Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Cherkasyoblenergo convenes extraordinary shareholders’ meeting on March 5

According to Fixygen, Cherkasyoblenergo JSC (Cherkasy) will hold an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders on March 5, 2026, in a remote format (poll), according to a notice in the information disclosure system.

According to the document, the list of shareholders eligible to participate will be compiled on March 2, 2026 (as of 23:00). Ballot voting will take place from 11:00 on February 23 to 18:00 on March 5. The ballot on issues other than the election of bodies is planned to be posted on February 23, and on the election of candidates – on February 27.

The agenda includes the termination of the powers of the current members of the supervisory board, the election of new members, the approval of the terms of contracts with members of the supervisory board and their remuneration, as well as compensation to JSC Ukrainian Distribution Networks for the costs of organizing and holding the meeting.

The meeting was initiated by Ukrainian Distribution Networks JSC (which owns 46% of the voting ordinary shares) and UkrESKO JSC (25%), which together control more than 50% of the votes.

Cherkasyoblenergo JSC (EDRPOU 22800735) is the operator of the electricity distribution system in the Cherkasy region. The company operates under a license from the NEURC for electricity distribution (Resolution No. 1447 of 16 November 2018). According to OpenDataBot, the company’s revenue in 2024 amounted to UAH 3.84 billion, with a net financial result of a loss of UAH 119.46 million.

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Ukraine reduced exports of manganese ore to Slovakia in January

In January of this year, Ukraine reduced exports of manganese ore by 2.9% compared to the previous month, from 4,689 thousand tons to 4,553 thousand tons.

According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Tuesday, in monetary terms, exports remained at the December 2025 level of $756 thousand.

At the same time, exports in January were carried out to Slovakia (100% of supplies in monetary terms).

Ukraine did not import manganese ore in January 2026.

The SCS did not publish data on manganese ore exports and imports for January 2025.

As reported, Ukraine reduced manganese ore exports by 50.4% in 2025 compared to the same period last year, to 22,281 thousand tons, but increased shipments in August-December. While deliveries in the first seven months of 2025 amounted to 2,977 thousand tons, exports more than doubled in August, when 5,037 thousand tons were exported, in September they amounted to 1,725 thousand tons, in October – 3,993 thousand tons, 3,860 thousand tons in November, and 4,689 thousand tons in December.

In monetary terms, exports for the whole of 2025 fell by 45.2% compared to 2024, to $3.599 million. At the same time, the main exports were to Slovakia (99.22% of supplies in monetary terms) and Poland (0.78%). During this period, the country imported 37,006 thousand tons from Ghana worth $5.546 million, with all deliveries taking place in November. In 2024, 84,293 thousand tons of ore worth $18.302 million were imported.

In 2024, Ukraine exported 44,903 tons of manganese ore worth $6.563 million to the United States in January, breaking a two-year absence of supplies to foreign markets. In February-December 2024, there were no exports of manganese ore. At the same time, for the whole of 2024, the country imported 84,293 tons worth $18.302 million from Ghana (98.85%), Brazil (0.99%), and Belgium (0.11%). There were no imports in October-November.

Ukraine did not export manganese ore in 2022 and 2023, and in 2021, it exported 770 tons worth $89 thousand.

In addition, it was reported that the Pokrovsky Mining and Processing Plant (PGZK, formerly Ordzhonikidze Mining and Processing Plant) and the Marganetsky Mining and Processing Plant (MGZK, both in Dnipropetrovsk region), which are part of the Privat Group, stopped mining and processing raw manganese ore in late October-early November 2023, while NZF and ZZF stopped smelting ferroalloys. In the summer of 2024, ferroalloy plants resumed production.

PGZ and MGZ did not produce any products in 2024, while in 2023, PGZ produced 160.31 thousand tons of manganese concentrate, and MGZ was idle.

In 2025, PGZK produced 63.9 thousand tons of manganese concentrate worth UAH 342.138 million and sold 25.4 thousand tons worth UAH 216.309 million. In 2026, the plant plans to increase manganese concentrate production by 3.44 times compared to the previous year, to 220 thousand tons.

In Ukraine, manganese ore is mined and enriched by the Pokrovsky and Marganetsky mining and enrichment plants.

The consumers of manganese ore are ferroalloy enterprises.

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Oleksandr Farkosh appointed General Director of JTI Ukraine

Oleksandr Farkosh has been appointed General Director of JTI Ukraine. He replaces Svitlana Sharomok, who has headed the Ukrainian office since 2022 and is moving to a new role within the company. Svitlana Sharomok will take up the position of General Director of JTI Ireland.

Alexander Farkosh has extensive management experience in Ukraine and international markets. Prior to his appointment in Ukraine, he headed JTI Hungary. His professional expertise is based on more than 24 years of work at JTI and previous experience in the management sector, focusing on country-level business management, strategic planning, and organizational efficiency improvement.

