Smart Tech Industry LLC plans to raise $13 million to build “Trout Valley,” a high-tech complex for trout farming and value-added processing, in the Poltava region. The total cost of the project is $62.5 million, according to the Ukraine Investment Guide 2026, presented at the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC2026) in Gdańsk.
As noted in the catalog, the complex will be located near the village of Zasulya in the Lubny District and will consist of five production modules with a total capacity of 2,500 metric tons of product per year.
The facility plans to produce trout fillets, cleaned and portioned fish, as well as value-added products, and will provide processing and packaging services for corporate clients.
The project is based on recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology, involves the automation of production processes, and utilizes Danish engineering solutions. The primary target markets are retail chains and the hospitality and restaurant sectors in Ukraine and the European Union.
According to the catalog, the project is ready for implementation. Design work has been completed, the necessary permits have been obtained, expert reviews have been conducted, and construction of the engineering and transportation infrastructure—including gas, water, and electricity supply networks—has begun.
The project is being implemented within the Smart Tech Industry industrial park, which allows for the use of state tax and customs incentives. The estimated implementation period is three years, with a payback period of 2.5 years.
As previously reported, in March 2024, the Cabinet of Ministers included the “Smart Tech Industry” industrial park in the Lubenskyi District of Poltava Oblast in the Register of Industrial Parks. The park’s concept called for the construction of a facility for the deep processing of agricultural products. According to a memorandum signed with American investors, $7 million was planned to be invested in developing its infrastructure, and $20 million in constructing the park’s facilities. The project was expected to create approximately 350 jobs.
Smart Tech Industry LLC was founded in 2016. The company’s main focus is the creation and development of the Smart Tech Industry industrial park and the implementation of industrial projects on its territory.
aquaculture, fish processing, INVESTMENT, Smart Tech Industry, Trout Valley
“Lubnymash” (Poltava Oblast), a manufacturer of grain elevators and related equipment, has begun construction of a 6,000-square-meter production complex, which will allow it to nearly double its total storage capacity to over 1 million metric tons of grain per year, said Dmytro Kysilevsky, deputy chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development.
“The new site will produce large-capacity silos—up to 50,000 cubic meters. Investment in the new project totals $2 million,” he wrote on Facebook on Thursday, adding that the plant in Lubny currently produces silos with a total storage capacity of up to 600,000 metric tons of grain annually.
Kisilevsky noted that the company secured additional investment resources through its participation in a program that reimburses 25% of the cost of Ukrainian agricultural machinery products.
According to the MP, in 2025, the “Lubnymash” plant produced grain storage facilities, silos, and grain bunkers worth over 1 billion hryvnias. The products are exported to European Union markets, and the African market holds great promise for the Ukrainian manufacturer.
The company employs 420 people.
Kysilevsky noted that the program to compensate farmers for 25% of the cost of Ukrainian agricultural machinery—part of the “Made in Ukraine” policy to support Ukrainian manufacturers—was in effect from 2017 to 2022 and was subsequently reinstated starting in 2024.
The 2026 state budget allocates 1.8 billion hryvnias for this program.
According to information on its website, “Lubnymash” is one of the leading companies in the design and manufacture of equipment for grain and grain products. It produces metal silos, grain dryers, conveyors, bucket elevators, and metal structures.
According to data from YouControl, in January–March of this year, the plant increased its net profit 3.3-fold compared to the same period in 2025—to 13.2 million UAH—as net revenue grew 3.4-fold to 288.4 million UAH.
Volodymyr Kudryk owns 100% of the authorized capital of Lubnymash.
Antigua and Barbuda could lose visa-free access to the Schengen Area by the end of 2026 due to the European Union’s concerns about its citizenship-by-investment program, said Prime Minister Gaston Brown. According to him, Brussels has warned of a possible revocation of visa privileges if the EU’s security concerns regarding the program are not addressed.
This refers to the Citizenship by Investment Program—a scheme under which foreign investors can obtain citizenship of Antigua and Barbuda through a fee or investment. For purchasers of such passports, mobility remains the key commercial benefit: the country’s passport currently allows for short-term visa-free entry into the Schengen Area.
Brown made it clear, however, that the government does not intend to shut down the citizenship-by-investment program, even under pressure from the EU. For Antigua and Barbuda, it remains an important source of non-tax revenue and a tool for financing development. The authorities hope to convince the European side that additional electronic travel monitoring could serve as an alternative to a full-fledged visa regime.
