On November 15, 2024, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency hosted a press conference on “Social Responsibility Practices in Time of War” dedicated to the specifics of Ukrainian business during the war period. The event brought together representatives of leading companies and experts who shared their own cases, innovative practices and visions of the future.
Olena Plakhova, Director of Reputation Management and Marketing at Nova Poshta, emphasized that business in Ukraine is now performing much more than traditional functions and often takes on some of the responsibilities of the state.
“This happens not because of coercion, but because businesses realize their responsibility to society. It is important to rethink the social contract – we not only expect help from the state, but also actively engage in solving urgent problems. For example, the Humanitarian Mail of Ukraine program, which started in 2014, now supports more than 2,000 recipient foundations by providing free delivery of humanitarian aid,” she said.
“Not only did we quickly organize our work, but we also supported local communities and supplied military checkpoints. Our warehouse in Makariv was destroyed, but we found the resources to resume the supply of medicines. It was a unique experience when we had to negotiate logistics corridors and make decisions quickly. In the future, it is important for us to help the victims and participate in the restoration of medical infrastructure, as this is a key part of our mission,” said Yevheniia Piddubna, Corporate Communications Director, Farmak JSC.
In his turn, Oleksandr Sosis, beneficiary of Alliance Bank, noted that the war has changed the emphasis of the company’s social responsibility.
“Previously, our programs were mainly related to employee support, but now the focus has shifted to external initiatives. One example is our Good Deeds Forum, which has become a platform for supporting volunteers. Many of them have become leaders of public initiatives that are now working even more effectively than some government agencies,” he emphasized.
Sergiy Shevchenko, KSG Agro’s press service representative, spoke about the agricultural holding’s activities in the frontline region.
“We have adapted our operations to the war conditions, increased salaries for our employees and strengthened security at our facilities. One of the key areas was ensuring food safety: we increased the number of pigs at our complex in Kherson region from 500 to 20 thousand. This is an important contribution to the stability of the region and support for local communities,” said the farmer.
Maksym Urakin, Director of Development and Marketing at Interfax-Ukraine and founder of the Experts Club think tank, emphasized the importance of helping civilians and creating communication projects in times of war.
“Our project “Find Your Loved Ones” has become a lifesaver for many civilians who have lost contact with their families due to the war. We have combined the efforts of the media and volunteers to search for missing people and have achieved significant results. We also help volunteer initiatives by organizing press conferences, providing information support and supplying mobile hospitals for civilians,” he said.
According to the expert, the Ukrainian economy is showing significant growth despite the challenges.
“In the first nine months of 2024, Ukraine’s GDP grew by 4.5% year-on-year. The results of the metallurgical sector are particularly impressive, as it increased production of steel and rolled products by 22-28% during this period. The agricultural sector also showed a significant increase due to the early harvest of late crops,” said Maxim Urakin.
According to him, Ukrainian business continues to adapt to the war by moving production to safer regions or even abroad.
“Medium-sized businesses are forced to actively migrate across Ukraine and integrate into the European economy – more than 200 companies have opened production facilities in the EU,” Urakin added.
But there are also negative trends. The expert emphasized the need to improve trust in government institutions, as according to an April survey by Active Group and Experts Club, 57% of citizens do not trust government agencies, and 62% do not trust law enforcement agencies.
The event also featured the presentation of the book Unbreakable Business by Oleksandr Holizdra and Serhiy Shevchenko, which tells unique stories about the resilience of Ukrainian companies during the war period. The publication has become a symbol of the entrepreneurial spirit that inspires us to move towards victory.
BANK_ALLIANCE, BUSINESS, EXPERTS CLUB, FARMAK, INTERFAX-UKRAINE, KSG_AGRO, PLAKHOVA, URAKIN, ГОЛІЗДРА, НОВА_ПОШТА, ПІДДУБНА, СОСІС
Interfax-Ukraine news agency announces the completion of development and implementation of an updated version of the agency’s online news feed.
“This is a resource with enhanced functionality for information processing. The service is designed for users who need not only quick access to news streams, but also tools for structuring them, searching databases, consolidating news, etc.,” explained Yegor Boltryk, director of Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
The new version has improved navigation capabilities and changed the system’s configuration to make it more flexible and understandable. The design has been updated for the convenience of mobile gadget users.
“In line with global trends, we decided to simplify the interface as much as possible, making it easy, versatile and convenient to use from any device,” added Yegor Boltryk.
The updated version has improved the system for working with the news archive (Interfax-Ukraine databases).
“The new version of the search tools is more accurate, in particular, the ability to generate complex queries and reports has been updated. I am confident that our domestic and foreign clients from various sectors (banks, embassies, government agencies, media, etc.) will appreciate the new adaptability of the system and the new capabilities of the search engines,” explained Maxim Urakin, Development and Commercial Director of Interfax-Ukraine.
“Interfax-Ukraine is an independent Ukrainian news agency that has been operating in the Ukrainian political and economic information market since 1992. It produces more than 40 news products in four languages. The agency’s editorial office is located in Kyiv. “Interfax-Ukraine is not part of any foreign media holdings. The founder and owner of Interfax-Ukraine was Oleksandr Martynenko.
As reported at the end of 2023, Interfax-Ukraine news agency became the official representative of the international company Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) in the Ukrainian market.
The agency has been a member and official service provider of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine since 2005. “Interfax-Ukraine provides up-to-date political, financial and economic information not only on Ukraine but also on a number of key countries for Ukraine (Europe, China, the United States, etc.).
