Ukraine’s international reserves in February, according to preliminary estimates of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU), decreased by 3.8%, or by $1.47 billion – to $37.052 billion.
“Such dynamics is due to the NBU’s currency interventions to maintain exchange rate stability and the country’s debt payments in foreign currency, which were partially offset by receipts from international partners,” the NBU explained on its website on Wednesday.
Among other factors determining the volume of reserves, the NBU named operations in the foreign exchange market: in February, the regulator’s net sale of foreign currency amounted to $1.51 billion, which is 1.4 times less than in the previous month.
The National Bank noted that in February, $1.34 billion was transferred to the account of the Cabinet of Ministers in the NBU, while $1.13 billion was paid for servicing and repayment of state debt.
The central bank also indicated that the current volume of reserves was positively affected by the revaluation of the value of financial instruments, adding $199.5 million.
“The current volume of international reserves provides funding for 4.9 months of future imports,” the regulator stated.
As reported, the NBU in January lowered the forecast of Ukraine’s international reserves at the end of 2024g to $40.4 billion from $44.7 billion and to $42.1 billion from $45 billion at the end of 2025. For more details on the economy in Ukraine and around the world, see the video from the analytical project Experts Club – https://youtu.be/byJnfmie7bM?si=nWnf5J2CUrqaXF-j
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Given the current challenges related to preserving life and health in wartime, it is of great importance to train journalists to act effectively in extreme situations. That is why the Experts Club think tank hosted a regular workshop on first aid for media representatives in Kyiv.
The organizers, including Experts Club, the ADONIS medical center network, and the Help For Ukraine and Pryirpinia Community Foundation charitable foundations, emphasized the importance of first aid skills for journalists, especially those working in risky environments.
The seminar included lectures and practical classes conducted by anesthesiologist Mariana Bolyuk. The participants learned the basics of basic life support, methods of stopping bleeding, and how to apply tourniquets. Such training is extremely important, given the statistics of casualties among journalists in military conflicts.
“The war has significantly increased the risks for journalists, so the development of first aid skills should be part of their professional development. Our colleagues constantly face risks and bear great responsibility. That is why we strive to provide them not only with information, but also with the means to save their lives,” emphasized Maksym Urakin, founder of Experts Club.
According to Urakin, such initiatives are planned to be expanded to include more representatives of the media community and other professions that are at increased risk during the war. This, in turn, will not only help to save the lives of journalists, but also help in providing first aid to the victims until the arrival of medical professionals.
“At a time when the information field is full of news from the frontline, professional training of journalists to act in emergency situations becomes an integral part of their responsibility to society,” said Tetiana Lagovska, Executive Director of the Pryirpin Community Foundation.
In his turn, volunteer Oleksandr Holizdra emphasized that the education and training of journalists will not only contribute to their own safety, but will also increase the efficiency of their work in difficult conditions, which is key to informing the public and maintaining overall security.
The Experts Club project plans to expand its program to include more journalists and bloggers. Training in this critical area should become a standard for media representatives, as the role of journalists in society becomes increasingly important and dangerous in times of conflict. The development and support of such initiatives is a step towards increasing the level of security in society.
ADONIS, EXPERTS CLUB, FIRST AID, JOURNALISTS, MEDIA, PRYIRPIN COMMUNITY FOUNDATION, URAKIN, БОЛЮК, ГОЛІЗДРА, Лаговська
The Conservatives have won a majority of votes in the Iranian parliamentary elections, a number of Iranian media reported on Monday.
On March 4, the election commission completed the vote count in the elections to the country’s legislature. According to preliminary results, conservative candidates are leading in all provinces of Iran, including Tehran, local media reported.
The candidates will compete for 45 of the 290 seats in the parliament in the second round.
Approximately 25 million Iranian citizens took part in the March 1 elections to the country’s parliament and the Council of Experts. According to preliminary unofficial data, the turnout was approximately 41%.
A record number of candidates were allowed to participate in the parliamentary elections – more than 15.2 thousand people, which was almost 75% of the total number of candidates who initially registered. About 1.7 thousand of the candidates admitted to the elections are women.
According to the Iranian Constitution, five seats in the 290-seat parliament should go to representatives of religious minorities. 144 candidates competed for 88 seats in the Council of Experts, which elects the country’s Supreme Leader.
Many candidates who advocate reforms in Iran were banned from participating in the parliamentary elections, and some political figures, including former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, were not allowed to run for the Council of Experts, Iranian media reported.
The first meeting of the newly convoked parliament will be held in late May.