Throughout his career at JTI, Alexander has held leadership positions related to commercial strategy development and implementation, partnership development, team management, and coordination of decisions between key functions—sales and marketing, supply chain, and research and development. The international dimension of his experience is reinforced by his work at JTI headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, and management roles in other markets, including Kazakhstan and Central Asia.

Commenting on the appointment, Alexander Farkosh said: “It is a great honor and responsibility for me to lead the JTI Ukraine team during what remains an extremely difficult period for the country. Svitlana Sharomok and the team have gone through the most difficult years since the start of the full-scale war, maintaining business stability, humanity, and responsibility towards employees and communities. I will bring all my experience and knowledge to continue this course, strengthen our effectiveness, and further develop the company in Ukraine, my home country.”

Oleksandr graduated from Lviv Trade and Economic University with a degree in international economic relations and completed additional management programs at international training centers in the UK and Switzerland.

About JTI Ukraine

JTI Ukraine is part of Japan Tobacco International (headquartered in Geneva), the international tobacco business of the Japan Tobacco group of companies (headquartered in Tokyo). Since 1999, the company has been one of the leading manufacturers of tobacco products in Ukraine, employing over 800 people at its central office in Kyiv, regional offices, and factory in Kremenchuk. JTI Ukraine manufactures products for both the domestic market and for export to nine countries around the world. In 2024, the company introduced the innovative Ploom ecosystem to the Ukrainian market in the category of tobacco products for electric heating (TPEH).

Over 26 years of operation, approximately $440 million has been invested in the country’s economy, with an additional $60 million in investments planned for 2024–2026. The company actively implements social initiatives aimed at supporting Ukrainians during the war, developing an inclusive corporate culture, and strengthening local communities. The company is a signatory to the principles of veteran-friendly business. JTI Ukraine is among the top 10 largest taxpayers to the state budget and the top 10 companies according to the Ukrainian Corporate Equality Index.

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Kyivstar acquired medical goods service Tabletki.ua for $160 mln

Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of the digital medical goods service Tabletki.ua (MTPC LLC) for the hryvnia equivalent of $160 million, according to a press release issued by the company on Tuesday.

“We will be able to combine Kyivstar’s successful experience in digital business management and development with Tabletki.ua’s strong foundation to make digital medical services more accessible to a wider audience and ensure the best convenience for everyone,” said Kyivstar President and CEO Alexander Komarov.

Kyivstar Group shares on the Nasdaq rose 2% on Tuesday to $2.5 per share.

According to YouControl, the owners of MTPC LLC are Alexander, Natalia, and Yevgeny Muravshchiki (23%, 23%, and 10%, respectively), Yuri Savin (20%), Vladimir Osmachko (15%), and Vadim Rogatinsky (9%).

In its presentation of the deal, Kyivstar pointed to potential synergies with other businesses in its group: the development of a digital health ecosystem, the enrichment of mobile data to increase user engagement and accessibility.

“Synergy between Kyivstar (telecommunications company), Helsi (largest provider of SaaS services in the field of electronic health), Uklon (delivery), and Tabletki.ua (leading market for medicines) to provide significant benefits to customers,” the document says.

It is noted that the service cooperates with more than 14,000 pharmacies throughout Ukraine and, according to 2025 data, provided 14 million online orders per month.

The operator specified that, according to unaudited management reports, Tabletki.ua’s EBITDA profit grew by 34% to UAH 755 million in the first nine months of 2025, while in 2024 it grew by 86% to UAH 810 million.

In dollar terms, EBITDA increased by 29% over nine months to $18 million, compared to 69.4% in 2024 to $20 million.

The company’s net profit for the first nine months of last year amounted to UAH 682 million ($16 million) compared to UAH 707 million ($17.6 million) for the whole of last year, while the total value of goods (GMV – gross merchandise value) booked through the platform amounted to UAH 43 billion ($1.034 billion) and UAH 45 billion ($1.056 billion), respectively. According to the presentation, 85% of the company’s revenue comes from transactions and subscriptions, while another 12.2% comes from advertising.

Kyivstar specified that as of the end of September 2025, the 12-month (LTM) GMV was UAH 57.3 billion ($1.191 billion), EBITDA was UAH 1 billion ($24 million), and net profit was UAH 836 million ($20 million).

Thus, Tabletki.ua’s EV/EBITDA ratio was 6.7 times, and its P/E ratio was 8 times. In 2025, Kyivstar closed a deal to acquire 97% of Uklon’s corporate rights for $155.2 million, with the EV/EBITDA multiple of that deal being approximately the same.

