During the war, direct and indirect losses of the agricultural sector reached $40.2 billion, but these are not the final figures, as Ukrainian territories are still under temporary occupation, so it is difficult to calculate the full extent of losses, said Oleksandr Haidu, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy.
“Confirmed direct losses of the agricultural sector exceeded $8.7 billion. We are talking about the destruction of infrastructure, business facilities, logistics chains, destruction and theft of grain and agricultural machinery by the enemy. There are also indirect losses of at least $30.5 billion. Unfortunately, this is not the final figure. When we accurately calculate the damage caused by the enemy’s explosion of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station, the amount will be much higher,” the MP said on Wednesday at the conference “18 Months of War. Damage to the agricultural sector and prospects for the industry’s recovery”.
According to him, it is difficult to assess the consequences of contamination of agricultural land with explosives, destruction of the upper layers of soil due to “arrivals” and explosions during demining.
“We see that a large area is mined. Potentially, 174 thousand square kilometers of Ukrainian land are contaminated with explosives. And this is without taking into account the temporarily occupied regions,” the MP noted and informed about the preparation of the draft law “On the Quality of Soils”.
Gaidu also emphasized that the state cannot cover the needs of the affected farmers on its own and promised to engage international partners to support the agricultural sector.
“I emphasized the expediency of differentiating programs for farmers. After all, the needs of farmers are very different. For example, those farms that operate in the de-occupied territories cannot attract investment because financial institutions are mostly unwilling to cooperate with them. Although they are the first to return to their places after the liberation of the region to resume their activities and fill local budgets,” he wrote on Facebook.
The chairman of the relevant parliamentary committee believes that one of the mechanisms for compensation for the damage could be “grain reparations,” a mechanism that would help farmers receive compensation for destroyed businesses.
In January-June 2023, Ukrposhta JSC increased its net loss by 27.0% compared to the same period last year, to UAH 653.7 million.
According to the state-owned company’s report in the NSSMC information disclosure system, its net income increased by 20.0% to UAH 5 billion 580.13 million.
It is noted that in the first half of this year, the Pension Fund remained the only client whose revenues exceeded 10% of Ukrposhta’s total income. The amount of remuneration from it for the delivery of pensions and other social benefits amounted to UAH 1.421 billion against UAH 1.423 billion for the same period last year.
It is specified that revenues from the provision of national postal services increased by 33.2% to UAH 3 billion 2.92 million. In particular, from the delivery of parcels and small packages – by 46.5% to UAH 1 billion 581.85 million, from the distribution of written correspondence – by 3.1% to UAH 667.46 million, from international postal exchange – almost 2.1 times to UAH 456.57 million, while from prepaid registration and delivery of periodicals decreased by 45.1% to UAH 103.7 million.
Financial and related services brought Ukrposhta UAH 2 billion 89.83 million in January-June 2023, only 0.3% more than in January-June 2022, largely due to the stability of the Pension Fund’s remuneration.
At the same time, revenues from postal transfers increased by 75.9% to UAH 130.9 million, while payment acceptance brought in 7.1% less, to UAH 497.37 million.
Finally, sales of own and commission goods increased by 54.6% to UAH 486.62 million.
“Ukrposhta noted that the share of foreign revenues in its revenue increased to 8.2% in the first half of this year from 4.7% in the first half of last year and totaled UAH 456.57 million. In particular, revenues from counterparties in Latvia jumped almost 4.4 times to UAH 228.17 million, in Estonia – 62 times to UAH 56.63 million, in Poland – 2.3 times to UAH 28.4 million, in Germany – 33.8% to UAH 15.48 million.
In the first half of 2023, the company managed to achieve a gross profit of UAH 31.15 million, compared to a gross loss of UAH 32.3 million in the first half of 2022.
However, due to an increase in administrative and sales expenses, the operating loss even slightly increased compared to the same reporting period last year – by 9.8% to UAH 747.04 million.
It is reported that as of June 30, 2023, Ukrposhta’s current liabilities exceeded its current assets by UAH 2.81 billion, while as of December 31, 2022, they exceeded its current assets by UAH 1.97 billion.
The company noted that it continues to operate amid the military conflict with Russia. As of the reporting date, parts of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia regions remain occupied, with about 12% of post offices located there. Currently, there are almost 25.5 thousand points of presence (45 thousand employees), the report says.
