The Binance crypto exchange fired at least five employees from its compliance investigations department after they prepared internal reports on transactions that could be related to circumventing sanctions against Iran, Fortune reported, citing sources and internal company documents. According to Fortune, the reports involved transactions worth more than $1 billion in Tether (USDT) that passed through Binance between March 2024 and August 2025 and were conducted on the Tron network.
Binance told Fortune that investigators were not dismissed for reporting possible sanctions violations, and an internal analysis involving lawyers found no evidence of violations of applicable sanctions requirements in connection with the specified activities.
In November 2023, Binance pleaded guilty in the US to a series of violations related to compliance with AML/KYC and sanctions requirements and agreed to pay $4.3 billion, according to Reuters.
Binance was founded in 2017 and is one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges.
According to Serbian Economist, Croatia is discussing a gas interconnector project with Serbia that could give the Serbian market access to liquefied natural gas (LNG) via a terminal on the island of Krk. Croatian Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar said that “only about 15 km of pipeline” is needed to connect the two gas systems, and Belgrade, according to him, is showing interest in such a route.
Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy Dubravka Jedovic-Handanovic confirmed that the option of supplies via Croatia is being considered, but noted caution due to past episodes of oil supply disruptions via the JANAF pipeline.
Serbian Economist interprets the possible interconnector primarily as a tool for changing the market structure: with Serbia’s annual gas consumption of around 2.7-3.0 billion cubic meters and high dependence on a single import corridor via TurkStream, even relatively small volumes of LNG could strengthen its negotiating position and create real “optionality” in procurement. Initial deliveries via the LNG route could amount to 0.5-1.0 billion cubic meters per year (15-35% of demand), and a realistic window for infrastructure commissioning is 2028-2031.
The emergence of an alternative entry point will gradually “tie” the discussion of prices within Serbia to European benchmarks, although this also means greater sensitivity to global volatility in the LNG market.
The context for the discussion is the ongoing search by countries in the region for alternative supply routes and the strengthening of TurkStream’s role as a key pipeline channel for Russian gas to Europe after the cessation of transit through Ukraine.
On Friday, February 13, the Column Hall of the Kyiv City State Administration hosted the grand finale of the VIII All-Ukrainian Professional Skills Competition “Fashion PRORYV for Freedom and Peace”, during which collections of sports and adaptive clothing were presented and the winners were awarded.
The competition was organized by the National Industry Partnership in Light Industry of Ukraine “Fashion Globus Ukraine” and the Italian association “VITAWORLD.”
According to the president of the competition, Golda Vinogradska, the “Fashion PRORYV” project, launched in 2016, has become a platform for cultural diplomacy and international dialogue during the years of full-scale war.
“Over the years of war with Russia, we have created a platform for peacemaking cultural diplomacy, where Ukraine speaks to the world not in the language of pity, but in the language of dignity, creativity, and culture. We have set a precedent: when a competition in the fashion industry became a narrative about humanity, strength, resilience, and hope. This competition was conceived as a platform for cooperation between employers and educators in the fashion industry. We did this so that we could travel to different cities in Ukraine, see how these institutions exist, help them, and show them the most modern techniques. It is important for young people and those who teach them to move forward together with the development of the industry,” said Vynogradska.
According to her, the competition was initially conceived as a practical format for interaction between education and industry, allowing for the support of institutions in the regions and the synchronization of training with market needs.
Competition President Golda Vinogradska
According to the organizers, the competition has been held under the patronage of the mayors of Lviv, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, and Kryvyi Rih in different years. They also reported that in 2025, the project received support from the US Embassy in Ukraine, and in 2026, from the Milan City Council.
The organizers note that every year, 60 to 100 educational institutions from all regions of Ukraine participate in the competition. This year’s competition is dedicated to cooperation with Italy and the theme of sports. According to their data, in 2026 students from 52 Ukrainian institutions in the fashion industry and four Italian universities (Venice, Salerno, Milan, Rome) took part in the project, and “almost 100 collections” were presented in the final program.
In addition to the final in Kyiv, an international presentation of the collections is scheduled for February 28, 2026, in Milan (Milan San Siro Hotel) as part of the Milano-Cortina 2026 and Milan Fashion Week events.
Ukrainian MP Yulia Gryshyna, chair of the Subcommittee on Higher Education of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Education, Science, and Innovation, addressed the participants with a welcoming speech. She emphasized the importance of supporting educators and students during wartime.
“I am very grateful for the invitation—it means a lot to me. I would like to express my special gratitude to educators, students, and young people who continue to work, study, create, and support each other in these extremely difficult times. Thank you, you inspire others, and me in particular,” said Hryshyna.
According to the organizers, the event was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, Olympic champions, cultural and sports figures, as well as representatives of the Ukrainian fashion industry.
According to the organizing committee, the jury included Ivan Frolov, Katya Silchenko, Olena Golets, Taras Prytula, Kateryna Myroshnychenko, Galina Yerk, as well as Emilia Ametrano, Walter Togni, and Elena Kalencani. The general partner of the competition was SOFTORG.
