Kazakhstan plans to completely stop purchasing electricity from Russia starting in 2027 thanks to the commissioning of its own power generation facilities, said the country’s Deputy Minister of Energy, Sungat Esimkhanov.
According to him, if the planned power facilities are commissioned in late 2026 or early 2027, Kazakhstan will be able to meet domestic demand without Russian supplies. “If we commission all of our planned power facilities by the end of this year or early next year, I think that in 2027 we will not purchase any electricity from Russia at all,” Esimkhanov said at a press conference.
In recent years, Kazakhstan has purchased electricity from Russia annually due to a shortage of its own capacity. According to the Ministry of Energy, the deficit is decreasing: in 2024 it stood at 2.1 billion kWh, in 2025—about 1.5 billion kWh, and in 2026 it is expected to be at the level of 1–1.2 billion kWh. The government expects to eliminate this deficit by 2027.
Earlier, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Energy Erlan Akkenzhenov stated that the country intends to fully meet the economy’s electricity needs by the end of the first quarter of 2027. To this end, Kazakhstan is implementing 81 energy projects with a total capacity of 15.3 GW and an investment volume of over 13 trillion tenge, or more than $25 billion.
Moving away from Russian supplies will be a significant milestone in Kazakhstan’s energy policy. For the country, this means reducing dependence on external electricity sources and transitioning to a more self-sufficient energy balance model. However, the plan’s success will depend on the timing of new facilities coming online, the condition of the grids, and the power system’s ability to handle peak loads.
The decision also has regional significance. Kazakhstan remains part of the Central Asian power grid and is connected to the Russian power grid, so reducing imports from Russia does not mean a complete technological disconnect. However, from an economic and political standpoint, the move to replace Russian supplies demonstrates Astana’s desire to strengthen its own energy security and reduce vulnerability to external disruptions.
For Russia, this means a gradual loss of a portion of its electricity export demand from Kazakhstan. For Central Asia, it is a signal to accelerate the modernization of power generation, the construction of new thermal power plants, the development of renewable energy, and the improvement of grid reliability, as power shortages remain one of the region’s main infrastructure challenges.
Between April 13 and 19, Ukraine reduced electricity imports by 21%—to 114,900 MWh, according to the DIXI Group analytical center, citing data from Energy Map.
“At the same time, exports increased more than fourfold—from 2,200 MWh to 10,300 MWh—but these volumes remain insignificant and occur only during specific hours of temporary surplus, without affecting the supply of domestic demand,” the center noted.
Throughout the week, Russia continued its attacks on energy infrastructure. In particular, on April 16, another massive shelling of the power grid took place, with energy facilities in Kyiv and the southern regions as the main targets.
At the same time, weather conditions partially stabilized the situation in the power grid. A gradual rise in temperature and sunny weather contributed to a decrease in electricity consumption and an increase in solar power generation, which allowed for partial compensation of the losses caused by Russia and helped avoid large-scale blackouts.
According to DIXI Group data, electricity imports from April 13 to 19 decreased by 15–27% across all sources. At the same time, supplies from Slovakia remained absent for the second week in a row.
Hungary accounted for the largest share of imports—61.8 thousand MWh, or 53.8%. Romania accounted for 27.8 thousand MWh (24.2%), Poland for 24.7 thousand MWh (21.5%), and Moldova for 0.6 thousand MWh (0.5%).
At the same time, electricity exports remained limited and were carried out exclusively during specific hours of surplus—primarily during nighttime and daytime periods with lower load.
According to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UAC), citing customs statistics, Ukraine imported 30,800 tons of pork in 2025, a 15-fold increase from the previous year.
“The sharp increase in imports was a natural market reaction to the shortage of domestic raw materials. The decline in livestock numbers and the escalation of hostilities in the east of the country forced many enterprises to close, leading to higher prices for Ukrainian pork. At the same time, the decline in meat prices on foreign markets during the summer made imported supplies more economically attractive for stabilizing domestic demand,” experts noted.
According to analysts, total pork production in the country in 2025 amounted to 606,000 tons, which is 10% less than in 2024 and 11% below the average for the past five years. Meanwhile, total domestic consumption needs are estimated at 648,000 tons.
The pig herd in Ukraine had shrunk to 4.5 million head by the end of 2025, a 12% decrease compared to 2024. The majority of the commercial herd (64%) is concentrated in specialized enterprises—2.9 million head—while 1.6 million head are kept on private farms.
