On February 21, 2026, JSC NAEK Energoatom joined the balancing group of EA Trade LLC, whose sole founder and participant is NAEK, the company announced on its Telegram channel on Monday.
“To this end, the parties have entered into an agreement on participation in the balancing group of EA Trade LLC in accordance with the Market Rules (…) and, in accordance with the established procedure, agreed with NPC Ukrenergo on a change in the party responsible for the balance,” the statement said.
Energoatom explained that participation in the balancing group will reduce the company’s costs for settling electricity imbalances and significantly speed up the receipt of funds for imbalances, which are currently paid by the transmission system operator Ukrenergo with a delay of several months.
According to the Market Rules, all market participants, except consumers, are responsible for their electricity imbalances. Each market participant is required to become a BSO or transfer its financial responsibility for imbalances to another BSO.
According to information from Opendatabot, EA Trade LLC was founded on September 23, 2025, with a registered capital of UAH 50 million. 100% of the company’s shares are owned by NAEK Energoatom.
The director of EA Trade is Viktor Kachurenko, who previously headed Shell Oil Products Ukraine LLC and Shell Energy Ukraine, which specialize in trading various types of fuel. Currently, both companies are in the process of being dissolved.
As stated on the website, EA Trade is a modern company specializing in trade in the energy sector. Its goal is to ensure efficient, transparent, and competitive trade in electricity, contributing to the stability of the energy system. The website does not mention the likely participants in the balancing group and the company’s customers.
In 2025, the Metinvest mining and metallurgical group reduced steel production by 4% compared to the previous year, to 2.018 million tons. The decline was due to the large-scale war, reduced electricity supply, as well as logistical and economic factors.
According to the group’s annual report, the parent company Metinvest B.V. reported that based on the results of operating activities for Q4 2025 and for the year as a whole, in Q4, pig iron production at Kametstal remained at the level of the previous quarter and amounted to 496,000 tons, while steel production increased by 3% to 564 thousand tons.
At the same time, it is noted that in 2025, pig iron and steel production decreased by 2% and 4%, respectively, compared to the previous year and amounted to 1.782 million tons and 2.018 million tons. The slight decrease was due to the overhaul of blast furnace No. 9 at Kametstal in April-June 2025.
It is also noted that in Q4 2025, the volume of commercial semi-finished products remained almost at the level of the previous quarter and amounted to 271 thousand tons. At the same time, commercial pig iron production decreased by 41% due to increased consumption in subsequent stages, which led to an 8% increase in the output of commercial billets.
In 2025, the output of semi-finished products decreased by 3% compared to the previous year, to 839 thousand tons, due to a decline in steel production and an increase in domestic consumption of billets in subsequent stages of production. At the same time, the output of commercial cast iron doubled and amounted to 84 thousand tons.
In Q4 2025, finished product output grew by 4% compared to the previous quarter and amounted to 613 thousand tons, due to scheduled overhauls at rolling mills in Italy and Bulgaria in August. In particular, flat steel production grew by 10% to 291,000 tons, while long steel production remained almost unchanged at 322,000 tons.
In 2025, finished product output grew by 13% compared to 2024, reaching 2.429 million tons. In particular, flat steel production increased by 20% to 1.107 million tonnes thanks to the resumption of hot-rolled coil production at Ferriera Valsider (Italy) and the efficient operation of Metinvest Trametal (Italy) and Spartan UK (Great Britain). Long product production increased by 7% to 1.322 million tonnes due to increased volumes at Kametstal and the stable performance of Promet Steel (Bulgaria).
In Q4 2025, coke production decreased by 3% compared to the previous quarter to 279 thousand tonnes. Overall, coke production declined by 2% over the past year to 1.100 million tons compared to the previous year due to the decommissioning of coke oven battery No. 1 at Kametstal. This was partially offset by a 23% increase in coke production at Zaporizhzhya Coke Plant to 898,000 tons.
