The National Antarctic Scientific Center (NASC) and the Mexican Antarctic Research Agency (AMEA) signed a memorandum on scientific cooperation in Antarctica in Mexico City on Monday, August 11. signed a memorandum on scientific cooperation in Antarctica in Mexico City, which provides for joint Ukrainian-Mexican research aboard the icebreaker Noosfera and at the Akademik Vernadsky station, according to the NANC.
NASU President Yevhen Dykyi noted that it is strategically important to study the Antarctic ecosystem in the context of climate change and to involve more countries in this effort.
“Antarctica is a unique global laboratory where scientists from any country can work together across national borders on global science and study processes that affect not only Antarctica but the entire planet… It is a great honor and pleasure for us to become a bridge to Antarctica for those countries that are just beginning their journey there, and we look forward to welcoming our Mexican colleagues to the Vernadsky station and aboard the Noosfera,” he said.
AMEA President Patricia Valdespino emphasized that cooperation with Ukraine is a “happy opportunity” for Mexico.
“It is a happy occasion that the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), in particular the Institute of Marine Sciences and Limnology (ICMyL), the National School of Earth Sciences, and tomorrow the Faculty of Natural Sciences, are involved in the launch of this project, its successful implementation, and the exchange of information with Mexicans. We are committed to actively participating in decisions that improve our relationship with the planet through science, technology, and sustainable development,” she said.
It is noted that, in addition to scientific interest, “Antarctic diplomacy” is of great importance for Ukraine, as it is becoming an increasingly important instrument of “soft power” and strengthening our country’s position in the Global South, in particular through the expansion of bilateral cooperation with Latin American countries.
The State Customs Service of Ukraine has announced a tender for the purchase of compulsory motor third-party liability insurance services.
According to a notice in the Prozorro electronic public procurement system, the expected cost of the services is UAH 90,589 thousand. Documents will be accepted until August 19.
Since the beginning of 2025, JSC “NAEK ”Energoatom” has continued to fully perform its special obligations to ensure the availability of electricity for household consumers (PSO), aimed at reducing its cost for the population.
“Since the beginning of the year, Energoatom has already paid UAH 94.3 billion (including VAT) for PSO services. In particular, 100% of the cost of services for January-July 2025 and 60% of the estimated cost for August were covered,” the company said on Tuesday.
According to Energoatom’s financial plan, the estimated cost of PSO services in 2025 is UAH 163.9 billion (including VAT).
“Energoatom is conscientiously fulfilling its obligations to the state by paying for PSO services on time and in full. In addition, we are not stopping and are entering the final stage of the repair campaign, which will enable us to operate at full capacity with all nine power units in the autumn-winter period,” said Energoatom CEO Petro Kotin.
The company recalled that in 2024, NAEK paid UAH 153.2 billion (including VAT) for PSO services.
As reported, in 2024, Energoatom allocated 58% of its net income to PSO payments, with the company’s net profit for the past year amounting to UAH 1.3 billion.
Energoatom currently operates nine power units at the South Ukraine, Rivne, and Khmelnytskyi nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 7,880 MW, located in territory controlled by Ukraine.
The Zaporizhzhia NPP, with six VVER-1000 power units with a total capacity of 6,000 MW, has not been producing electricity since September 11, 2022, following its occupation on March 3-4, 2022.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke by phone with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday, during which both sides reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine and the need to end Russian aggression.
“The Prime Minister spoke to the Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney this afternoon. They discussed their unwavering support for Ukraine and ongoing work to stop the killing and end Russia’s war of aggression. Both leaders underscored that Ukraine’s future must be one of freedom, sovereignty, and self-determination,” says a message published on the official website of the UK government.
They also praised international efforts led by US President Donald Trump to bring peace: “They welcomed continued international efforts, led by President Trump, to bring peace and agreed that this must be built with Ukraine – not imposed upon it.”
Both leaders agreed they would continue to work closely with President Trump and President Zelenskyy over the coming days.
Insurance company Universal (Kyiv) collected UAH 1.614 billion in gross insurance premiums in January-June 2025, which is 34.45% more than in the same period of 2024, according to the website of the rating agency Standard-Rating.
The agency updated the credit rating/financial stability (reliability) rating of Universalna Insurance Company at “uaAAА” on the national scale based on an analysis of its performance during the specified period.
According to the published data, income from individuals increased by 38.37% to UAH 737.560 million, while income from reinsurers, on the contrary, decreased by 53.26% to UAH 3.489 million. Thus, at the end of the first half of 2025, legal entities prevailed in the company’s client portfolio.
Insurance payments sent to reinsurers in the first half of 2025 increased by 59.05% to UAH 87.637 million compared to the same period in 2024, and the reinsurers’ share in insurance premiums increased by 0.84 percentage points to 5.43%.
During the period, the insurer’s net premiums increased by 33.27% to UAH 1.526 billion, while net earned premiums showed an increase of 31.99% to UAH 1.322 billion.
The volume of insurance payments made by IC Universalna in the first half of 2025 increased by 27.52% compared to the same period in 2024 and amounted to UAH 538.405 million, while the level of payments decreased by 1.81 percentage points to 33.37%.
The insurer’s operating profit for the first six months of 2025 increased by 21.4% compared to the same period in 2024, to UAH 146.152 million, while net profit increased by 19.89%, to UAH 151.910 million.
As of July 1, 2025, the company’s assets grew by 10.73% to UAH 2.155 billion, equity capital increased by 15.59% to UAH 1.126 billion due to an increase in retained earnings, liabilities increased by 5.85% to UAH 1.029 billion, cash and cash equivalents increased by 4.90% to UAH 603.902 million.
RA also reports that as of the reporting date, the company was very well provided with equity capital, which exceeded its liabilities by 9.45%. In addition, the insurance company formed a portfolio of current financial investments in liquid instruments in the amount of UAH 1.363 billion, which consisted of bank deposits (UAH 1.167 billion) and government bonds (UAH 195.818 million).
As of the beginning of the third quarter of 2025, cash and cash equivalents covered 58.69% of IC Universalna’s liabilities, and liquid assets (cash, bank deposits, and government bonds) exceeded the insurer’s liabilities by 1.75 times.
The main shareholder of IC “Universalna” is Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited (Canada), a holding company that, through its subsidiaries, is primarily engaged in accident insurance, property insurance, and investment management.
Ukrenergo’s contribution to the development of educational initiatives in 2022-2025 amounted to over UAH 65 million, the system operator announced on its Telegram channel on Monday.
“Our company actively cooperates with many higher and pre-higher education institutions. In particular, these are the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute, Dnipro and Lviv Polytechnic Institutes, Vinnytsia National Technical University, and Kharkiv National Technical University of Municipal Economy named after O. Beketov,” the company said.
Together with these and other universities, Ukrenergo is improving its training programs for energy specialists in various fields and provides university teachers with opportunities for practical training at production facilities and in the company’s training center.
Ukrenergo also has an internship and employment program for senior students and graduates called Energy HUB.
“About 60% of participants in this program end up staying on to work full-time. Such initiatives help students start their careers immediately after graduation and help our company effectively build a qualified talent pool,” explained NEC.
Ukrenergo is among the largest business investors in Ukrainian education. The list of the top 51 companies that invest the most in education was compiled by Delo․ua and the Kyiv School of Economics.
The study took into account the volume of investments and educational initiatives of Ukrainian companies during 2022-2025. According to the organizers, this period was chosen for the ranking because investing in education during a full-scale war means believing in the future of both one’s own business and Ukraine as a whole.
