According to Serbian Economist, real estate prices in Montenegro continue to grow at record rates, while residents’ salaries remain significantly below the European average, and rent is becoming less affordable, local analysts note. The cost per square meter of housing in the country is already higher than in some EU countries. According to data from the Statistical Office of Montenegro (Monstat), the average price per square meter of an apartment in new buildings in the third quarter of 2025 was €2,228, in Podgorica – €2,153, in the coastal region – €2,458, and in the northern region – €1,578. Monstat specifies that the indicator is calculated based on primary housing sales transactions.
As reported by local media, real estate agent Haris Osmanagic previously assessed the Podgorica market as overheated and said that prices in the capital had “almost doubled” in a short period of time, with new buildings in some areas being offered at €2,800-3,500 per square meter.
The price increase has also affected the rental market: according to Osmanagic’s estimates, the average cost of a long-term rental in Podgorica is in the range of €550-700 per month, two-room apartments – €800-1,000, three-room apartments – €1,200-2,000.
In the European Union as a whole, housing prices in the third quarter of 2025 rose by 5.5% year-on-year, according to Eurostat data.
As of December 31, 2025, 1,131,197 foreigners were registered in the Czech Republic – 37,108 more than the previous year (+3.4%), according to data from the Ministry of the Interior and the statistical unit of the Czech Statistical Office, as cited by the information and analytical center Experts Club.
According to the Ministry of the Interior’s estimate, foreigners account for 10.38% of the country’s population (the calculation used a population figure of 10,897,178 as of September 30, 2025). This means that the “native population” (residents without foreign citizenship) amounts to about 9.766 million people (an estimate based on the difference between the figures).
The structure of legal residence at the end of 2025 included 343,876 people with temporary residence, 394,265 with permanent residence, and 393,056 registered under the temporary protection regime. The highest concentration of foreigners is recorded in Prague (32.4% of all registered foreigners) and in the Central Bohemian Region (14.5%).
Ranking: Top 10 nationalities among foreigners in the Czech Republic (31.12.2025)
| Rank | Country | Number of people |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ukraine | 612,953 |
| 2 | Slovakia | 125,280 |
| 3 | Vietnam | 69,685 |
| 4 | Russia | 37,524 |
| 5 | Romania | 21,287 |
| 6 | Poland | 17,631 |
| 7 | Bulgaria | 17,562 |
| 8 | Mongolia | 14,908 |
| 9 | Philippines | 14,530 |
| 10 | Hungary | 12,111 |
Tour operator Join UP! Ukraine served almost 415 thousand Ukrainian tourists in 2025, which is 60% more than in 2024, the company said.
The key feature of the season – the choice of destinations with the most predictable logistics. Join UP! noted that Ukrainians more often planned vacation “pragmatically”: the priority was the safety of the route, clear connections and familiar service without surprises.
The most popular destinations for flights and tours in 2025 remained “classic” for mass demand. Egypt and Turkey were the leaders in summer, followed by Greece, Bulgaria and Montenegro, mostly in the all-inclusive format. The company specified that in Egypt they expanded the range of resorts: El Alamein on the Mediterranean Sea was added to Hurghada, Sharm El Sheikh and Marsa Alam. In Turkey the program has grown due to the return of popular resorts Bodrum and Dalaman.
In the winter season the demand was formed by the destinations with regular charter geography and stable weather: Egypt, UAE and Sri Lanka were in the top. In the segment of “distant exotics” in 2025 Vietnam (Fukuok) and Maldives were better sold, which displaced last year’s favorites – Zanzibar and Dominica. The company notes that expensive exotic tours were more often booked in advance to reduce the cost.
In terms of seasonality, the peak came in the summer: in the summer season of 2025 with Join UP! traveled more than 242 thousand people (+70% to 2024), and the maximum month – July – almost doubled year-on-year to about 67 thousand tourists. The “quietest” month was February – more than 12 thousand tourists.
Reference: Join UP! LLC was founded in 2013, authorized capital – 72.671 million UAH. The ultimate beneficiaries are Yuri and Alexander Alba. The brand operates in eight foreign markets – the Baltic States, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Poland, Romania and the Czech Republic, and is preparing to launch in Slovakia and Hungary.
Foreign exchange earnings from rapeseed oil exports from Ukraine in the second half of 2025 increased 2.2 times compared to the same period of the previous season, while rapeseed meal revenues increased 1.4 times, according to Dmytro Kysilevsky, deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development, citing data from the Ukroliyaprom association.
“The introduction of a 10% export duty on soybeans and rapeseed has allowed Ukraine to increase the production of oil and meal from these raw materials, as well as to increase exports of processed products,” he wrote on Facebook.
According to the association’s data, in July-December 2025, rapeseed processing into oil increased 1.8 times. In the soybean segment, in September-December 2025, oil production increased by 22.4%, exports by 23.3%, and foreign exchange earnings by 1.5 times.
“The processing of soybeans into oil and meal exceeded its exports by 3.7%,” the parliamentarian emphasized.
