Denmark’s A.P. Moller – Maersk has announced that it is suspending all passage of its vessels through the Strait of Hormuz “until further notice” and warns of possible delays, route changes, and schedule changes for services calling at ports in the Arabian Gulf.
The decision was made against the backdrop of a sharp deterioration in the situation in the region and growing threats to commercial shipping. Reuters reported that Maersk has also suspended voyages through the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab el-Mandeb, redirecting ships around the Cape of Good Hope.
Maersk is one of the world’s largest container carriers and port terminal operators.
According to industry statistics based on Alphaliner, Maersk’s share of the global container fleet in 2024 was about 14%.
According to Fixygen, the escalation around Iran, including strikes by the US and Israel and Tehran’s subsequent response, has been a factor in increased volatility in the cryptocurrency market: Bitcoin fell below $64,000 on the news, while Ethereum fell even further.
At the same time, markets reassessed the risks to commodities and inflation expectations. In particular, Barclays allowed for Brent to rise to $80 per barrel in the event of significant supply disruptions amid tensions between the US and Iran. Against this backdrop, some investors shifted to defensive assets: some materials noted an increase in interest in tokenized gold amid a decline in BTC and ETH.
Possible scenarios: with further escalation and increased oil risks, the crypto market may remain in risk-off mode with increased volatility for longer; with de-escalation and a return of risk appetite, a rebound is likely; if sanctions and payment restrictions are expanded, demand for stablecoins may increase, but compliance risks for infrastructure will also grow.
The TEST LLC testing center continues to operate at full capacity and conducts fire tests, and allegations of a “ghost laboratory” and “fake protocols” are unfounded and appear to be a coordinated information attack, said Andriy Bondar, head of the company’s laboratory.
“The testing center is operating as usual. All work is carried out in accordance with the requirements of current regulatory documents, in accordance with the scope of accreditation. Fire tests are carried out in compliance with approved standardized methods and protocols are drawn up in accordance with the requirements of the international standard DSTU EN ISO/IEC 17025. Any statements that the center does not exist, that tests are not being conducted, or that the protocols are not valid do not correspond to the actual circumstances,” Bondar said.
The company clarified that, according to the scope of accreditation issued by the National Accreditation Agency of Ukraine, the testing center had several sites. Some of the tests were conducted at the site in Brovary, and some were transferred to the west of the country for security reasons due to regular rocket attacks back in 2024.
TEST LLC also stated that the spread of allegations about “fake protocols” and a “phantom laboratory” is taking place in the context of recent publications directed against Kovlar Group LLC and the materials it produces, and has signs of deliberate discrediting of both the manufacturer and the testing center.
“We are open to cooperation with state authorities and are ready to provide all necessary documentation upon request from the relevant authorities. The center’s activities are carried out exclusively within the framework of Ukrainian legislation and the accreditation requirements of the National Agency. Reputation and professional responsibility are our priorities,” Bondar emphasized.
TEST LLC positions itself as a leading specialized center in the field of testing building materials and structures in Ukraine. The company reports that it has the material and technical resources for full-scale fire testing of structures, engineering communications, and fire protection materials, as well as 25 years of experience in the fire testing market.
According to Fixygen, the cryptocurrency market ended the last week of February with a moderate decline: Bitcoin fell to $65,900 on February 28 from $68,000 on February 22, corresponding to a drop of approximately 3%.
During the week, BTC fell to around $64,100 on February 25, then rebounded to $67,900 on February 26, after which it fell below $66,000 again. Ethereum fell by about 2% (to $1,930) over the same period, and Solana fell by about 4% (to $82).
According to CoinMarketCap, at the end of the week, the total capitalization of the crypto market was about $2.25 trillion, with Bitcoin’s dominance at about 58% and 24-hour turnover at about $93-96 billion.
Possible scenarios: baseline — consolidation in the $64-68 thousand range with neutral news background; positive — return to attempts to test $68-70 thousand with improved risk appetite; negative – a decline below $64,000 with an acceleration of the sell-off amid heightened geopolitical risks and pressure from global markets.
Trade in Ukrainian goods in 2025 remained highly concentrated and with a pronounced import bias, according to a study by the Experts Club analytical center on the top 50 trading partners as of December 31, 2025.
As noted in the study, the top ten countries account for about two-thirds of total trade, with China alone accounting for almost a fifth of turnover. Experts Club founder Maxim Urakin emphasizes: “The overall picture is consistent with the aggregated statistics for 2025: Ukraine’s imports are estimated at about $84.8 billion, exports at about $40.3 billion, and trade turnover at about $125.1 billion.”
China has become Ukraine’s largest partner in terms of trade turnover in the TOP-50 sample – $21.04 billion, with imports of $19.23 billion and exports of $1.82 billion, resulting in a negative balance of $17.41 billion. Urakin believes that “there will be no quick solutions to balance the trade deficit with China without strengthening Ukraine’s industrial export positions” and suggests focusing on localizing part of the supply chains for Ukrainian needs, contract manufacturing, and expanding agricultural and food exports with deeper processing.
Poland ranked second in terms of trade turnover with $13.02 billion, followed by Germany with $9.06 billion, Turkey with $8.95 billion, and the US with $5.69 billion. Commenting on the European direction, Urakin draws attention to the risks of regulation: “The risk factor here is not so much economic as regulatory and political… the issue of quotas and restrictions periodically returns to the agenda.” In his opinion, the key to expanding presence in the EU market is “quality of entry” — standards, traceability, certification, and integration into value chains.
The study also notes the role of markets where Ukraine has a positive trade balance, as well as the importance of trade hubs and logistics. In particular, among the areas that could potentially provide rapid growth with reduced logistics costs and stable maritime routes, the countries where exports already exceed imports stand out, as well as European logistics hubs through which part of Ukraine’s flows pass.
Speaking about the prospects for 2026, Experts Club highlights as key factors the conditions of access to EU markets, institutional agreements with regional partners, and logistics, including the security of sea routes. “The most applicable growth points for Ukraine are a combination of markets with an already positive balance and instruments that reduce barriers: agreements, standardization, and logistics,” Urakin concluded.
Ukraine will export 23.8 million tons of corn in the 2025-2026 marketing year (MY, July-June), which is 8.3% more than in the previous MY, according to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UACB) on Facebook.
According to the association, production volumes are gradually recovering after the occupation of part of the territory: the harvest will reach 29.9 million tons (+11.2% compared to last year), although this is 6.8% less than the average for the last five years.
Analysts explained the improvement in gross harvest by an 11.6% increase in acreage to 4.5 million hectares. At the same time, due to heavy autumn rains, the harvest was delayed, and the average yield was 6.6 t/ha, which is 0.3% less than in the previous marketing year.
The UAC noted that in the 2024/25 marketing year, corn exports decreased by 25.6% (to 22.0 million tons) due to lower production and a decrease in carryover stocks from 6.4 million tons to 3.7 million tons. Experts estimated total domestic consumption in 2025/26 MY at 6.2 million tons, of which 5.2 million tons will be used for feed, 182 thousand tons for seeds, and 418 thousand tons for non-food processing.
“The Ukrainian corn market remains flexible. Despite the loss of land due to temporary occupation and difficult weather conditions, farmers are managing to increase acreage and gross harvest. The crop meets domestic demand for animal feed and is returning to export growth, remaining one of the mainstays of Ukrainian exports,” the UCAAB concluded.
