Possible merger of tower companies Ukraine Tower Company (UTC) and Ukrainian Network Solutions (UNS), which are associated with the largest mobile operators Kyivstar and Vodafone Ukraine, will lead to monopolization and structural imbalance in the telecom market, according to their smaller competitor Lifecell LLC (TM lifecell).
“Given the significant impact on the market and millions of consumers, the agreement should be reviewed openly and transparently, with the involvement of all market participants and the expert community,” the operator said in a press release on Monday, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
According to lifecell, such a merger could affect the pace of innovation and weaken the focus on subscriber needs.
The operator also stressed that the potential deal could threaten the security of national communications as a whole and limit investment in Ukraine.
“Excessive concentration of critical infrastructure in one hand may be perceived as a signal of increased risk, deterring investment in the telecommunications sector,” lifecell explained its position.
The company stressed that decisions regarding the possible merger of tower stations must be made with consideration for the long-term consequences for competition, the development of the telecom market, and the country’s security.
At the end of January, it was reported that UTC, the tower business of the telecommunications holding company VEON, which owns Ukraine’s largest mobile operator Kyivstar, is trying to get the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) to approve a merger with UNS , the tower asset of the country’s second-largest mobile operator, Vodafone Ukraine.
At that time, Forbes Ukraine explained that the merger of the tower companies VEON and Vodafone Ukraine could be linked to a desire to sell them to a third party on more favorable terms, with a price tag of $300 million.
According to Forbes Ukraine’s calculations, UNS’s revenue for the first nine months of 2025 reached UAH 528.8 million, with annual EBITDA of about $15 million and UTC of UAH 2.1 billion and $50-60 million, respectively.
At the same time, lifecell also has a tower asset: according to YouControl, its revenue for the first nine months of 2025 amounted to UAH 461.0 million, with a net profit of UAH 202.2 million.
According to data from the regulator NCEK, the top three leaders in terms of revenue from telecommunications services for the first nine months of 2025 in Ukraine were mobile operators Kyivstar with UAH 32.35 billion, Vodafone Ukraine (UAH 18.88 billion), and lifecell from the DVL group (UAH 11.58 billion).
According to Fixygen, PJSC Centrenergo (EDRPOU code 22927045) will hold an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders in a remote format (poll) on February 9, 2026, according to a statement from the State Property Fund of Ukraine.
According to the documents, the agenda includes amendments to the company’s charter, as well as changes to the provisions on the supervisory board and the principles of forming the supervisory board. In addition, the shareholders plan to consider the termination of the powers of the chairman and members of the supervisory board and the election of a new composition, as well as the approval of the terms of civil law contracts with members of the supervisory board and the appointment of an authorized person to sign them.
As specified in the materials, voting by ballot will take place from January 30 (from 11:00 a.m.) to February 9 (until 6:00 p.m.), and the date for compiling the list of shareholders entitled to participate in the meeting is set for February 4, 2026.
Centrenergo is one of Ukraine’s largest generating companies, operating in the electricity and heat production and supply segment, operating three TPPs (Vuhlehirsk, Zmiiv, and Trypilska) and the Remenergo repair division. A 78.289% stake is managed by the state through the State Property Fund and is included in the list of large privatization objects.
The left-wing coalition Sumar has registered an initiative in the Spanish Congress aimed at legalizing the rental market, which provides for a ban on cash payments for rent and the transfer of payments to electronic, traceable channels, according to Spanish media reports.
According to the published details, payments are to be made by bank transfer or other electronic means, and financial institutions servicing such transactions will be required to automatically transfer information to the Spanish tax service (AEAT) to identify undeclared income and strengthen tenant protection by confirming payment with bank statements.
A separate element of the package is a 1% withholding from the rent amount, which the landlord will have to transfer to the AEAT on a monthly basis. The materials emphasize that this levy is also seen as a tool for forming a more accurate indicator of rental price dynamics across regions.
Sumar estimates the scale of tax losses from violations and evasion in the rental income segment at over €12.5 billion per year and proposes to strengthen the resources of the tax service, including the creation of specialized units to detect violations in the real estate market.
For banks, implementing this approach means an increase in the share of payments passing through accounts and, at the same time, an expansion of the role of compliance and data exchange with tax authorities. For the housing market, this could mean an acceleration of the “whitening” of rents and increased price transparency, but the parameters and timing will depend on the initiative passing through parliament.
In Spain, measures to tighten rules in the seasonal rental segment and prevent abuse are being discussed in parallel, with the government having previously announced the preparation of a corresponding package. For comparison, in Greece, a rule will be introduced on January 1, 2026, according to which rent must be paid through registered bank accounts, and cash payments will no longer be accepted.
