkivska Street. After a long pause, the restaurant was reopened, preserving the concept of a wine neo-restaurant with modern European cuisine, a selected wine list and an atmosphere that loses the sense of time.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the restaurant’s kitchen has been working as a volunteer center and preparing about 1000 meals a day for the Ukrainian military. Currently, the Wine Love team has equipped a separate kitchen at another location. This allowed not only to preserve the food for the defenders, but also to resume the full-fledged work of the restaurant for guests.
The period of volunteer work had a transformative effect on the team’s vision of what the establishment should look like in the new realities. As a result, the owners decided to abandon excessive redundancy and focus on the main thing – the gastronomic richness of flavors. The renovated restaurant is based on a seasonal menu, dishes made from local products, niche wine, which is often presented in Ukraine in limited quantities. It also has an atmospheric vintage interior.
“War is a period of transformation, both national and personal. Every day we become more sensitive to our desires and aspirations. We start to appreciate the simple joys of life. My team and I also felt that we wanted Wine Love to be perceived differently by our guests – not just as a place for special events. We will offer more simple, “understandable” food and interesting drinks. We will also do our best to ensure that our guests enjoy enogastronomic pleasure, feel the value of the moment from sincere communication with each other, and lose the sense of time. We want Wine Love to be the first place that comes to mind when you want to taste wine with gastronomic accompaniment,” comment on the opening the co-founders of the neo-restaurant Volodymyr Zadiraka and Serhiy Shkarban.
The menu was created by chef Kateryna Tkachuk. It includes dishes made mainly from Ukrainian products that combine European recipes, modern techniques and the author’s vision. According to Kateryna, she deliberately refused to use complicated technological processes and ingredients that artificially enhance the taste of the dishes. She preferred the simplicity of taste, expressiveness and clarity of the products.
As a result, the restaurant offers improved bestsellers such as chicken pate, artichoke paste, and cheese mousse. The selection of bytes and antipasti has also increased. Among the main dishes, the Wine Love team offers fish, meat and vegetable dishes, as well as desserts.
The wine list combines traditions and experiments. It is based on natural and low-intervention wines, which are often presented in Ukraine in limited quantities. According to the co-owners, the wine list includes only those items that impressed the entire team during the tasting.
In addition to wine, visitors will also be offered cocktails from the restaurant’s chef-bartender Nazar Kachala. The cocktail menu consists of two sections. The first one includes classic drinks in a modern interpretation. Such as French 75, Old Fashioned and Penicilin. The second section is filled with exclusively author’s cocktails with the addition of original ingredients. Thus, guests will be surprised with drinks with the addition of ginger beer of our own production, celery bitters and various spices.
The interior has also been updated. The large-scale flower arrangement on the ceiling was replaced with mystical tree branches and stylized poppies with origami elements. The décor is planned to be updated every season. At the moment, the location is decorated with pine needles and New Year’s decorations.
In addition, the Wine Love team will delight guests with the atmosphere of a crowded bar in the old center of a European city. Tight seating, antiques, a 19th-century spiral staircase, and a secret warehouse room for small companies that need more intimacy. The restaurant will also continue to host wine tastings and chef’s dinners. In particular, to influence the formation of the modern wine and gastronomic culture of Ukraine.
Serhiy Shkarban, Wine Love, Володимир Задірака, Катерина Ткачук