Pressure on Caribbean programs has intensified following the reform of the EU’s visa mechanism. In October 2025, the European Parliament supported an update to the rules that allows for the faster suspension of visa-free travel for countries that pose security risks or violate the conditions of visa liberalization. “Golden passport” schemes effectively fall into a separate category of such risks.
In its eighth report on the visa suspension mechanism, the European Commission explicitly stated that citizenship-by-investment programs in visa-free countries pose a “non-zero risk” to the Schengen Area. Although countries in the Eastern Caribbean have already raised the minimum investment threshold to $200,000 and tightened applicant screening, Brussels considers the situation problematic.
This is a warning sign for the investment migration market. Vanuatu has already become the first country to lose visa-free access to the EU due to “golden passports”: the European Union permanently revoked the visa-free travel agreement with this Pacific nation in December 2024, following a previous suspension of the arrangement in 2022.
Antigua and Barbuda has already faced similar pressure from the United States. In early 2026, Washington suspended visa services for the country’s citizens, citing concerns that the citizenship-by-investment program could be exploited by criminal organizations to gain access to the U.S.
If the EU does indeed impose visa requirements, the value of an Antigua and Barbuda passport for foreign investors will plummet. For small island economies in the Caribbean, this could mean not only a drop in demand for CBI programs but also a reevaluation of the entire model of attracting capital through the sale of citizenship.
For investors, the conclusion is becoming increasingly clear: a “golden passport” without sustainable visa-free access to the EU is transforming from a tool for mobility into a much riskier asset. European policy is gradually shifting from tolerance of investment citizenship to direct control and the possible revocation of visa benefits.
Antigua and Barbuda, EU, golden passport, INVESTMENT, VISA-FREE TRAVEL
The Kovel Porto Industrial Park (Kovel, Volyn Oblast) has signed a cooperation agreement with the Polish company Hanplast Sp. z o.o., which will serve as the general contractor and investor for the KovelEnergoPort project, with a total value of 42 million euros, according to the Kovel Porto Industrial Park.
The agreement was signed by the parties during the Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC 2026) in Gdańsk.
“We have signed an agreement with the Polish company Hanplast, the general contractor (EPC), which is also participating in the project as an investor with a 20% stake in the energy SPV,” the IP’s Facebook page states.
The project involves the construction of a 5.99 MW solar power plant, a 40 MWh energy storage system, and the generation of approximately 5,800 MWh of electricity per year. Solar panels will be installed on the roofs of industrial buildings.
The total budget for the logistics and energy segment is approximately 2 million euros.
It is noted that bringing in a contractor as a co-owner of the project is “a clear signal of the project’s banking attractiveness to international financial institutions.”
IP “Kovel Porto” adds that a memorandum was also signed in Gdańsk with UkraineInvest, paving the way for state support for the project under the significant investment regime.
For its part, the Polish company Hanplast announced on LinkedIn that the project will be co-financed by the Polish bank BGK, and Hanplast, as an investor, will receive a 20% stake in the project.
“The ‘Kovel Porto’ investment project is being built on one of the key transport routes connecting Ukraine with the EU. The development of such infrastructure opens up new opportunities for industry, logistics, and the further recovery of the Ukrainian economy. It is not often that we have the opportunity to participate in projects that contribute to Ukraine’s future. This makes us even more grateful for the trust placed in us,” Hanplast notes.
The investor reports that, as part of the project, the infrastructure supplies energy to the dry port, warehouses, and industrial park, and feeds surplus power into the grid.
“Kovel Porto” is a multimodal logistics and energy platform on a 25-hectare brownfield site, located 56 km by rail and 62 km by road from the EU border (the Yagodin-Dorohusk crossing).
The project has been designated as being of national importance and is integrated into the TEN-T core network.
The platform combines six areas of operation: a dry port and container terminal, a customs hub (Smart Customs Hub), warehouses and 3PL logistics, an industrial park, energy (KovelEnergoPort), and a data center.
The project operator is Kompressorna Technika LLC (the initiator of the “Kovel Porto” private enterprise), whose ultimate beneficiaries, according to YouControl, are businessman Ilya Koshkin (66.28%) and Angela Krapivianska (22.72%).
The Polish company Hanplast specializes, among other things, in the design and manufacture of molds, injection molding of plastics, as well as the production of photovoltaic modules and solutions.
The “Kovel Porto” industrial park was registered in July 2024, and in October of that same year, the park received 69.8 million UAH in government funding for the construction and modernization of its infrastructure.