It is noted that Ukrposhta continues to implement major strategic investment projects. In particular, the transition to mobile offices in rural areas has been completed – the project was implemented with the support of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The next step is to automate mobile branches by the end of 2023, which will allow Ukrposhta to fully automate its network.
The company also announced the implementation of the ERP system module, and the transition to a new centralized structure without separate branches is scheduled to be completed in the third quarter of 2023. In addition, other critical back-end and transactional IT systems are being gradually updated to improve the quality of service delivery.
“After a certain pause due to the Russian aggression, Ukrposhta has resumed the project to modernize the logistics network (renting modern logistics centers and installing new sorting equipment). 3 parcel sorting lines have already been launched and full automation of the main sorting hubs covering the entire country is planned for the first quarter of 2024,” the report says.
It is also noted that in 2021, the company entered into a preliminary agreement for the purchase/sale of a controlling stake in one of the private commercial banks to be able to provide banking services in the branch network. “The transaction will take place only if the National Bank of Ukraine authorizes it and other terms of the agreement are fulfilled. As of the date of approval of the financial statements, the company’s management has not received the relevant permits,” Ukrposhta said.
As for the bonds, the company reported that it has UAH 3.3 million of C series bonds at par with maturity on November 18 this year.
On September 1, three types of training were introduced in Ukrainian schools and universities, depending on the level of security in different regions. A total of 13,000 schools are operating in Ukraine in the new school year: 6.5 thousand of them operate in a standard format, and 3.8 thousand in a mixed format. The total number of pupils is about 4 million, with 415,000 students. At the same time, the level of danger to the educational process remains high even in the capital, as on September 21, the debris of missiles shot down over the capital damaged the educational building and dormitory of the National Academy of Statistics, Accounting and Audit.
That is why, according to the founders of the Kyiv-based training and analytical center Experts club, it is important to help teachers and professors master key first aid skills.
On Friday, September 29, at 16:00, a training seminar on “First Aid for Children in Case of Injuries and Traumas” will be held in Kyiv. The event is organized by the Experts Club think tank in cooperation with medical partner Adonis. The general partner is the Pryirpinia Community Foundation, and information support is provided by the Interfax-Ukraine news agency and the Open4business portal.
The training will be conducted by Mariana Bolyuk, a representative of the Adonis Medical Center Group, an anesthesiologist and co-author of 12 scientific publications.
To participate in the event, you need to register by sending a request to fam@experts.news. The request should contain the following information: Name of the participant, phone number, name of the educational institution.
Upon confirmation of participation, participants will be sent information about the venue of the seminar. Please note that the number of seats is limited!
EXPERTS CLUB, FIRST AID, Mariana Bolyuk, Pryirpinia Community Foundation, TRAINING, АДОНИС
The British International School, Ukraine (BISU) and DIM Group have signed an agreement to create a modern educational space in the VITA neighborhood of Park Lake City, with construction scheduled to begin next year.
As Park Lake City co-founder Andriy Mishchenko clarified during a press conference at Interfax-Ukraine, negotiations with the British International School began before the full-scale invasion.
“The war has postponed our plans, but not stopped them. The first step of our cooperation – the construction of a kindergarten and an elementary school called Early Years Academy – will start next year,” he said.
He clarified that the VITA quarter’s infrastructure will include its own kindergarten, primary, middle and high schools, and campuses for teachers and children.
“While the war continues, preceded by a two-year global pandemic, we believe it is extremely important to provide children with a world-class education provided by certified international BISU teachers. Some of them stayed with us in Ukraine. School and learning have become a kind of symbol of resistance to Russian aggression. Our students are the younger generation that will restore the country, rebuild the nation and guide it to prosperity,” said Olena Tovkun, member of the Supervisory Board and Head of the BISU Admissions Committee.
She added that for 26 years, BISU has been constantly supporting British academic traditions and high standards of teaching.
The first stage of the BISU educational cluster, Early Years Academy, will be a two-story building with a total area of 2.9 thousand square meters. The academy is designed for 185 students.
DIM plans to start construction in 2024 and put it into operation in 2025. A 3-hectare plot has been reserved for the construction of a middle and high school in the next stages.
Construction of the Park Lake City business-class suburban residential complex began in 2019. The advantages of the residential complex include a picturesque area with its own pond, stylish architecture and a park area with rare plants. After the start of the full-scale invasion, the first phase, which includes four houses of the VITA quarter, was put into operation. The second phase of the complex, consisting of 12 buildings, is currently under construction.