The winners of the competition (according to the organizers):
Nomination “Youth Breakthrough”:
1st place – VSP Odessa Technical College of ONTU;
2nd place – Bila Tserkva College of Service and Design;
3rd place – Podil Professional College.
Nomination “Innovation and Inclusion in Sportswear”:
1st place – Khmelnytskyi Center for Vocational Education in the Service Sector;
2nd place – Dmytro Kovalchuk (Kharkiv National University);
3rd place – Lviv Professional College of Beauty and Fashion Industry.
Nomination “Cultural Synthesis”:
1st place – Interregional Center for Professional Retraining of Discharged Military Personnel (Kryvyi Rih);
2nd place – Zaporizhzhia Professional College of Fashion and Style;
3rd place – Lviv Professional College of Modeling and Restaurant Business.
The “Audience Choice Award” went to the Ternopil Higher Vocational School of Services and Tourism.
Author: Olga Levkun
Presidents of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic and Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev held the first session of the Strategic Partnership Council and outlined the priorities of the economic bloc – from energy and investment to trade, agriculture and tourism, Serbian Economist reports.
The key practical outcome was the formalization of a package of bilateral documents. Seven agreements and memoranda were exchanged in Belgrade, including agreements on the design, construction and operation of a gas turbine power plant in Serbia, cooperation in the field of food security, a memorandum between the ministries of economy, as well as documents on media and communications, culture (for 2026-2030), sports and interaction of health insurance systems.
The leaders explicitly call energy cooperation the basis for the next step – electricity production based on Azerbaijani gas. Aliyev said Baku has decided to increase natural gas exports to Serbia, linking this to plans for electricity generation and potential future exports.
In the Serbian interpretation, the gas-fired power plant project is already tied to the parameters: Vucic said that Srbijagas and SOCAR are in discussions, and the goal is to reach the launch of the plant with an installed capacity of 500 MW by 2029 (locations are considered in the Niš area).
Against the backdrop of the political increase in the level of relations, the sides are once again returning to the issue of trade turnover. According to the Serbian National Statistics Office, the foreign trade turnover with Azerbaijan in 2024 amounted to $512.6 million (5-fold growth), with the main contribution provided by the purchase of crude oil and oil products.
Baku, for its part, estimates trade turnover in 2025 at $135 million and notes the growth of imports of Serbian goods by 55% – this data was cited by Azerbaijani Finance Minister Sahil Babayev on the eve of the visit.
It was also noted at the Council meeting that direct flights between Baku and Belgrade should start in May 2026, which is expected to strengthen tourism and business contacts.
In the coming months, governments and line ministers should “land” political agreements in the form of concrete projects. Vucic and Aliyev have publicly recorded that they expect quick results before the next visit of the Serbian president to Azerbaijan during this year.
https://t.me/relocationrs/2271
According to Fixygen, PJSC HC Kyivmiskbud (Kyiv) plans to hold a general meeting of shareholders on February 19, 2026, according to the issuer’s announcement in the information disclosure system.
The meeting is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., the date of compilation of the list of shareholders.
PJSC HC Kyivmiskbud (brand name Kyivmiskbud, EDRPOU 23527052) is one of the largest developers in the capital. The company’s history on official resources dates back to 1955; the holding company was formed on the basis of the assets of the state-owned construction corporation Kyivmiskbud in 1994.
The controlling stake traditionally belonged to the Kyiv territorial community represented by the Kyiv City Council (80%); in 2025, the city began recapitalization through an additional issue, after which the community’s share, according to the Kyiv City State Administration, was to increase to approximately 99.87%. In December 2025, it was reported that the company had received recapitalization of UAH 2.56 billion and had moved on to the next stage of the anti-crisis plan for 2026.
The national postal operator Ukrposhta has completed its second auction on Prozorro.Prozori, selling 716 decommissioned vehicles for UAH 9 million, and is preparing to sell another 250 cars, according to the company’s CEO, Ihor Smelyansky.
“In exchange for this ‘loss’, Ukrposhta received UAH 9 million. It also received thousands of square meters of free space and millions of hryvnias, which it will now save on storage, accounting, and maintenance of these cars,” Smelyansky wrote on Telegram on Monday.
According to him, 716 units of obsolete equipment were sold, ranging from a 1979 GAZ-52 from Poltava to a Volvo FH12 truck. The average mileage of each vehicle put up for auction was about 470,000 km, and the physical wear and tear of the fleet reached 96%.
In addition, it is noted that some of the vehicles were purchased by organizations and will be used for spare parts for the needs of the army and volunteer initiatives.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, Ukrposhta received a net profit of UAH 257.9 million, which exceeded the figure for the same period in 2024 by 69.2% due to additional income from the sale of the company’s property, which amounted to UAH 168 million.
The national postal operator increased its revenue in the fourth quarter by UAH 10.7 million compared to the same period in 2024, to UAH 3 billion 601.6 million.
