The second annual “Sports and War Veterans (UBD)” competition took place in Kyiv — a large-scale initiative that has already become one of the key events in the field of sports rehabilitation for Ukrainian defenders. The organizers were the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine and the Training and Rehabilitation Center of the NUPESU, which have been working systematically throughout the year to support veterans and develop an inclusive sports environment.
This year’s series of competitions brought together more than 500 participants who competed in eight disciplines:
swimming, billiards, table tennis, wheelchair rugby, arm wrestling, futsal, and e-sports.
For many veterans, these competitions were not just an opportunity to compete, but a way to return to an active life, feel control over their bodies and emotions, find new friends, and relive the team spirit so familiar from the front lines.
Sport that restores: a project with real impact
The organizers emphasize that sporting events of this scale are not just about physical activity. They are about reintegration, social support, overcoming barriers, and returning to a normal rhythm of life.
Acting Rector of the National University of Physical Education and Sports of Ukraine Oleksandr Pyzhov emphasizes the importance of consistency and involvement:
“We see how sport helps veterans not only to recover physically, but also to find support in the team, to feel support and confidence. This project is about unity, strength, and the path to new opportunities.”
According to experts, sporting events are the most effective way to help veterans adapt to civilian life after long periods of service. Here, they find themselves among people with similar experiences, where they are understood without explanations or conventions.
An environment of strength and support
The NUFVSU Training and Rehabilitation Center is actively developing the field of rehabilitation and social adaptation of veterans. According to the center’s director, Viktor Korzh, such projects become a point of support for many participants:
“Every day, we work to ensure that our veterans receive the best opportunities for rehabilitation. These competitions are proof that through joint efforts, we are creating an environment where every soldier can feel their own strength and find a new path for development.”
Participation in such events often becomes a bridge between the past and the future for veterans — a moment when they return to activity, feel their strength, and receive inspiration to move forward.
Participants’ voices: sport that gives new life
The impressions of the veterans are the best evidence of the project’s significance.
One of the participants, Danylo Honcharenko, shares his feelings:
“I haven’t felt such drive and support in a long time. Here you realize that you are not alone — there are others who have walked a similar path. Sport restores your strength and desire to move forward.”
Similar comments were often heard from participants in various disciplines. For many of them, the competition was their first experience of serious sporting activity since returning from the war.
Development and future: the project is scaling up
The organizers say that the competition cycle will not only continue but also expand.
The plans include increasing the number of disciplines, involving new cities and regions, and creating additional programs for the comprehensive rehabilitation of veterans through sports.
The NUFVSU team emphasizes that veteran rehabilitation is not a one-time event, but a long-term process that requires systematic, professional, and humane support. And it is precisely such competitions that prove that sport can be not only recreation or leisure, but also a real tool for returning to life.
Special thanks to the partners who joined in organizing these competitions: the Ukrainian Veterans Cluster, the Veterans Institute “Architecture of Sustainability,” the Ukrainian Mass Sports Agency, the “Olympic Style” fitness center, Morshynska, the Ukrainian National Opera, Aksor, Mil Time, the Dynamo Ukraine Physical Culture and Sports Society, Trident, Asino Farm, and Kusum Farm.
COMPETITION, GONCHARENKO, SPORTS, war veterans, Корж, Пижов, УБД
The Cabinet of Ministers has announced a competition for candidates for the positions of independent members of the supervisory board of NAEK Energoatom, according to the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture.
“The competition for candidates for the supervisory board of Energoatom announced today is unscheduled. On November 11, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers terminated the powers of the supervisory board ahead of schedule. At the time of this decision, there were two independent members on the board, and the competitive selection of independent candidates for two more vacant positions was ongoing. The new competition will allow the positions that became vacant due to the early termination of the supervisory board to be filled,” the ministry said in a statement on its website.
The relevant order was adopted at a government meeting on Tuesday.
In addition, by protocol decision, the government instructed the Ministry of Economy to submit to the Committee for the Appointment of Heads of Enterprises of Particular Importance to the Economy proposals for candidates for state representatives to the Supervisory Board of Energoatom.
As noted on his Facebook page by the head of the Ministry of Economy, Alexei Sobolev, the ministry will soon submit to this Committee the candidacies of state representatives to form the full composition of the supervisory board of Energoatom.
Earlier, with reference to Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko, it was reported that on Tuesday, November 18, the government decided to announce a competition for positions on the supervisory board of Naftogaz of Ukraine (four independent members – ER).
“The contracts of the current members expire in January. Accordingly, we are launching the competition now in order to approve the new composition of the supervisory body in a timely manner and ensure the continuity of its work. We expect the new composition of the Naftogaz supervisory board to be formed by January 20, 2026,” Sviridenko wrote on Telegram.
On August 15, 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers amended the charter of Energoatom, increasing the number of members of the supervisory board from five to seven. Before its dissolution on November 11, following the publicity surrounding the Midas case, the company’s supervisory board consisted of four people: its chairman, Jarek Niewierowicz, and deputy chairman, Michael Elliott Kirst, as well as state representatives Timofey Milovanov and Vitaly Petruk. The third independent member of the supervisory board, Timothy Stone, refused to sign the contract.