Earlier, the Experts Club think tank made a video dedicated to the top 10 elections in the world this year. More detailed analysis is available at
In Kyiv, the Experts Club training center in collaboration with Art Gallery Universe has launched a unique art therapy program aimed at helping people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As part of this initiative, an exhibition titled “Restoring Life: Art and Rehabilitation Project” was organized, where prominent Ukrainian artists such as Igor Moshkov and E-Ludmyla Svitla presented their works reflecting their personal experience of struggling with and rethinking the emotional states caused by PTSD.
Maksim Urakin, the initiator of Experts Club, emphasized the importance of the exhibition as an art therapy method for the correction of stressful conditions, including PTSD, especially in the context of the current challenges faced by many Ukrainians.
“This exhibition is more than art. It is an opportunity for visitors to experience healing and hope through painting, because the psycho-emotional state of many Ukrainians now needs support in the context of war and constant exposure to traumatic factors,” he said.
Lyudmyla Svitla, founder of Art Gallery Universe, shared her goal to encourage self-discovery and self-expression through art, considering it the key to inner peace.
Visitors of the exhibition shared their impressions, noting the deep emotional perception and personal meaning of each art object. The Restoring Life project highlights art not just as a means of aesthetic pleasure, but as an effective tool for spiritual healing and stress management.
Art therapy plays an important role in the treatment of PTSD and other stress-related disorders, as it allows individuals to express their feelings and experiences through art, which is often inaccessible through words. This form of psychotherapy helps reduce anxiety and stress, improves mood, and promotes emotional recovery. The inclusion of art therapy in rehabilitation programs for people with PTSD and other stress-related disorders can significantly increase their effectiveness by providing a unique approach to treatment and self-expression.
In 2023, Ukraine received external financing totaling $42.5 billion, of which $11.6 billion (27%) was non-repayable grant aid, the Ministry of Finance reported.
“Long-term concessional loan financing totaling $30.9 billion was attracted, in particular from the EU ($19.5 billion), the IMF ($4.5 billion), Japan ($3.4 billion), Canada ($1.8 billion), the UK ($1 billion), the World Bank ($660 million), and Spain ($50 million),” the report cites statistics on revenues.
Grant assistance was provided by the United States, Japan, Norway, Germany, Spain, Finland, Switzerland, Ireland, Belgium, and Iceland.
“Funds from the EU were raised as part of macro-financial assistance. Loans under the EU macro-financial assistance programs have a 35-year maturity (including a 10-year grace period), and the costs of servicing them are reimbursed by the EU,” the Ministry of Finance said.
As of the end of 2023, the weighted average cost of public and publicly guaranteed debt was 6.24%, which is 1.4 percentage points less than in the previous year, the Ministry added.
At the same time, the weighted average term to maturity of Ukraine’s public and publicly guaranteed debt increased by more than two years to 10.56 years last year.
In total, in 2023, the total amount of Ukraine’s public and publicly guaranteed debt increased by UAH 1,444 billion in hryvnia equivalent and by $33.9 billion in dollar equivalent, mainly due to an increase in long-term concessional financing from international partners.
As of December 31, 2023, Ukraine’s public and publicly guaranteed debt amounted to UAH 5.5 trillion, or $145.3 billion.
A detailed video analysis of the situation in the Ukrainian and global economy is available on the Experts Club YouTube channel – https://youtu.be/byJnfmie7bM?si=ZI410qh5NBA-jcpi
The results of last Thursday’s parliamentary elections in Pakistan have been summarized, with independent candidates, mostly affiliated with the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is serving a prison term, taking first place, Al Jazeera reports.
According to the Central Election Commission, out of 266 seats in the lower house of parliament (National Assembly) of Pakistan, 101 seats were won by independent candidates, 96 of them supported by the right-wing centrist party, the Justice Movement, founded by former Prime Minister Khan. However, after a court found Khan guilty on a number of charges, the Supreme Court and the CEC ruled that Khan’s supporters could only run as independent candidates and were prohibited from using party symbols.
The second place went to the party of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan Muslim League, with 75 seats. The third place went to Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s center-left Pakistan People’s Party with 54 seats.
It took more than 60 hours to count the votes. None of the parties achieved the required majority of 169 seats to form a government on their own.
On Friday, Sharif said that despite his failure in the parliamentary elections, he would try to form a coalition government. He had previously rejected the possibility of a coalition with other parties.
For 2024 – 2029, 336 seats are available in the National Assembly of Pakistan. In the 2024 elections, the number of seats was 266. Another 70 seats in the lower house of parliament are reserved for women and minority representatives. These seats are distributed among all parties.
The elections were held against the backdrop of a difficult economic situation in the country, as well as tensions in the border regions.
Earlier, the Experts Club information and analytical project included the 2024 elections in Pakistan in the list of the TOP-10 most important elections of 2024 for the whole world, see the video for more details at https://youtu.be/73DB0GbJy4M?si=pMUPbHSYKI8YrDFR
