The Cyber Police of Ukraine have warned of a new fraud scheme in which perpetrators distribute malicious applications disguised as free offline navigation apps that can gain access to users’ personal data and banking services.
According to the Cyber Police, potential victims are offered a navigation app that supposedly works without an internet connection, contains no advertising and is available free of charge. Advertisements for such applications are distributed primarily through social media.
After clicking on an advertisement, users are redirected to a third-party website where they are offered a program to download, including through a Telegram bot. Instead of the advertised navigation app, a malicious file may be installed on the smartphone.
During installation, the program requests permission to download applications from unknown sources, as well as access to certain smartphone functions. After obtaining these permissions, perpetrators can track the device owner’s actions, intercept messages and notifications, and obtain confidential information.
The malicious program’s access to SMS messages and system notifications poses a particular threat. The information obtained may be used to intercept verification codes and access the user’s accounts and financial services.
The Cyber Police recommend installing mobile applications exclusively from the official Google Play and App Store marketplaces and not downloading APK files through Telegram bots, unknown websites or advertising links.
Users are also advised to carefully check the permissions requested by an application. In particular, a navigation program should not gain access to SMS messages, notifications or device management functions without an objective need.
If a suspicious application has already been installed, specialists recommend temporarily refraining from using banking and other critically important services on that smartphone, disconnecting the device from the internet and changing the passwords for primary accounts from another secure device.
The suspicious program should be removed, and the permissions granted to it should be checked. If the application cannot be removed or continues to run in the background, seeking technical assistance is recommended.
If banking details have been disclosed or unknown transactions appear, users must immediately contact their bank to block possible unauthorized access to their accounts. Cases of fraud can be reported to the Cyber Police through their official online form.
The Cyber Police also recommend checking information about current fraud schemes on the government platform StopFraud.
Source: Cyber Police of Ukraine
APPLICATION, BANK, CYBER POLICE, CYBERSECURITY, fraud, smartphone
If you are creating your own application and registering a corporate developer account in the Apple App Store or Google Play, you will most likely be required to provide a D-U-N-S Number when completing the documentation. For many Ukrainian technology companies, this requirement comes as a surprise at the final stage of launching a product.
A D-U-N-S Number, also known as a DUNS number, is a unique nine-digit identifier of a legal entity in the international Dun & Bradstreet system. It allows digital platforms, banks, investors and foreign partners to compare information about a company and verify that it is genuinely registered, has a confirmed address and a defined legal status.
Apple requires a D-U-N-S Number when registering a company or another organisation in the Apple Developer Program. The corporation uses it to verify the applicant’s legal name, address and status.
The company must be an independent legal entity capable of entering into agreements with Apple. A trademark, project name, branch or conventional commercial name is not suitable for such registration. It is the official name of the legal entity that will be displayed in the App Store as the seller of the application.
In addition to a D-U-N-S Number, the organisation will need:
If the application is registered by an individual or an independent developer, Apple does not require a D-U-N-S Number. However, in this case, the developer’s personal name, rather than the name of the company or brand, will be indicated in the App Store as the seller.
Google also requires a D-U-N-S Number when creating a developer account on behalf of an organisation. The number is used to verify the company together with the Google payment profile data, official registration documents and the identity document of the authorised representative.
An organisational account is recommended for companies that release commercial products. For financial applications, cryptocurrency wallets, healthcare services, VPN applications and government digital products, Google explicitly requires registration on behalf of an organisation.
During registration, the data in Google Payments, the developer profile and the Dun & Bradstreet database must match. Differences in the spelling of the company name, address, postal code or legal form may result in additional verification or a delay in activating the account.
A D-U-N-S Number is not a licence, quality certificate or guarantee that an application will be approved. Apple and Google independently verify the software product, compliance with platform rules, security and developer information.
However, obtaining the number creates an international company profile that can be used far beyond the App Store and Google Play. Foreign corporations use D-U-N-S when registering suppliers, checking counterparties, granting commercial credit and organising international procurement. The identifier may also be required during negotiations with investors, banks, distributors and major customers.
