If hostilities end in 2025, Ukraine’s passive fire protection market could grow approximately 2.5 times from 2026 to around $25 million, according to Kovlar Group, a manufacturer of passive fire protection products.
According to the company’s experts, based on the preliminary results of the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2025 (Rome) and taking into account the priority tasks for reconstruction, a change in the segmentation of the passive fire protection market by type of material is expected. Intumescent coatings for steel will account for the largest share — 35-40%, fire-resistant plasters and slabs — 20-25%, sealing systems for penetrations and protection of engineering communications — 25-30%, materials for wood protection — up to 10%, and ventilation and smoke ducts — 5-10%. There is also a forecast for growth in demand for epoxy and polyurethane fire protection systems for oil and gas infrastructure, energy, and strategic facilities, which was previously limited by the high cost of imported analogues.
Konstantin Kalafat, director of Kovlar Group, emphasized that domestic manufacturers have sufficient capacity to ensure large-scale reconstruction of the country’s infrastructure in the post-war period. In particular, Kovlar Group LLC prioritizes the restoration of the energy sector, where the speed of work, availability of materials, and increased fire safety requirements are crucial.
“The use of Ammokote products ensures the efficiency of fire protection work — our own production reduces logistics times and allows us to quickly deliver large volumes. Local production reduces the cost compared to imported analogues, which is especially important for large-scale restoration projects,” said Konstantin Kalafat, director of the company.
An important factor for reconstruction is the implementation in Ukraine of the law “On the Provision of Construction Products on the Market,” which implements the provisions of Regulation (EC) No. 305/2011 and is expected to increase the competitiveness of the Ukrainian fire protection segment in comparison with European products. According to Konstantin Kalafat, Ukrainian manufacturers of fire protection products should actively implement manufacturing and product control technologies in accordance with advanced European standards.
A critically important area of the company’s activity is fire protection of cable lines at energy facilities, where fire safety is a prerequisite for the reliable and uninterrupted operation of power generation, substations, and networks. Kovlar Group offers comprehensive solutions for cable protection: fire-retardant paints, plasters, three types of systems for penetrations, as well as special couplings, seals, and sealants. In the first half of 2025, the company developed Ammokote TOP-W, a universal finishing material for cable communication fire protection systems; certification of Ammokote EP epoxy fire-retardant paint is ongoing.
“The company adheres to transparent competitive procedures and is ready to work within the framework of open tenders, cooperate with government agencies, contractors, and project teams for prompt, safe, and economically sound reconstruction,” emphasized Konstantin Kalafat.
Kovlar Group LLC was founded in 2015 in Kyiv and is the largest manufacturer of passive fire protection products in Ukraine. According to OpenDataBot, the company’s authorized capital is UAH 1.2 million, and its ultimate beneficiaries are Kostyantyn Kalafat (40%), Andriy Ozeychuk (35%), and Lyubov Vakhitova (25%). The company’s revenue for 2024 was UAH 91.3705 million, which is twice as much as in 2023, and its net profit was UAH 13.4 million, which is 1.7 times more than in 2023. In the first quarter of 2025, the company’s revenue was UAH 13.5 million, with a net income of UAH 1,983,000.
Source: https://interfax.com.ua/news/economic/1101227.html
Thanks to the best price-quality ratio, professional service and high customer confidence, Kovlar Group’s share in the Ukrainian fire protection market in 2024 amounted to 60%, and for some products it reaches 90%. The company announced this in a press release.
According to the company’s co-founder Kostiantyn Kalafat: “In 2016, the then newly established Kovlar Group offered the Ukrainian construction market an affordable fireproof plaster Ammokote GP-240, which completely changed the rules of the game in the segment. Prior to that, the market for fire protection materials was largely divided between unscrupulous Russian manufacturers and importers of European products, who kept the prices for fire protection high. This not only increased construction budgets, but also harmed the development of the steel construction industry in Ukraine, as customers refused to use steel solutions in their projects due to the high cost of fire protection.”
According to him, after the launch of the innovative Ammokote GP-240 gypsum plaster, due to the excellent combination of high fire protection properties and low price, it became so successful that in a few years it occupied about 80% of the plaster fire protection market. This allowed the company to invest in its own production facilities with modern equipment and a large warehouse, as well as in a research laboratory that allows for fire testing and the development of new materials.
Today, the company’s portfolio includes more than 20 different types of fire protection materials. Over the past 6 years, Kovlar Group’s turnover has amounted to about UAH 200 million, of which the company has paid more than UAH 38 million to the Ukrainian budget, which is a record figure for the fire protection segment.
Kovlar Group is owned by three Ukrainian citizens: Konstantin Kalafat, Lyubov Vakhitova and Andrey Ozeychuk.