Ukroliyaprom predicts that in the 2025-2026 marketing year (MY, July-June), rapeseed processing will reach a record 1.7 million tons (over 50% of the gross harvest), and soybeans — 3.0 million tons (over 60%). This will ensure the production of 720,000 tons of rapeseed oil and 600,000 tons of soybean oil.
Kysilevsky emphasized that the processing model proved its effectiveness in the very first season of the duty law, providing billions of hryvnias in taxes. He also recalled the support programs “Made in Ukraine,” in particular, “5-7-9” loans and 25% compensation for the cost of agricultural machinery.
British Defense Minister John Gilli announced the allocation of an additional half a billion pounds ($681.4 million) to strengthen Ukraine’s air defense.
According to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent, Gilley made the announcement ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
“This afternoon, I will confirm that the UK is providing Ukraine with an additional half a billion pounds for urgent air defense.
In this way, the UK is acting as a force for good in the world, building a new agreement on European security within NATO,” he said during a conversation with the media.
Gilley added that he is proud of the UK’s leadership and commitment to its allies.
“We will support you. We will defend you. We will fight alongside you in this new era of threats and brute force,” the minister said.
Gilley also confirmed that the UK will play a central role in NATO’s Arctic security mission, which aims to strengthen security in the region.
Later, the UK government website published a press release on a new aid package for Ukraine to strengthen its air defense. The new £500 million package includes £150 million for NATO’s PURL initiative and an additional 1,000 British-made missiles.
The Minister of Defense confirmed that the UK will provide £150 million for the first time to NATO’s Priority Urgent Requirements List (PURL) initiative, which ensures the rapid delivery of air defense interceptor missiles to protect Ukraine’s skies.
In addition, the UK intends to supply an additional 1,000 Belfast-made Light Multi-Mission Missiles (LMM).
This £390 million deal is based on deepening cooperation between British and Ukrainian industry on the transfer of production and support for Rapid Ranger launchers and command and control vehicles to Ukraine.
The government has announced that in the coming months, the UK will also supply an additional 1,200 air defense missiles and 200,000 artillery shells.
As reported, Defense Minister Gille is co-chairing the 33rd meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group today (February 12, 2026) at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
The number of requests for long-term house rentals in January 2026 increased by 18% compared to January 2025, while responses for apartments were 4% less than a year earlier, the press service of OLX Real Estate told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to the company, these figures may indicate that Ukrainians prefer to rent houses due to their need for autonomy. At the same time, the level of supply decreased: by 9% in the house segment and by 12% in the apartment segment.
In January 2026, the median price for long-term house rentals across the country increased by 35% compared to January 2025, reaching UAH 35,000.
Compared to January 2025, the record growth rate was recorded in the Mykolaiv region: +81%, to UAH 14,000. In Zaporizhzhia, prices rose by 48% to UAH 10,000, in Kyiv by 28% to UAH 86,300, and in Cherkasy by 25% to UAH 10,000. The median house rental price decreased only in a few regions of western Ukraine, namely in Ivano-Frankivsk region – by 38%, to UAH 10,000, Khmelnytskyi region – by 18%, to UAH 8,250, and Rivne region – by 13%, to UAH 14,000.
Compared to December 2025, the median rental price for houses remained unchanged in most regions, except for Zakarpattia (+5%), Kyiv (+2%) regions, and Kyiv (+7%).
Demand for house rentals in most regions in January 2026 was higher than in January 2025. The number of reviews increased significantly in Zaporizhzhia (+153%), Ivano-Frankivsk (+120%), Kirovohrad (+42%), Zakarpattia (+32%), Rivne (+31%), and Kharkiv (+24%) regions. On the other hand, demand for house rentals fell significantly in Chernihiv (-43%), Mykolaiv (-34%), and Odesa (-16%) regions.
Comparing January 2026 with December 2025, demand in Ukraine increased by 30%. In Kyiv, the number of responses to house rental ads doubled, and in the region, it increased by 40%.
The median price for long-term apartment rentals in Ukraine as a whole in January 2026 was UAH 13,200, which is 10% higher than in January 2025 and 0.1% higher than in December 2025.
The situation is identical across regions: the median cost of renting an apartment is generally higher this year than in January 2025. The most noticeable growth was in the Kharkiv (+26%, to UAH 6,300) and Zakarpattia (+25%, to UAH 21,000) regions. The only decrease was recorded in the Chernihiv region: -7%, to UAH 6.5 thousand.
Comparing January 2026 to December 2025, the median costs remained unchanged across regions, except for the Zakarpattia region, where the price increased by 10%.
There was a noticeable increase in the number of responses to long-term apartment rentals in Zaporizhzhia (+105%) and Kharkiv (+34%) regions.
However, for the most part this year, searchers are less active in responding to apartment rental ads. A decrease in the number of responses was observed in most regions. The most noticeable decrease was in Chernihiv (by 34%), Odesa (by 28%), Mykolaiv (22%), Sumy, and Ternopil regions (by 13%).
In Kyiv and the surrounding region, the decline in demand compared to last year is 10% and 9%, respectively.
In January 2026, compared to December 2025, there was a slight increase in responses in the western region of the country, in Kyiv and the surrounding region – within 5-8%.