“A D-U-N-S Number gives a company the opportunity to be recognisable in the international environment and reduces the barrier of first contact,” said Maksym Urakin, Director for Development and Marketing at Interfax-Ukraine and Head of the D&B-Interfax-Ukraine business unit.
According to him, it is particularly important for Ukrainian IT companies to create a verifiable digital profile in advance. A developer may have a high-quality product and a strong team, but for an American platform, it is initially an unknown legal entity whose data must be verified.
A D-U-N-S Number helps link the application not only to the account of a specific programmer, but also to an officially registered Ukrainian company. This is important for further scaling, attracting investment, selling corporate subscriptions and entering the markets of the United States, the EU, the Middle East and Asia.
Before submitting an application, the company should prepare the official name of the legal entity in Ukrainian and English, its registered address, contact telephone number, information about the manager, legal form, registration date and information on the number of employees.
Before applying for a new number, it is necessary to check whether a D-U-N-S Number has already been assigned to the company. If the number exists but the profile contains outdated information, it is better to update the data rather than create a new record.
Particular attention should be paid to the English spelling of the company name and address. This information must be displayed identically in D&B, registration documents, Apple Developer, Google Payments and on the corporate website.
Obtaining the number does not always happen instantly. Apple recommends allowing up to five business days for the assignment of a D-U-N-S Number through its associated process and up to two additional days for the updated data to be transferred to its system. In other cases, international processing of the application may take several weeks, so it is better to begin the procedure before the planned publication of the application.
The official representative of Dun & Bradstreet in the Ukrainian market is the Interfax-Ukraine news agency. Its specialised D&B-Interfax-Ukraine unit helps companies obtain a D-U-N-S Number and work with the international business data database.
Specialists can help check whether a number has already been assigned, prepare information about the legal entity, submit an application and eliminate discrepancies in the corporate profile. At the same time, the final decision on registering a developer account is made directly by Apple or Google.
For information on obtaining a D-U-N-S Number, companies may contact the specialised D&B resource at dnb.ua or call +38 (044) 270-65-74.
For Ukrainian developers, a D-U-N-S Number is becoming a practical element of entering the international digital market. The sooner a company brings its legal documents, website, corporate email and international business profile into alignment, the lower the risk of delays when launching an application in the App Store or Google Play.
Applications are now being accepted for the 16th International Cyprus Short Film Festival, which will take place October 10–16, 2026, in Limassol (Republic of Cyprus), according to the Ukrainian State Film Agency.
The State Film Agency noted that the festival aims to promote the art of cinema by screening short films from around the world, as well as to support the work of filmmakers and the development of contemporary cinematic language.
Short films in five categories are accepted for the international competition program: fiction, documentary, experimental, student, and animated. The duration of the films must not exceed 30 minutes.
Applications for participation can be submitted until May 2, 2026, via the online platforms ShortFilmDepot or FilmFreeway.
It is noted that the Cyprus International Short Film Festival is part of the European Film Academy’s network of partner festivals and, since 2019, has had the right to nominate one film for the European Film Academy Award.
International film festivals regularly open submissions for directors from various countries, giving young filmmakers the opportunity to present their work to the international professional community.
As reported, the Cabinet of Ministers has increased the number of deputy heads of the State Agency of Ukraine for Cinema to three.
The Ministry of Economy, Ecology, and Agriculture of Ukraine will resume accepting applications for grants for the development of horticulture, berry growing, viticulture, and greenhouse farming on February 2, 2026. Documents will be submitted through the Diya portal. The total budget for the program in 2026 is $465 million, according to the ministry’s press service.
“We are resuming one of the important programs to support farmers — grants for orchards and greenhouses. This is not short-term assistance, but an investment in the development of the agricultural sector, the creation of jobs in communities, and the improvement of production sustainability. (…) Our goal is to support producers, stimulate the creation of value-added products, and ensure the sustainable development of rural areas, especially in the context of war and post-war recovery,” emphasized Taras Vysotsky, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture.