On September 15, the government announced a competition to select two independent members of the Energoatom supervisory board by order No. 983-r.
Unrealized exchange commodities, growing losses in dry milk and butter production, and falling butter prices in Europe and worldwide are holding back the growth of raw milk prices in Ukraine, according to the Association of Milk Producers (AMP).
The industry association noted that the average purchase price of extra-grade milk as of October 6 was UAH 17.45/kg excluding VAT, which is UAH 0.1 more than in the previous month, Prices for premium milk (UAH 17.15/kg excluding VAT) and first-grade milk (UAH 16.80/kg excluding VAT) remained unchanged.
“Prices also remained stable compared to the results of monitoring in the second half of September. Compared to the same period last year, the price of extra grade milk decreased by 25 kopecks,” experts noted.
According to AVM analyst Georgiy Kukhaleishvili, many factors are holding back the growth of raw milk prices in Ukraine. Currently, the supply of exchange goods on the domestic market exceeds demand. Milk processing enterprises have been working at full capacity since mid-August after the suspension of milk exports to the EU following the exhaustion of quotas. At the same time, demand on the domestic market remains low due to a decrease in the number of consumers and a reduction in the purchasing power of the population. Sales of dairy products in supermarkets are growing only when promotional discounts are offered. Warehouses in Ukraine are almost completely filled with exchange goods, which puts pressure on milk prices.
According to the ABM, the situation with butter in the EU is indicative, as it has fallen in price by 24% over the past two months due to the arrival of American butter on the European market at a price of EUR 5,000/ton. In such conditions, European traders are not interested in buying Ukrainian butter, which costs more than American butter. The increase in electricity costs affects the growth of the cost of Ukrainian products and makes it difficult to compete with Americans in the European market, analysts explain.
In Ukraine, in the second half of October, there is a possibility of a maximum price reduction for extra-grade and higher-grade raw milk due to the growing unprofitability of dry milk and butter production at milk processing enterprises and a decline in world prices for butter, they predict.
“However, on October 13, new quotas for the export of dairy products to the EU for Ukrainian companies are expected to be signed. Quotas for butter have increased from 5,000 tons to 7,000 tons, as well as for dry milk. Dairy exports to the EU are expected to resume on October 28, after the quotas come into force in 15 days, which may curb the fall in raw milk prices in Ukraine,” the ABM notes.
Competition in the Ukrainian laboratory diagnostics market is intensifying, which could lead to price wars, said Mykola Skavronsky, deputy CEO of Sinevo Ukraine, in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
“The number of laboratories has increased after COVID-19, and there are fewer people in the country, so the cost of attracting customers has increased significantly. This could lead to dumping, discounts, and even an increase in drug kickbacks,” he said.
Skavronsky added that the cost of services has also increased due to the devaluation of the hryvnia and the weakening of the dollar against the euro, which forced the company to raise prices by 10-15%.
Sinevo Ukraine is part of the Medicover Group, an international holding company in the field of medical and diagnostic services, whose shares are listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange.
The Ukrainian baking industry operates in a highly competitive environment with low profitability, according to Oleksandr Taranenko, president of the All-Ukrainian Bakers Association.
“We bakers only know about 10% profitability from stories. Most companies operate with a margin of 5%, and sometimes even lower. At the same time, costs are constantly rising. For example, the rise in electricity prices has added 1% to the cost price, and this increase cannot be immediately passed on to the price – it takes months,” he said.
According to him, this is why forecasts of a 15-20% increase in the price of mass-market bread are not related to manufacturers’ desire to increase profits, but to the need to compensate for increased costs.
“Bakers are forced to raise prices. This is not an attempt to make a profit, but an attempt to survive. When production costs rise and prices cannot be changed quickly, companies simply go into the red,” Taranenko emphasized.
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy has announced a competition for a vacant position on the Council of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), setting the deadline for applications as May 22, 2025.
“We had a meeting with the IMF, and they expressed their position on the need to fill the vacant position,” said committee head Danylo Getmantsev during the meeting.
He said that the deadline for accepting applications from candidates for the position of member of the National Bank Council is one month, until 4 p.m. on May 22, 2025.
“We will listen, conduct a selection process, as we always do – openly and transparently,” Getmantsev added.
As reported, in the memorandum of the extended financing program with the IMF, updated after the seventh review, the Ukrainian side noted that it plans to fill the vacant positions in the NBU Council by the end of April 2025.
In addition to the head of the NBU, the National Bank Council has eight other members: four are appointed by the president and four by the Verkhovna Rada for a term of seven years. Currently, Igor Veremiy and Vasily Furman have been appointed under the president’s quota (in June and November 2022), and Vasily Gorbali, Anatoly Barsukov, and Elena Shcherbakova have been appointed under the Verkhovna Rada’s quota (in September 2020 and December 2022).
COMPETITION, member of the NBU Council, VACANCY, Verkhovna Rada Committee
