Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has launched a promotional “Big Idiot seat sale” amid a public dispute between the airline’s CEO Michael O’Leary and entrepreneur Ilon Musk on social network X. The promotion is of a marketing nature and applies to the carrier’s European route network, rather than a “global” sale.
The occasion for the wrangle was O’Leary’s statements that Ryanair would not install Starlink satellite internet on planes because of the extra costs and “fuel drag” from the antennas. According to the Ryanair chief, the combined installation and operating costs could be as high as $200-250 million per year. Musk responded by calling O’Leary an “idiot” and launched a poll about a hypothetical purchase of Ryanair, to which O’Leary publicly responded in the same style.
As part of the campaign, Ryanair offered 100,000 tickets priced from €16.99 one-way for flights in the coming months, saying it was using the surge of attention surrounding the conflict to promote the sale.
O’Leary also emphasized that the scenario of a “takeover” of the carrier by a non-EU resident is practically unrealizable: the EU has rules that require control of EU-registered airlines to remain with European owners (in practice, non-EU ownership is limited), and Ryanair has separate procedures in place to control and limit the rights of non-EU shareholders.
On January 21, Ukraine and Switzerland signed a Memorandum of Understanding in Davos on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, launching a new large-scale economic sustainability program called “Competitiveness for Ukraine’s Recovery 2026-2030.”
“The total budget of the program is CHF 30 million. It is a long-term support tool for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which is particularly important for supporting SMEs in the current difficult conditions,” said Serhiy Sobolev, Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture, on Facebook.
According to him, the priority areas include agribusiness and food processing, sustainable construction, woodworking, mechanical engineering, and IT.
As specified by the Ministry of Economy, the memorandum defines four strategic areas of work, including simplifying the conditions for doing business (improving the regulatory framework, digitizing public services, and reducing regulatory pressure on entrepreneurs) and strengthening institutions (supporting business associations and regional development agencies that will help SMEs enter new markets).
This list also includes the modernization of enterprises (direct technical assistance to businesses for the introduction of green technologies, automation, and EU quality standards) and the development of human capital (joint work with the International Labor Organization to involve veterans, women, and internally displaced persons in economic processes).
The program will cover 10 regions of Ukraine where Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) are already actively working, as well as those regions covered by other Swiss-funded projects. It is expected that this approach will ensure the even recovery of communities and the creation of jobs directly in the regions.
The program is fully synchronized with state strategies and the Ukraine Facility plan, the Ministry of Economy added.
In 2026, Ukraine will receive $6 billion from the Japanese government for humanitarian and technical support, according to Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Olena Kondratiuk.
“The Rada at our first official meeting with Japanese Ambassador to Ukraine Masashi Nakagome… Japan has already provided Ukraine with more than 2,500 electric generators of various capacities, more than 65 transformers and 10 electric generator sets, and other critical equipment to support and restore the power system,” she wrote on her Facebook page on Wednesday.
Kondratyuk also expressed gratitude for the allocation of approximately $149 million in the supplementary budget approved by the Japanese parliament at the end of 2025 for projects under the Emergency Recovery Program for Ukraine.
She noted that Japan’s total financial and humanitarian assistance has already exceeded $15 billion.
In addition, Japan is assisting with the rehabilitation of Ukrainian military personnel, has joined the International Coalition for the Return of Ukrainian Children, and has voted in favor of recent pro-Ukrainian resolutions at the UN. In particular, Japan co-authored and supported the resolution “Return of Ukrainian Children.”
“It is important that Japan, as a G7 country, is putting sanctions pressure on Russia and supporting the prosecution of the aggressor country. This includes through the mechanism of the Special International Tribunal. I am convinced that only joint sanctions by all G7 countries, including the US and Europe, can force Russia to engage in peace talks,” Kondratyuk added.
As for the meeting itself, the parties discussed interparliamentary cooperation and the situation with the announcement of early parliamentary elections in Japan, which are scheduled for February 8, 2026.
In turn, Ambassador Masashi Nakagome noted that the vast majority of Japan’s key political forces support Ukraine. According to him, Japan will continue to provide financial and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.
The chairman of the National Association of Lobbyists of Ukraine (NALU) and spokesperson for the National Association of Advocates of Ukraine (NAAU), Oleksiy Shevchuk, passed the competitive selection process of the Council of Prosecutors of Ukraine and was elected as a member of the selection committee responsible for selecting the deputy head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP).
However, as Shevchuk reported on his Facebook page, commenting on the appointment, “immediately after that, another wave of information attacks, mudslinging, and provocations began” from a number of activists.
In particular, according to him, he “is and was Ilya Kiva’s lawyer during the period when he held the position of head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs department and was responsible for combating drug trafficking.”
“It was then, in my opinion, that he came into conflict with groups of ‘activists’ who were linked to drug trafficking in the notorious club ‘Closer,’” Shevchuk clarified.
Shevchuk noted that “these same people, in my opinion, were provocateurs and ‘torpedoes’ even back when I was a military lieutenant nominated to the High Council of Justice under the president’s quota.”
He emphasized that he did not “hide” or ‘evade’: “On March 7, I was mobilized and am working for the army and the front as a soldier.”
“I would like to note separately that I personally did not allow officials of the Lviv City Council to steal first aid kits intended for our military,” he said.
Shevchuk stressed that “if anyone used the names of the funds and my name for illegal activities, there will be procedural consequences.”
“We have already provided relevant incriminating evidence against individuals who may be involved in abuses. I am aware that some journalists have obtained information about our clients in violation of procedure. Manipulation and distortion of facts will not go unanswered — either in court or within the Commission on Journalistic Ethics. The relevant lawsuits have already been filed, and work in this direction will continue,” Shevchuk said.
Prosecutor, НАЛУ, НАУ, САП, ШЕВЧУК
Revenues to local budgets from transport tax payments amounted to UAH 249.8 million in 2025, which is 13.7% more than in 2024, according to data on the website of the State Tax Service of Ukraine (STS).
In regional terms, the largest amounts were paid in Kyiv (UAH 74.1 million), Dnipropetrovsk (UAH 24.9 million), Odesa (UAH 20.9 million), and Kyiv (UAH 18.5 million) regions.
The STS reminded that transport tax payers are individuals and legal entities, including non-residents, who own passenger cars registered in Ukraine that meet several criteria: no more than five years have passed since their year of manufacture (inclusive), and the average market value of the car is more than 375 times the minimum wage (MW) established as of January 1 of the tax (reporting) year.
In addition, in 2025, revenues to the state budget from the environmental tax increased—35,600 taxpayers paid UAH 5.6 billion, which is UAH 219 million more than the revenues from it in 2024.
Among the regions, the largest amounts were paid in the Dnipropetrovsk region (UAH 1.1 billion) and Kyiv (UAH 1 billion). Significant revenues were also recorded in the Ivano-Frankivsk (UAH 640 million) and Zaporizhzhia (UAH 392 million) regions.
Imports of insulated wires and cables, including fiber optic cables, to Ukraine in 2025 increased by 24.3% compared to 2024, reaching $590.7 million, according to data from the State Customs Service.
The largest suppliers of wires and cables last year were Hungary ($153.4 million, or 26% of imports), China ($132.3 million, or 22.4%), and Poland ($94.4 million, or 16%). For comparison: in 2024, imports from Hungary amounted to $127.8 million, from Poland – $80 million, and from China – $75 million.
In December 2025, imports of these products decreased by 4.4% compared to December 2024, to $49.1 million.
According to the State Customs Service, in 2024, Ukraine increased imports of insulated wires and cables by 9.3% compared to 2023, to $475 million.