The Interfax-Ukraine news agency is deeply saddened to announce the death of its founder and head, Oleksandr Martynenko, in Kyiv on Tuesday. He was 63 years old.
The agency’s staff continues to work in full. All news and other information products are and will continue to be published as usual. The staff of Interfax-Ukraine would like to express their gratitude for the emotional support of the team in connection with the loss and warm words addressed to the founder of the agency and express their condolences to the family and friends of Oleksandr Martynenko.
The date and place of the funeral will be announced later.
Oleksandr Martynenko, born in 1960, graduated from the Faculty of Economics at Kharkiv State University and founded and headed Interfax-Ukraine in 1992. He also served as Deputy Head (1991) and Consultant (2001) of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, Press Secretary of the President of Ukraine (1998-2001), Secretary of the Presidential Council on Information Policy (2001-2002), and member of the National Council on Television and Radio Broadcasting (2002-2003).
He is a holder of the Order of Merit III degree (2022), the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, V degree (2020). Since 2010, he has been an Honored Journalist of Ukraine.
“Interfax-Ukraine is an independent Ukrainian news agency that has been operating in the Ukrainian political and economic information market since 1992. It produces more than 40 news products in four languages. The agency’s editorial office is located in Kyiv. “Interfax-Ukraine is not a part of foreign media holdings. The founder and owner of Interfax-Ukraine was Oleksandr Martynenko. As reported at the end of 2023, Interfax-Ukraine news agency became the official representative of the international company Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) in the Ukrainian market, and since 2005 the agency has been a member and official service provider of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine.
LLC “Rudomain” (Krivoy Rog, Dnipropetrovsk region), engaged in iron ore mining, reduced iron ore production in Krivoy Rog by 25% from 2022 and production in 2023 was at 50% of capacity.
The company told Interfax-Ukraine that Rudomain continues its operations, but the number of employees has been reduced from 1,250 to 950 due to mobilization in Ukraine. Replenishment of personnel occurs only in cases of extreme necessity, including the integration of women into traditionally male-dominated professions.
It is noted, however, that there has been a marked decline in sales since 2022, resulting in a drop in production of up to 75% compared to the pre-war period. In 2023, the downward trend continues and production is held at 50% of potential maximum production capacity throughout the year, which corresponds to a zero breakeven level.
By markets: Rudomain’s products are sold to countries in the near abroad, mainly in Poland and Slovakia. Historically, sales have been made exclusively by rail, thus avoiding maritime transportation problems.
Plans for 2024: sales are planned to increase based on the use of repair and renovation funds for machinery and technology. Failure to generate these funds in year 23 could be a problem in the next year.
“Actively working on plans to increase automation of manufacturing processes to reduce production costs,” the company’s response states.
And it is noted in terms of the impact of the economic downturn in Europe and the way forward: the general downturn in economic development in Europe is being felt.
“Entering new markets requires a significant increase in the global cost of production to cover logistics costs and unblock seaports. The key factors for improving the investment climate are the end of the war, the return of professionals to their jobs and renewed confidence in the state,” the response summarizes.
Rudomain LLC was registered in May 2010. Its main activity is iron ore mining. According to the company, it is active in Ukraine, the CIS and Europe. Since 2005, it has processed more than 20 million tons of substandard ores from the Krivoy Rog iron ore basin.
As of the end of 2020, two concentrators were up and running. The production capacity of the plant was up to 4 million tons of feedstock per year with Fe min 38%. Production of finished products with Fe content of 50-59% (fraction 0-10 mm) was about 1.5 million tons per year.
According to the Unified State Register of Legal Entities as of September 2021, ARDC Mining Asset Management Holding Ltd (Cyprus) owns 100% of Rudomain LLC. The ultimate beneficiary is a Cypriot citizen Andreou Katia.
Previously, the owner of Rudomain LLC was Fernando Trading Ltd (West Indies) with the ultimate beneficiary being resident individual Anatoly Medvedev.
Anatoly Medvedev, Andreou Katia, ARDC Mining Asset Management Holding Ltd, INTERFAX-UKRAINE, Rudomain
On Thursday, July 30, at 14:00, the press center of the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency will host a press conference entitled “Who Destroyed Ukraine’s Horse Breeding and How to Save the Industry, and Why? The Opinion of the Heads of Horse Breeding Enterprises.” Participants include Director of Oleksandria stud farm of State-owned enterprise Horse Breeding of Ukraine Oleh Rodionov; Director of Dubrovsky stud farm of State-owned enterprise Horse Breeding of Ukraine Vadym Danylevsky; Director of Lozovsky stud farm of State-owned enterprise Horse Breeding of Ukraine Ihor Dubovyk; former Head of Odesa Hippodrome Kostiantyn Savchyts; President of the Anti-Corruption Entrepreneurial front Ihor Yehorov; lawyer Sabina Knysh, as well as other directors of state-owned horse breeding organizations (8/5a Reitarska Street). The press conference will be broadcast on the YouTube channel of Interfax-Ukraine. Admission of journalists requires registration on the spot.
BREEDING, HORSE, INDUSTRY, INTERFAX-UKRAINE, PRESS CONFERENCE
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Maksim Urakin is the project manager.
For consultations, as well as cooperation, please contact Interfax-Ukraine’s commercial department by phone:
+38 (044) 270 6574,
e-mail: urakin@interfax.kiev.ua
www.dnb.ua
