Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Finland on an official visit and to participate in the Nordic-Ukrainian summit, media reported.
The website of the President of the Republic of Finland notes that the official discussions between President Niiniste and President Zelenski “will include Ukraine’s defense fight and Finland’s support for Ukraine, bilateral relations between the two countries and the global geopolitical situation. At the conclusion of the discussions, the presidents will hold a joint press conference.” President Zelenski’s program also includes a meeting with Petteri Orpo, Speaker of the Finnish Parliament.
President Niiniste will reportedly hold a Nordic-Ukrainian summit in the afternoon, attended by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jacobsdottir.
The summit will discuss Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the Nordic countries’ continued support for Ukraine, the development of Ukraine’s relations with the EU and NATO, and Ukraine’s Just Peace Initiative. The official discussions will be followed by a joint press conference.
The Nordic prime ministers will also hold bilateral meetings with President Zelensky.
PJSC “Krukiv Wagon Works” (KWWZ, Poltava region) in 2022 received UAH 3 billion 307.5 million in net income from the sale of railway cars, which is 58% more than a year earlier.
According to the audited unconsolidated financial report of the company for 2022, which is available on its site, the net profit from the sale of freight cars rose by 16.8%, to UAH 1 bln 383 mln, while the net profit from the sale of passenger cars went up 2.1 times, to UAH 1 bln 925 mln.
The plant also received 100.68 mln UAH of net income from the sale of spare parts for wagons and other stock (12% less), but did not sell spare parts for special wheeled vehicles, from the sale of which it received 117.89 mln UAH of income in 2021.
In general, according to the report, the net profit of the company in 2022 increased by 38.4% – to UAH 3 545 mln, the net profit amounted to UAH 37.25 mln against a loss of UAH 230 mln a year earlier.
At that, almost 100% of sales went to Ukraine – 4.69 mln UAH were exported to European countries (in 2021 – 27 mln UAH), and 66.7 mln UAH were exported to Asian and Middle Eastern countries (in 2022 there were no such deliveries).
The report does not contain data on the number of railway cars produced and sold by the plant in 2022.
As reported, Ukrzaliznytsia signed a contract with KVSZ in 2021 for the supply of 100 new passenger cars for UAH 3.042 billion. In this case, 20 cars were delivered in 2021, another 65 – in 2022, and the remaining 15 – in 2023.
In turn, UZ earlier this year acknowledged accounts payable of UAH 1.4 billion to KVSZ for the 65 passenger cars delivered in 2022.
KVSZ held a remote general meeting of shareholders on April 11 this year, and according to its minutes, which were made public on the company’s website, directed the net profit received to repay the losses of previous years.
“According to the results of the company’s activity for 2022, the profit is 37,353 million hryvnias. Taking into account income from revaluation of actuarial liabilities, according to calculation of independent actuary in the amount of UAH 16,77 million, to approve total profit in the amount of UAH 53,53 million”, – was stated in the minutes of meeting.
The shareholders, in particular, voted against the application by the company of the Corporate Governance Code, approved by the NCFM, but decided to apply their own – the Code of Corporate Governance of PJSC “KVSZ”.
The quorum of the meeting was 70.32%.
KVSZ, Ukraine’s largest railcar manufacturer, produces passenger and freight cars, regional diesel trains, high-speed interregional trains of locomotive traction, spare parts and bogies for freight cars.
In 2021 its net income decreased by 23.2% against 2020 to 2 billion 561 million UAH, the loss was 230 million UAH against a net profit of 71.8 million UAH.
According to the NCCFM, as of the fourth quarter of 2022, Estonian AS Skinest Finants and Osauhing Delantina own 25% each, and Transbuilding Services Limited, registered in England, owns 20% each.
At the same time, it was reported that another 25% of shares of KVSZ (worth over UAH 21.5 mln) owned by Austrian OW Capital Management GmbH, which is under the control of Stanislav Gamzalov, head of the board of directors of Russian railcar manufacturer Plant of Metal Structures, were transferred to ARMA by a court decision of July 13, 2022.
On April 11, ARMA announced a tender for the manager of this stake.
Zaporizhstal steelmaker Zaporizhstal in January-April of the current year decreased shipment of rolled steel by 16.1% compared to the same period of the last year – down to 530.9 thousand tons.
According to the company, steel production fell by 10.3% to 646.5 thousand tons during this period, while pig iron production dropped by 13.6%, to 717.1 thousand tons.
In April 2023, Zaporizhstal produced 231.8 thousand tons of cast iron (in April 2022 – 69 thousand tons), 252.9 thousand tons of steel (73.6 thousand tons), shipped 205.1 thousand tons of rolled steel (68.2 thousand tons).
“The increase in production levels in April 2023 compared to the same period last year is due to the withdrawal of production facilities from forced hot mothballing, caused by full-scale military operations in Ukraine”, – explained in a press release.
It is a reminder that due to aggravation of military actions in the region, since the beginning of March 2022 Metinvest Group has put some of Zaporizhstal’s equipment into hot preservation mode. At the end of March of the same year the plant partially resumed cold-rolling shop operation for production and shipment of cold-rolled coils to European consumers. A month after the forced shutdown the mill put the equipment out of conservation and partially resumed production. Since April 2022 the mill has been working at an average of 50% capacity.