DIM Group was founded in 2014 and consists of six companies covering all stages of construction. To date, it has commissioned 12 buildings in six residential complexes with a total residential area of over 218 thousand square meters. Six residential complexes of “comfort+” and “business class” categories are under construction: “New Autograph, Metropolis, Park Lake City, Lucky Land, etc.
The British International School was founded in 1997 and was the first institution to initiate the British approach to education in Ukraine. Since the beginning of the invasion, BISU has not stopped its activities to ensure a continuous educational process. It is the only international school that has physically continued to operate in the country, in Kyiv’s Pechersk district and Dnipro, since September 1, 2022, offering bilingual education from kindergarten to graduate school. The academic course is based on a combination of British, international and Ukrainian curriculum and creative development activities. Graduates receive the Cambridge IGCSE, international IBDP or A-levels, and a Ukrainian certificate of basic and complete secondary education of the state standard.
Revenue per available room per day (RevPAR) in the period from June 1 to September 31 increased by 234% to UAH 3,041 in Bukovel, by 154% to UAH 695 in Odesa, by 102% to UAH 546 in Kyiv, and by 19% to UAH 1,411 in Lviv, Hotel Matrix project manager Olga Mishchenko told Interfax-Ukraine.
“RevPAR is a result calculated by multiplying the average rate by the occupancy. It is an indicator of commercial efficiency from the operation of the room stock. The summer results are really positive. First of all, we see growth in hotels with a resort and sanatorium focus, especially in the Carpathians. Odesa, thanks to the fact that the sea was finally “opened” in August, was also able to significantly improve its performance,” said Mishchenko.
In June-August 2023, hotel occupancy in Bukovel reached 78% (compared to 50% in the summer of 2022), in Lviv it was 54% (50%), in Odesa – 29% (21%), and in Kyiv – 28% (15%).
ADR (average daily rate) for hotels in Bukovel was UAH 3878 (UAH 1810 in summer 2022), in Lviv – UAH 2598 (UAH 2359), in Odesa – UAH 2383 (UAH 1333), in Kyiv – UAH 1956 (UAH 1854).
Hotel Matrix is a web-based hotel analytics product developed by Ukrainian developers. It was launched in May 2020. Currently, 202 hotels in Ukraine, 18 in Poland and two in Kazakhstan are connected to Hotel Matrix.
Over the last six months, 60% of Ukrainians have experienced a deterioration in their economic situation, 35% have not changed, only 5% have noted an improvement, according to the research carried out by the Sociological Group “Rating” on September 5-7.
At the same time, 23% of the respondents hope that in 2024 their personal economic situation will improve, 41% believe it will not change, 21% are pessimistic about this.
Ukrainians assessed the economic situation in the country as a whole even worse: 73% felt it had deteriorated, 13% said there had been no changes, and 9% said it had improved. Assessments of the current situation are better than in previous surveys, but negative assessments of the future are increasing: 29% expect improvement, 26% think nothing will change, 32% expect deterioration.
At the same time, 61% of respondents believe that things in Ukraine are moving in the right direction, 23% share the opposite opinion, and 16% were not able to assess. There is a decrease in the number of those who assess the direction of the country’s development as correct, but in all regions and among all age groups, the assessment of the direction as correct continues to prevail.
The best assessments of their own economic situation are observed among the residents of the West and Center of the country, younger respondents, those who are employed, and especially those who have found a new job. Almost the same trends are observed in assessing the future. The future of the Ukrainian economy is relatively better assessed by residents of the South.
44% of respondents who worked before the war are currently working at their usual jobs, 14% work part-time/remotely, and 15% have found a new job. A quarter of respondents who had a job are still unemployed, but their number is decreasing. Residents of the center and west of the country, men, young people, and middle-aged people have a relatively better job situation. Among IDPs, the number of those who have secured new jobs and are working as usual has increased over time, while the share of those who are unemployed has decreased from half to 40% compared to the beginning of 2023.
The number of respondents forced to leave their place of permanent residence remained almost unchanged at 18%. The largest number of IDPs came from the eastern macro-region – about 60% of them changed their place of residence, and the southern macro-region – 25% of whom were internally displaced.
The CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviews) survey included 1,000 respondents aged 18 and older in all government-controlled areas and districts with Ukrainian mobile phone coverage at the time of the survey. The results are weighted using the latest data from the State Statistics Service. The margin of error of the survey with a confidence level of 0.95 is no more than 3.1%.
