Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has signed a law recognizing Ukrainian citizens who were forcibly resettled from the territory of the Polish People’s Republic in 1944-1951 as deportees. The relevant law card No. 4540-IX with the signature of the President of Ukraine has been published on the website of the Verkhovna Rada.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga noted that this law restores historical justice regarding this “horrible crime.”
“President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just signed an important law restoring the memory of Ukrainians forcibly deported from Poland in 1944-1951. This is a correct and dignified step that restores historical justice regarding this horrific crime. I thank the president for supporting this decision, as well as the members of parliament who developed and implemented it,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
The minister noted that “many witnesses of those tragic events have already passed away,” but in order to protect the rights of “those who still live with us and their descendants,” Ukraine guarantees the provision of assistance as provided by law.
In June 2025, farms of all categories produced 657,000 tons of raw milk, which is 28,000 tons (-4%) less than in May 2025, but 47,000 tons (-7%) less than in June 2024, according to the Association of Milk Producers (AMP) citing data from the Ministry of Economy.
The industry association noted that in January-June 2025, milk production in Ukraine amounted to 3.39 million tons, which is 179,000 tons (-5%) less than in the same period last year. In June 2025, the share of enterprises in raw milk production was 39%, and that of private households was 61%.
At the same time, enterprises produced 257,700 tons of raw milk in June 2025, which is 12,400 tons (-4.6%) less than in May 2025, but 5,000 tons (+2%) more than in June 2024. In January-June 2025, dairy farms produced 1.56 million tons of raw milk, which is 63 thousand tons more (+4%) than in the same period last year.
In June 2025, milk production in private households amounted to 400,000 tons, which is 16,000 tons (-14%) less than in May 2025 and 53,000 tons (-12%) less than in June 2024. In January-June 2025, the household sector produced 1.82 thousand tons of raw milk, which is 242 thousand tons less (-12%) than in the same period last year.
The AVM noted that milk production increased the most in the Lviv (+21%), Zakarpattia (+20%), Khmelnytskyi (+17%), Mykolaiv (+13%), and Ternopil (+10%) regions compared to the same period last year.
“The growth rate of raw milk production in the industrial sector of Ukraine since the beginning of 2025 has been one of the best in Europe and the world. (..) Dairy farms increased milk production despite Russian missile and bomb strikes, relocation, and rising production costs. However, despite the increase in production in the industrial sector, milk yields in private farms continue to decline on an annual basis. It is likely that if private farms do not consolidate by 2030, their milk will no longer be sent for processing and will be used for their own consumption,” said Georgiy Kukhaleishvili, an analyst at the association.
In January-June 2025, dairy farms increased raw milk production in 14 regions. The regions of Central and Northern Ukraine remain the leaders in terms of raw milk production. However, the largest growth in raw milk production is observed in the Lviv, Zakarpattia, and Khmelnytskyi regions, which is associated with the construction of new dairy farms in western Ukraine. They compensate for the reduction in milk yield in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine due to ongoing military operations.
At the same time, raw milk production at dairy farms in Ukraine is held back by the unwillingness of milk processing companies to buy it at a fair price as farmers’ production costs go up, according to the industry association.
“Domestic milk processing enterprises with outdated technology are unable to compete on quality with enterprises in developed countries. Therefore, they are not ready to buy raw milk at adequate prices, as they sell their products at lower prices to remain competitive in export markets,” the AVM emphasized.
Uncertainty in the market also prevents dairy farms from significantly increasing milk production in the future. After the European Commission canceled autonomous trade measures (ATMs) in June, Ukraine and the EU revised their trade agreement, agreeing on new quotas for Ukrainian dairy exports, provided that Ukraine gradually transitions to EU standards by 2028. However, the new document has not yet been signed due to the position of Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, and Slovakia on customs duties and quotas for Ukrainian grain, which are also stipulated in the agreement.
“There is a risk that exports of dairy products from Ukraine to the EU will be suspended next month if the new conditions do not come into force in the near future. In such a scenario, exports of exchange-traded goods to the EU will be suspended, demand for milk from processors may decline, and the emergence of surpluses will negatively affect prices,” the AVM concluded.