As reported, at the end of January this year, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) allowed Kyivstar to acquire control over the Tabletki.ua service, although Kyivstar submitted its first application to acquire MTPC back in November 2024.

In the third quarter of 2025, Kyivstar received EBITDA of UAH 7.1 billion, which is 21.5% more than in the third quarter of 2024, and in dollars, the growth was 20.4% – to $171 million.

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Ukrainian Red Cross and the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs have agreed to expand assistance to children

The Director General of the Ukrainian Red Cross (URC), Maksym Dotsenko, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sibiga, discussed assistance to communities and children.

“During the meeting, the parties focused on the practical results of humanitarian initiatives that have already been implemented and on further expanding cooperation in the context of full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine,” the UCC reported on its official Facebook page.

Among the key topics of discussion were the health and recreation of Ukrainian children abroad. This primarily concerns the children of military personnel, deceased and missing defenders, as well as children from frontline regions.

With the assistance of the Ukrainian Red Cross, more than 700 children were able to recover and relax outside Ukraine last year. The first trips for children took place in early 2026, and the program continues to expand. In the near future, it is planned to organize recreation for children from regions subject to constant shelling, in particular the Sumy and Chernihiv regions.

During the meeting, the parties also discussed support for the energy sustainability of communities and assistance to the population during the winter period.
A separate vector of dialogue was the prospects for the development of humanitarian cooperation outside Ukraine.

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Total Experience – your investment in profit and business sustainability 2026

Customer experience no longer works as a “separate function.” In 2026, it becomes Total Experience—a holistic approach that combines customer experience with brand and employee experience, automation, and user experience into a single managed system.

This is the business response to the new reality: not chasing the customer, but anticipating their needs, reducing friction at key stages of interaction, and shaping demand through a well-thought-out experience. Managed experience ensures increased loyalty, repeat sales, and margins.

This transformation is the focus of the 20th anniversary CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CONFERENCE with the theme MATURE CX MANAGEMENT SYSTEM from KA Group, a team that has been creating strategic business events for 13 years in a row, shaping new rules of the game for business leaders.

If you are responsible for customer experience, brand, digital solutions, or team performance, save the date:

February 26 — 20′ CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE CONFERENCE — the only cross-industry conference in Ukraine for leaders who develop mature and human customer experience as a management system.

This event is worth attending if you:

want to turn changes in demand into effective CX solutions;

strive to make your brand promise manageable and measurable (CX + BX);

plan to implement AI and automation without chaos in processes and teams (CX + AI);

are looking for ways to reduce team fatigue while maintaining service quality (CX + EX);

want to create a seamless omnichannel user and digital experience (CX + UX/DX);

want to learn how a CEO should manage CX;

are ready for practical work with real business challenges.

Conference speakers:

Serhii Nozdrachov, certified Gullup expert in talent development and team engagement, KMBS lecturer

Denys Sudilkovskyi, Brand and Business Director at LUN, Director of Innovation at Prjctr AI Lab

Yuriy Gladkyi, founder and CEO of Grape brand marketing agency

Dmytro Karpilovskyi, full-time investor, co-founder of UkrInvestClub

Yaroslav Zablotskyi, professor, founder of the Zablotskyi Clinic chain

Olena Tsysar, International Expert on Strategic Development of Customer Experience (CX)

Oksana Marusych, Certified Business Trainer, ICF Coach, Expert on Service and Customer Experience

Marina Bereziuk, Business Psychologist, Independent Consultant on Customer Service

Kateryna Ilchenko, founder of Ukraine’s first neuromarketing agency, Neuro-knowledge

Kateryna Nebesna, Head of Guest Experience at Fozzy Group

Hanna Gryshyna, Deputy CEO for Strategic Marketing and Communications at EVA

Oleksandr Mazur, Director of Marketing and Digital Channels at Raiffeisen Bank

Iryna Chubukova, business consultant on customer analytics, author of the book Customer Analytics, lecturer at KMBS

Nastasia Klen, social innovation designer

Denis Studennikov, COO of Turum-Burum, Member of the Expert Council at CX Excellence Awards 2025

Yulia Shkurko, Head of the Analytical Department at Pro-Consulting

Petro Minchenko, Head of CX at Synevo

Alona Moroz, AM Facilitation, Strategic Facilitator

The highlight of the event is Open Space, a practical format where participants set the agenda themselves, choose discussions, and gain practical insights on topics that are truly important to them.

Register as a team and join a community of leaders who are turning customer experience into a competitive advantage and a driver of business growth.

There is also a special offer for team participation 4 + 1.

Organizer: KA Group

Official partner: Raiffeisen Bank

Contacts: info@kagroup.ua | +38 (063) 247 94 74

Detailed program and team registration: https://kagroup.ua/cx/

Interfax-Ukraine is the main information partner of the event.

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