It is also reported that in Q4 2025, total iron ore concentrate production remained almost at the level of the previous quarter and amounted to 3.981 million tons, while the output of commercial iron ore products decreased by 4% to 3.773 million tons. The production of iron ore pellets decreased by 21% to 1.339 million tons due to the temporary shutdown of one of the roasting machines as a result of damage to the power supply systems caused by shelling. As a result, the output of commercial iron ore concentrate increased by 9% to 2.434 million tons.
In 2025, total iron ore concentrate production was comparable to the previous year’s volume and amounted to 15.695 million tons. At the same time, the shutdown of operations at the Ingulets quarry in July 2024 was offset mainly by increased production at the Hannivsk quarry. Production of commercial iron ore products increased by 3% to 15.229 million tons, with commercial pellets increasing by 5% and concentrate production remaining virtually unchanged.
In December 2024, due to the intensification of hostilities and the approach of the front line, the production site of the Pokrovsk Coal Group, located in Donbas, was suspended. Subsequently, against the backdrop of power supply disruptions and a further deterioration in the security situation, the production activities of the mine and enrichment plant were suspended.
In addition, the group is in the final stages of selling United Coal Company (USA). In this regard, the asset was deconsolidated starting with the financial statements for the first half of 2025.
Metinvest is a vertically integrated group of mining and metallurgical enterprises. Its enterprises are located in Ukraine – in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Dnipropetrovsk regions – as well as in the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the US. The main shareholders of the holding company are SCM Group (71.24%) and Smart Holding (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the managing company of the Metinvest Group.
The American company Gulf intends to open a network of gas stations in Uzbekistan and invest in the aviation industry. This was announced by the company’s vice president Craig Kramer on February 18 in Washington at a meeting of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev with representatives of American business and financial institutions.
According to him, over the next two years, the company plans to launch at least 100 modern and convenient gas stations that will meet Western standards.
“They will be built according to Western standards and provide high-quality fuel. During this period, we will invest at least $150 million in retail assets. The financing is fully secured. Each facility will be modern and unique in terms of volume and design,” he said in a story on Uzbekistan 24 TV channel.
In addition, it is planned to create transport centers for tourists and transit carriers along the highways.
“These projects will create at least 30 new jobs at each facility. In total, more than 3,000 new jobs will be organized for Uzbek citizens,” the Gulf representative said.
Kramer said that he had received proposals from the country’s regions on infrastructure development.
“I have received specific proposals from all the khokims of Uzbekistan’s regions to develop nearly 200 gas stations across the country. This clearly demonstrates that your country has an open business climate and a high level of trust in investors,” he said.
The company also intends to introduce modern technologies and develop the aviation sector.
“We will launch mechanisms that provide modern amenities for retail and corporate clients. Along with retail, we are also investing in aviation. About $50 million will be invested in the aviation sector through Gulf Aviation,” Kramer said.
According to him, this will provide Uzbekistan’s rapidly growing aviation industry with a safe and stable fuel supply, as well as establish a reliable supply system for local and international airlines.
Gulf’s operating base in Central Asia is planned to be located in Tashkent.
“This will be another important step towards transforming Uzbekistan into a center of regional logistics and retail infrastructure,” the company representative emphasized.
The fuel for the stations will be purchased at the Republican Commodity Exchange on general terms and conditions, as well as imported.
11-year-old Ukrainian Roman Oleksiv, who survived a Russian missile strike on Vinnytsia in 2022, received the international Cinema for Peace Honorary Dove award during the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), Roman and his father Yaroslav announced on Facebook.
“This award is not just about Roman. It is about all Ukrainian children who grow up to the sound of sirens,” said the boy’s father.
Roman received the award at the Cinema for Peace charity event for the documentary film Children in the Fire by director Yevgeny Afineevsky, which tells his story. The event takes place annually during the Berlinale and is dedicated to global conflicts and humanitarian crises.