In 2025, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection conducted almost 22 thousand inspections of advertising media. This is 14% more than in 2024. More than half of the inspections concerned outdoor advertising. A total of 4,085 violations in advertising were detected last year, a 1.5-fold increase in violations over the year. Businesses in Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Chernihiv regions received the most comments. The total amount of fines amounted to UAH 10.68 million. More than a quarter of violations concern the use of non-state languages in advertising.
21,938 advertisements were checked last year in Ukraine, which is 14% more than in 2024. After a sharp decline in the first year of full-scale advertising, the number of inspections of advertising media has been growing year on year, although it has not yet reached the level of 2021. Although there are fewer inspections, violations are found by a third more than before the full-scale campaign.
More than half of the inspections last year concerned outdoor advertising – 11,037. At the same time, the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection has become more active in checking promotions on social media and websites: 2,695 investigations.
On average, violations were found in every fifth case – 4,085. However, it is worth noting that there may be several violations on one checked advertising medium. In general, the number of observations increased by one and a half times over the year.
What violations in advertising are businesses fined for?
About a quarter of all violations relate to advertising in non-state languages – 1,075 cases. In more than half of the cases, the violators were businesses from Kharkiv region: 672 fines. Other frequent violations include advertising of alcohol (320 cases), medicines (276), and cigarettes (195).
Businesses in Kharkiv region were the leaders in terms of the number of violations: 1014 violations were found in 1248 ads studied. This is the highest figure in the country. By comparison, Kyiv, where the most inspections were conducted (3,256), found only 514 violations, which is the second highest. Businesses from Chernihiv region round out the top three violators of advertising rules: 304 observations were made in 2,646 inspections.
In total, almost UAH 10.68 million worth of remarks were issued, which is 4,227 fines. On average, a business pays UAH 2,526 for non-compliance with advertising rules.
Violations of advertising rules were most expensive in Zaporizhzhia region, where the average fine reached UAH 4,500, and the lowest average amounts were recorded in Sumy region – UAH 1,050.
Businesses voluntarily paid 61% of fines in the amount of UAH 6.65 million. Another 17% were collected from violators by force. And only 3% of entrepreneurs were able to appeal the decision of the State Service of Ukraine on Food Safety and Consumer Protection in the amount of UAH 455 thousand in courts.
The history of US territorial expansion includes a number of major deals in which Washington acquired land from European powers and neighboring states. The Experts Club infographic highlights key acquisitions and their price at the time of the deal, as well as approximate estimates in 2026 dollars.
One of the largest deals was the Louisiana Purchase (1803), in which the US acquired vast territories in central North America from France for $15 million (estimated at around $430 million in 2026 prices). The next major expansion was the Mexican Cession (1848) — the transfer of territories following the Mexican-American War, formalized by an agreement, with a payment of $15 million (estimated at $615 million in 2026 prices).
Deals in the south and southwest were a separate block. Florida (1819) was transferred by Spain, and the financial part of the agreement was estimated at $5 million (in 2026 prices – about $127 million). The purchase of Gadsden (1854) from Mexico, which clarified the border in the southwest, cost the US $10 million (about $386 million in 2026 prices).
The most famous deal with the Russian Empire was the purchase of Alaska (1867) for $7.2 million (about $158 million in 2026 prices). Later, the US expanded into the Caribbean by purchasing the Virgin Islands (1917) from Denmark for $25 million (about $698 million in 2026 prices).
The Experts Club notes that the comparison of “prices in 2026” is approximate and depends on the conversion method (inflation indices, purchasing power parity). However, even with this approximation, it is clear that the historical transaction amounts appear relatively small by modern standards given the strategic value of the acquired territories, their natural resources, logistical position, and impact on security.
Since the beginning of 2026, Lesy Ukrainy has harvested 244,000 cubic meters more timber products than in the same period in 2025, the state-owned enterprise’s press service reported on its Telegram channel.
According to the report, the pace of harvesting has increased by 44%. The work is being carried out ahead of schedule, despite unfavorable weather conditions – snowfalls and severe frosts.
At the same time, Lesy Ukrainy noted that businesses are choosing contracted products with a certain delay. The main reasons are the lack of electricity and logistics problems, in particular due to enemy attacks on the railway in some northern regions.
“We are in constant contact with our customers. In general, businesses are not refusing products, but are proposing to revise shipment schedules,” the state-owned enterprise noted.
Currently, there is an increase in the stock of certain types of timber in warehouses, but this is not critical for the winter period. The company has decided not to slow down the pace of harvesting, strictly adhering to its commitments for 2026. Lesy Ukrainy added that further developments will depend on the buyers of timber products.