As it was reported, in January-March 2023 “Zaporizhstal” decreased shipment of rolled steel by 42.3% compared to the same period in 2022 – to 325.7 thousand tons, steel melting – by 39.2% to 393.6 thousand tons, cast iron – by 36.3%, to 485.3 thousand tons. In March, 193.6 thousand tons of iron, 184.4 thousand tons of steel were produced and 150.8 thousand tons of rolled products were shipped.
“In 2022, Zaporizhstal reduced the output of rolled steel by 60.4% to 1 million 304.3 thousand tons, steel by 61.7% to 1 million 491.3 thousand tons and cast iron by 54.3% to 2 million 9.9 thousand tons compared to 2021.
“Zaporizhstal” is one of the biggest industrial enterprises in Ukraine, which products are in great demand among the consumers on the internal market and in many countries of the world. The plant specializes in high-quality steel coils, hot-rolled plates, cold-rolled plates, cold-rolled coils from carbon and low-alloyed steels, as well as steel straps, tin plates, formed sections.
Main consumers are producers of welded pipes, enterprises of automotive, transport, agricultural engineering, producers of household appliances.
“Zaporizhstal is in the process of integration into Metinvest Group the main shareholders of which are CJSC “System Capital Management” (71.24%) and Smart Holding group of companies (23.76%).
Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of Metinvest group.
The Cabinet of Ministers has created the Stryi Valley industrial park in the Lviv region, which will ensure, in particular, the development of the processing industry in the region and create about 700 new jobs, Prime Minister Denys Shmygal said.
“We hold a consistent course on all-round business support. Today we are creating another industrial park, the Stryi Valley in the Lviv region,” Shmygal said at a government meeting on Tuesday.
According to the Prime Minister, the implementation of this decision is expected to create about 700 jobs and the development of processing in the region, particularly in the food industry, woodworking and mechanical engineering.
The Cabinet of Ministers at a meeting supported a decision that gives start to the procedure of transforming the state-owned company NAEK Energoatom into a joint stock company, the government portal reported with reference to Prime Minister Denis Shmygal on Tuesday.
“Energoatom is one of the largest operators of nuclear power plants in Europe, the company is strategically important for the energy security of the state. We`re bringing it in conformity with international standards of corporate management. At the same time the state retains 100% ownership of the plant,” he said.
According to Prime Minister, eventually it will increase the efficiency of management, will attract additional funds for implementation of new projects and will strengthen energy independence.
As reported, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on February 6, 2023, supported the draft law 8067 on corporatization of the state-owned enterprise Energoatom, which provides for the transformation of Energoatom from a state-owned enterprise into a joint stock company with 100% state-owned shares.
Energoatom’s corporatization is envisaged by the loan agreement between the company and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) and the guarantee agreement “Complex Generalized Safety Upgrade Program for Nuclear Power Plants,” ratified by the Supreme Council.
“Energoatom is the operator of all four operating nuclear power plants in Ukraine. It operates the Zaporizhzhya, South Ukraine, Rivne and Khmelnitsky plants, with 15 power units equipped with water-water power reactors, with a total installed electric capacity of 13.8 GW.
Civilian casualties from February 24, 2022, after Russia launched a full-scale war against Ukraine, to May 1, 2023, totaled 23,375 (23,015 as of April 24), including 8,709 deaths (8,574), the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said Tuesday.
“OHCHR believes that the real number of civilian deaths or injuries is significantly higher, as many reports from places where such cases have occurred still require further confirmation, while information from some places where fighting is ongoing is delayed,” the paper noted regarding the UN data.
This is the case, for example, in such locations as Mariupol (Donetsk region), Lysychansk, Popasna and Severodonetsk (Luhansk region), where numerous civilian deaths or injuries have been reported.
According to confirmed UN data, 3,933 men, 2,341 women, 270 boys and 214 girls were killed, while the gender of 31 children and 1,920 adults could not yet be determined.
Among the 14,666 wounded, 431 were boys and 304 girls, and 278 children whose sex could not yet be determined.
Compared to April 24, nine children were killed and 14 more were wounded.
Whereas the OHCHR casualty report used to be issued daily, and then only on weekdays, it has become a weekly report since July. This report, like the previous one, provides data by month.
According to them, the number of deaths in April was 169, compared with 181 in March, 141 in February, 198 in January, 206 in December and 186 in November.
March remains the deadliest month for civilians, according to the UN, with at least 4,094 deaths. In April, according to an OHCHR publication, the number of civilian deaths due to the war dropped to 798, in May to 534, in June to 426 and in July to 379. In the first five days of the war from February 24-28, 362 people died, in August 336, in September 393 and in October 305.
The number of wounded for April reached 496, compared with 592 in March, 458 in February, 539 in January, 617 in December, and 541 in November. In October, the number of wounded dropped to 795 from 981 in September, when it was up from 917 in August. Before that the number of wounded exceeded a thousand each month: July – 1130, June – 1105, May – 1138, April – 1890, March – 2987. In the first five days of the war last February 465 people were wounded.
According to the report, in April of this year, large-area explosive weapons killed 165 people and wounded another 456, while mines and explosive remnants of war killed four people and wounded four (7% of total casualties).
Government-controlled territories accounted for 84 percent of the casualties in April, according to the UN.
The summary traditionally states that the increase in numbers to the previous summary should not be attributed solely to cases after April 24, as the Office verified some cases from previous days during that period.