Roman suffered severe injuries during a Russian missile strike on Vinnytsia, which killed his mother. The boy underwent dozens of operations and lengthy rehabilitation, but managed to return to his studies, creative work, and public activities, becoming a symbol of the resilience of Ukrainian children.
Roman has previously spoken at the European Parliament and received awards in Ukraine for his courage and strength of spirit.
The Experts Club analytical center draws attention to the publication of the International Tax Competitiveness Index 2025, which compares the tax systems of 38 OECD countries across more than 40 parameters and five blocks: corporate taxes, personal income taxes, consumption taxes, property taxes, and cross-border tax rules.
Estonia has topped the ranking for the 12th consecutive year, followed by Latvia and New Zealand. Switzerland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Australia, Israel, Hungary, and the Czech Republic also made it into the top 10. At the other end of the spectrum are France (38th place) and Italy (37th), as well as Colombia, Poland, and Spain.
The authors of the study emphasize that high positions are usually ensured by more neutral and predictable tax structures — a broader base, a smaller role for targeted exemptions, and more understandable rules for taxation of profits and cross-border transactions. In particular, for Estonia, the key factor remains the corporate model with taxation of distributed profits, and for Latvia — similar corporate taxation logic and territorial elements of the regime.
Among the major economies, the United States ranks 15th, Germany 20th, Japan 22nd, and Canada 13th, while the United Kingdom ranks 32nd. France is named the least competitive system in the OECD — the report attributes this, in particular, to the high aggregate corporate income tax rate (36.13% including surcharges) and a set of separate property taxes.
Changes from last year are noted separately: Canada rose from 14th to 13th place; The Czech Republic fell from 9th to 10th place; France fell from 36th to 38th place due to the introduction of a temporary income tax surcharge for companies with high revenues; Germany improved its position from 21st to 20th place.
According to the National Scientific Center “Institute of Agrarian Economics” (IAE), citing data from the State Customs Service, Ukraine increased its imports of agricultural products by 13% compared to 2024, reaching $9.12 billion in 2025.
According to the research institute, EU member states retained their position as the main supplier and provided 53.9% of domestic agri-food imports worth $4.91 billion.
According to the institution, EU member states retained their position as the main supplier for the seventh consecutive year and provided 53.9% of domestic agri-food imports in 2025, worth $4.91 billion, with the value of supplies from the EU increasing by 15% compared to 2024.
According to the IEA, imports from other regions were much lower. Food supplies from Asian countries amounted to $1.635 billion (17.9%), Latin America – $693 million (7.6%), and Africa – $489 million (5.4%). All of them also increased sales of agricultural products for the needs of the Ukrainian domestic market last year.
Since 2017, Poland has held the top spot in the ranking of major suppliers of agricultural products to Ukraine, selling $1.15 billion worth of agricultural goods in 2025, 24% more than in 2024. The top ten exporters also included Germany ($692 million), Turkey ($654 million), Italy ($575 million), the Netherlands ($417 million), Norway ($338 million), France ($317 million), Spain ($314 million), China ($264 million), and the United States ($235 million). In total, these ten countries accounted for 54% of all imports.
In the commodity structure of purchases, 70% of the value was made up of fruits, berries, and nuts ($1 billion), fish and seafood ($999 million), beverages ($870 million), cocoa products ($640 million), food products ($575 million), tobacco products ($493 million), feed ($476 million), coffee and tea ($471 million), vegetables ($467 million), and oilseeds ($418 million).
“Food imports to Ukraine in 2025 reached their highest level in monetary terms since the country gained independence, growing for the third consecutive year amid a full-scale invasion of our state by the Russian Federation. Against the backdrop of a general trend of rising food prices, especially given the significant risks for specialized businesses in Ukraine, the cost of foreign purchases in 2026 is likely to remain high,” concluded Bogdan Dukhnytskyi, a leading researcher at the IAE.