“The industry continues to operate under extremely difficult conditions. In addition to military risks, producers are under pressure from rising production costs. Under these circumstances, the share of more price-competitive imports is growing, although current supply volumes are still 25% lower than in 2023,” the UACB emphasized.
Export destinations remain limited: in 2025, Ukraine supplied only 2,200 tons of meat to foreign markets (-26%). The main consumers are countries in the Middle East (48.1%) and Asia (23.6%). The combined share of shipments to African countries and Southeast Asian nations is approximately 17%.
As reported, agricultural sector experts predict that restoring the pig farming industry to pre-war levels will require not only stabilization of the security situation but also the implementation of government support programs to rebuild the industrial herd in de-occupied regions.
Imports of goods to Ukraine from January to March 2026 increased by 26% in monetary terms compared to the same period last year—from $18.5 billion to $23.4 billion, while exports totaled $10.1 billion compared to $9.9 billion a year ago, according to data released by the State Customs Service of Ukraine (SCSU).
“At the same time, taxable imports amounted to $16.2 billion, accounting for 69% of the total volume of imported goods. The tax burden per 1 kg of taxable imports in January–March 2026 was $0.54/kg,” the agency stated in a post on its Telegram channel on Monday.
According to the published data, the largest volumes of goods were imported into Ukraine from China ($6.3 billion), Poland ($2.2 billion), and Turkey ($1.6 billion).
The largest exports from Ukraine went to Poland ($1.1 billion), Turkey ($840 million), and Germany ($659 million).
Of the total volume of goods imported in January–March 2026, 71% consisted of machinery, equipment, and transportation—$9.5 billion (upon customs clearance of these goods, 53.9 billion UAH, or 26% of customs revenue, was paid to the budget), fuel and energy products—$3.8 billion (UAH 77.3 billion was paid, or 37% of customs revenue), and chemical industry products—$3.4 million (UAH 28.2 billion was paid during customs clearance, or 13% of customs revenue).
The top three most exported goods from Ukraine included food products—$6.3 billion, metals and metal products—$929 million, and machinery, equipment, and transportation—$848 million.
The State Customs Service added that in January–March 2026, 509.5 million UAH was paid to the budget during customs clearance of exports of goods subject to export duties.
Imports of power generation units and rotating electrical converters to Ukraine in January–March 2026 fell by 31% compared to the same period in 2025—to $298.7 million, according to data from the State Customs Service.
According to statistical data, in March, imports of this equipment decreased by 11% compared to March 2025 and by 41.9% compared to February 2026—to $78.6 million.
In the first quarter of this year, electric generators and converters were most frequently imported from Romania—$62.7 million, accounting for 21% of total imports of these products—China—$55.4 million, or 18.5%—and the Czech Republic—$50.3 million, or 16.8%.
A year earlier, the largest suppliers were the Czech Republic with $85.7 million in shipments, the United States with $77.3 million, and Austria with $68.7 million.
Exports of electric generators from Ukraine in January–March 2026 were negligible, totaling $0.44 million.
As reported, in late July 2024, Ukraine exempted imports of electric generator equipment and batteries from customs duties and VAT. According to the State Customs Service, imports of electric generators and converters grew 2.3 times in 2025 compared to 2024, reaching $1.69 billion.
Imports of electric batteries and separators to Ukraine in January–March 2026 increased 3.8-fold compared to the same period in 2025—to $833.9 million, according to data from the State Customs Service.
The main supplier of these products in the first quarter was China, from which $736.8 million worth of batteries were imported, accounting for 88.4% of total imports. Products were also supplied from the Czech Republic ($19.7 million) and Taiwan ($11.9 million).
In January–March of last year, the largest suppliers were China with a 79.2% share, Bulgaria with 5.3%, and Taiwan with 3.8%.
In March 2026, battery imports increased 4.4-fold compared to March 2025, but decreased by 8.6% compared to February of this year—to $282 million.
At the same time, battery exports from Ukraine over the three-month period totaled $11.4 million, compared to $11 million a year earlier. The main export destinations were Poland — $3.3 million, France — $2 million, and Germany — $1.7 million.
As reported, at the end of July 2024, Ukraine exempted imports of electric generator equipment and batteries from customs duties and VAT. By the end of 2025, battery imports into Ukraine had grown by 55% compared to 2024—to $1.48 billion.
Source: https://expertsclub.eu