The international financial service NovaPay (TM NovaPay) will issue a series of “L” bonds with a total nominal value of UAH 100 million, which will be the 12th such series in the overall bond issuance program.
As noted in the SMIDA information disclosure system, the issuer is again a subsidiary of NovaPay, NovaPay Credit LLC, and the decision was approved by the general meeting of participants on July 16.
According to the announcement, the bonds are planned to be placed among an unspecified group of persons through a public offering, without the involvement of an underwriter, with a nominal value of UAH 1,000.
The company notes that there are currently 10 series of bonds in circulation – from “A” to ‘J’, each with a total nominal value of UAH 100 million, with the exception of series “I”, whose total nominal value is UAH 90 million. It is stated that the total nominal value of NovaPay Credit LLC securities in circulation at the time of the decision is 506.7% of the company’s authorized capital.
The funds raised are planned to be used for lending operations to individuals and legal entities – 80% and 20%, respectively.
NovaPay was founded in 2001 as an international financial service provider, part of the Nova Group (“Nova Poshta”), providing online and offline financial services at Nova Poshta branches. According to the website, the company employs about 13,000 people in more than 3,600 Nova Poshta branches throughout Ukraine. According to the National Bank of Ukraine, the company accounts for about 35% of the total volume of domestic money transfers.
NovaPay was the first non-bank financial institution in Ukraine to receive an extended license from the NBU in 2023, which allowed it to open accounts and issue cards, and was also the first non-bank to launch its own financial app with a wide range of financial services at the end of last year.
As reported, in 2023, NovaPay made three public issues of interest-bearing bonds of series “A”, “B” and “C”, and last year issued six more series of bonds – “D”, “E”, “F”, “G”, ‘H’ and “I”, and this year, another series “J,” all for UAH 100 million. Also this year, a decision was made to issue bonds of series “K” for UAH 100 million. Securities of all series, except for ‘B’ and “I,” are used for the REPO program as an alternative to bank deposits, They are available for purchase in the NovaPay mobile app, while bonds of series “B” and “I” are offered for sale to institutional clients, with interest income paid quarterly.
According to the prospectuses, the bonds of the last four series were issued for three years. The nominal interest rate on them is 17% per annum, while for the previous three it was 18%.
According to the prospectus, NovaPay Credit plans to increase its interest income to UAH 802.1 million this year and to UAH 1 billion 515.1 million next year, and to receive UAH 518.9 million and UAH 1 billion 30.6 million in net profit, respectively.
Last year, the company’s net profit grew to UAH 89.2 million from UAH 40.3 million a year earlier, with revenue increasing to UAH 285.6 million from UAH 95.6 million.
Cattle slaughter volumes in June 2025 amounted to 9.1 thousand tons, which is 5 thousand tons less (-34%) compared to May 2025 and 600 tons less (-6%) compared to June 2024, according to the Milk Producers Association (MPA).
The industry association noted that in January-June 2025, cattle slaughter in Ukraine amounted to 83.7 thousand tons, which is 5 thousand tons less (-6%) than in the same period last year. In June 2025, enterprises produced 70% of beef from the total slaughter volume, and private households produced 30%.
Cattle slaughter volumes at agricultural enterprises in June amounted to 6.4 thousand tons, which is 500 tons more (+8%) than in May 2025 and 1.5 thousand tons more (+31%) than in June 2024. In January-June 2025, cattle slaughter volumes at agricultural enterprises amounted to 38.6 thousand tons, which is 1 thousand tons more (+3%) than in the same period last year.
In private households, cattle slaughter in June amounted to 2.7 thousand tons, which is 5 thousand tons (-65%) less than in May of this year and 2.1 thousand tons (-44%) less than in June 2024. In January-June 2025, cattle slaughter in private households amounted to 45.1 thousand tons, which is 6.4 thousand tons (-12%) less than in the same period last year.