The Ministry of Economy specified that grants for orchards will be available for planting and developing plantations ranging from 1 to 25 hectares. The maximum amount of support is up to UAH 10 million per recipient, but no more than UAH 400,000 per hectare. Grants for greenhouses are provided for the construction of modular greenhouses with an area of 0.4 to 2.4 hectares. The size of the grant will depend on the area: 0.4-0.6 hectares – up to UAH 2 million, 0.8-1.2 hectares – up to UAH 3.5 million, 1.6-2.4 hectares – up to UAH 7 million.
For projects in frontline and deoccupied territories, the state may cover up to 80% of the project cost. The project must be implemented on land whose ownership or use rights have been confirmed for at least seven years.
The Agro-Region agricultural holding has created a mobile application for working with land lease agreements, according to a Facebook post by the holding’s press service.
The land department of Agro-Region noted that daily work with a large number of contracts required a solution that would reduce the time spent searching for and processing them.
“We had to ensure quick access to contracts in the field and synchronization with the ERP system. This became a key task during development. The application was created by the company’s internal specialists. During the work, we used artificial intelligence tools, in particular JetBrains AI Assistant. AI accelerated some of the processes, but the architectural solutions and logic were formed in accordance with business requirements. This allowed us to obtain a simple and reliable tool,” explained Vadym Yanchuk, CIO of the Agro-Region group of companies, whose words are quoted in the report.
The application allows you to work offline, conduct contract inventory, transfer and accept contracts between employees, automatically generate transfer acts in ERP, scan QR codes on contracts for instant access, search for contracts by name, cadastral number, or other parameters, according to the release.
“The application has become part of the digital transformation of the land department. Its implementation has reduced operational time costs, increased the accuracy of contract processing, and optimized interaction between departments,” the agricultural holding noted.
Agro-Region agricultural holding owns a land bank of 39,000 hectares in the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Zhytomyr, and Khmelnytskyi regions. It specializes in crop production. It consists of 11 companies, which are united into four crop clusters. It has two elevators: Boryspil with a capacity of 73,000 tons and Myropil with a capacity of 52,000 tons.
Agro-Region’s annual harvest of grain and oilseeds is 200,000 tons.
In April 2021, the Swedish company Lobiu Sala AB, owned by former Ukrainian Economy Minister Aivaras Abromavičius, received permission from the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine to purchase the Swedish company Agro Region Stockholm Holding, which manages the Agro-Region group of companies in Ukraine.
The International Register of Losses Caused by the Aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine has begun accepting applications for another category – damage or destruction of non-residential property, according to the website of the President of Ukraine.
“Each application submitted is not just a bureaucratic formality, but a contribution to restoring justice and a clear signal that no loss caused by Russian aggression will go unanswered,” said Iryna Mudra, deputy head of the Office of the President.
As noted, victims can file a claim for compensation for non-residential real estate destroyed or damaged after February 24, 2022. In particular, this refers to office premises, shops, warehouses, and production facilities. The relevant application can be submitted via the web portal or the Diya app.
In particular, the owner of the premises will be reimbursed for the full cost in case of destruction and the costs of repair or restoration in case of damage. At the moment, 10 categories have already been opened. In total, the Register will consist of 43 categories for compensation for material and moral damage.
“In addition to damage or destruction of non-residential real estate, this includes damage or destruction of housing, death of a close family member, forced displacement of citizens within the country due to Russian aggression, causing serious bodily injury as a result of the aggressor’s actions, cases of sexual violence committed by the occupiers, torture, cruel or degrading treatment, illegal detention, forced labor or service,” the ministry said.
The International Register of Losses is the first step towards an international compensation mechanism. The next step will be the creation of a Commission for the Examination of Applications, which will determine the specific amounts of compensation to be paid to victims. After that, a Compensation Fund will be set up to make the payments.
“A total of about 30,000 applications have already been submitted to the Register of Losses,” the head of state’s website said.
APPLICATION, COMPENSATION, destroyed non-residential property