The total slaughter of farm animals, including not only cattle but also pigs, sheep, and poultry, in January-June 2025 amounted to 1.13 million tons, which is 5% less than in the same period last year. The most significant increase in slaughter volumes was recorded by agricultural enterprises in Zakarpattia (+227%), Zaporizhia (+38%), Kharkiv (+32%), Mykolaiv (+27%), and Chernivtsi (+19%) regions.
State-owned PrivatBank (Kyiv) received UAH 17.9 billion in net profit in April-June 2025, which is 7.1%, or UAH 1.1 billion, more than a year ago, when net profit amounted to UAH 16.7 billion.
The bank’s pre-tax profit amounted to UAH 22.7 billion, which is 7.6%, or UAH 1.6 billion, more than in the second quarter of 2024.
According to the report, PrivatBank’s net interest income increased by 20.2% compared to the second quarter of 2024, to UAH 19.2 billion, while net commission income increased by 8.4%, to UAH 6.9 billion.
Net income from foreign exchange transactions for the reporting period increased by 4.9% to UAH 1.46 billion. In the second quarter of 2025, PrivatBank significantly reduced losses from foreign currency revaluation to UAH 306 million, compared to UAH 1.1 billion in the same period last year.
At the same time, employee compensation expenses increased by 31.9% to UAH 3.8 billion, while other operating and administrative expenses increased by 23.7% to UAH 2.9 billion.
Funds in accounts of individuals in the second quarter of 2025 increased by 12.7%, or UAH 73.5 billion, to UAH 654.7 billion, and the number of individual customers increased to 18.04 million.
The volume of PrivatBank’s loans and advances remained stable overall, but their structure changed significantly. In particular, the bank reduced its investments in NBU deposit certificates by 35.1%, from UAH 112.2 billion in the second quarter of 2024 to UAH 72.8 billion in the second quarter of 2025. At the same time, term deposits with other banks increased 10.4 times, from UAH 3.8 billion to UAH 44.3 billion.
It is noted that PrivatBank’s loan portfolio grew by 26.8% to UAH 130.1 billion, and the number of the bank’s business clients increased from 918,000 to 930,000.
At the same time, PrivatBank’s total assets for the second quarter of 2025 increased by 3.9%, or UAH 29.1 billion, to UAH 781.9 billion compared to the first quarter.
As of June 30, 2025, PrivatBank had 1,170 separate divisions registered in the State Register of Banks. Of these, 9 are branches, 1 is a representative office, and 1,160 are offices belonging to various classification groups. Of these branches, 65 are temporarily closed, including 19 in the Luhansk region, 15 in the Donetsk region, 21 in the Zaporizhzhia region, and 10 in the Kherson region.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine, as of April 1, 2025, PrivatBank ranked first in terms of total assets among 60 banks, with UAH 945.4 billion, or 25.2% of the market.
On July 24, the Ministry of Energy of Uzbekistan, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR), and Uzbekneftegaz signed a production sharing agreement (PSA).
The document provides for geological exploration and further production of hydrocarbons in investment blocks of the Ustyurt oil and gas region.
Within the framework of the PSA, 3D seismic exploration is planned to be carried out on an area of at least 1,000 square kilometers. If a commercial deposit is discovered, the parties will proceed to its development and production.
“The partnership with SOCAR reflects New Uzbekistan’s strategic desire to diversify its sources of investment and introduce best international practices. The Ustyurt region has high potential, and the signing of the PSA opens up new horizons for its effective development. We are confident that this project will be an important driver of technological progress and economic growth,” said Minister of Energy Dzhurabek Mirzamahmudov.
“The signing of this agreement is evidence of our long-term strategy for the development of the energy sector in Central Asia and the Caspian region. SOCAR is enthusiastic about implementing the project, applying its accumulated experience and advanced technological solutions,” said SOCAR President Rovshan Najaf.
Uzbekneftegaz Chairman Bakhodir Sidikov said the agreement would strengthen the company’s position as a “reliable and innovation-oriented partner open to international cooperation and large-scale investments.”
In May 2018, Uzbekneftegaz SOCAR and BP Exploration (Caspian Sea) signed a memorandum proposing that the companies consider joint geological exploration of the Aralmore, Samsko-Kosbulak, and Baiterek investment blocks in the Ustyurt district.