Hanplast, INDUSTRIAL PARK, INVESTMENT, Kovel Porto, SOLAR POWER PLANT
The Odesa Investment Congress has updated the program for the forum, which will take place on July 10, 2026, in Odesa at the SPATIUM Hotel and will run from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
The final program for the congress includes two conference halls operating throughout the day—from the first panel discussion to the gala evening and concert program. The organizers note that there are only a few days left before the event begins, and seating is limited.
The program for July 10 includes a press conference on accessibility as a new urban philosophy, featuring government officials, as well as panel discussions on Odessa’s investment appeal, new investments in the regions, wellness as a new urban economy, and the development of medical, rehabilitation, and inclusive spaces.
Representatives from SPATIUM, ZEZMAN Holding, KADORR, “Gefest,” “Two Academicians,” Akvareli, Ribas Hotels, and other companies will join the discussion on Odessa’s investment appeal. A separate panel will be dedicated to new investments in the regions, featuring RIEL, UDP, SAGA, Creator-Bud, Avalon, SIGMA+, and CREDO.
One of the central segments will be a presentation by the SUPERHUMANS team in Odesa and a discussion on the development of medical, rehabilitation, and inclusive spaces. The program also includes a discussion on the topic “Odesa and UNESCO: Heritage Preservation vs. Modern Development.”
The URBAN DESIGN hall will host discussions featuring the chief architects of Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr, Vinnytsia, and Rivne; a panel titled “Women Shaping Ukrainian Space”; workshops by the BOARD business community featuring Netpeak and Profiles; and an Evening Talk on premium-level sales.
The day will conclude with a gala evening, a concert program, and the presentation of the Vasyl Kandinsky Special Award.
A special program is also planned for congress guests on July 9 and 11, which will include private site visits, presentations, and a dinner.
Tickets for the Odesa Investment Congress are available on the website: ubc-ua.info/oic. VIP guests, speakers, and partners can contact us at: 077 777 25 47.
The Odesa Investment Congress is organized by the DMNTR media group. The general partner is SPATIUM Group.
The Interfax-Ukraine news agency is the information partner of the Odesa Investment Congress.
The OKKO gas station chain is investing over $120 million to open 20 new 3.0-format gas stations and renovate another 60 existing ones by 2029, according to OKKO Group CEO Vasyl Danyliak.
“We are probably the company that has carried out the most renovations during the full-scale war… We not only quickly restored damaged gas stations, but also launched a program back in the fall of 2022 to upgrade and rebuild our stations; over the years, we have renovated more than 200 facilities. But we see how requirements are changing—that’s why we developed the 3.0 format,” Danilyak told reporters during a press tour on Wednesday.
The first complex of this format was built and opened in Irpin, and the second was renovated to the 3.0 format in Hatne. The next step is the construction of a flagship highway complex in Zvyagel.
According to Danylyak, investments in the construction of the gas station in Irpin amounted to approximately $3 million; highway complexes in the new format are estimated to cost $4–5 million, while the renovation of existing highway stations will cost about $2 million. By 2029, the company plans to invest over $120 million in the development of the 3.0 format, specifically to build 20 new stations and renovate about 60, thereby covering approximately 20% of the network.
The new format emphasizes technology, the digitalization of the customer journey (OKKO PAY, OKKO Drive, the Smart Kitchen system), expanded food service, energy independence, and the development of infrastructure for electric vehicles, as well as simple navigation, accessibility, and modern design. In particular, the gas stations now feature OKKO Work Spaces—rooms for phone calls and online meetings, an all-season terrace, children’s play areas, and more.
In addition to the rooftop solar power plant, solar panels have also been installed as a canopy over the charging stations. In total, a 69 kW solar power plant has been installed at the Irpin gas station, and a 48 kW plant in Hatne, with plans to expand to 100 kW. During peak generation periods, these systems can cover up to 50% of the complex’s own electricity consumption. Combined with generators and backup power, this allows the gas stations to remain operational even during power outages. By the end of 2026, solar power plants will be operating at more than 300 gas stations in the network, with a total capacity exceeding 6 MW.
According to Danylyak, the company also plans to install solar power plants near gas stations “where it is possible to lease land.” In particular, this has already been done in Kalynivka, and such a mini-solar power plant will soon be installed in Ivankiv.
OKKO has been developing its electric vehicle initiatives since 2014, when it became the first gas station chain in Ukraine to begin building a systematic charging infrastructure. Today, this includes approximately 100 Ultra Fast Chargers at 63 locations. In the new format at gas stations, the charging area is located under a separate canopy with solar panels, separated from the fueling lanes.
“Together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the company is preparing a $10 million financing program to expand its network of high-speed charging stations,” Danilyak said.
According to Vasyl Dmytriv, OKKO’s vice president of marketing and development, the company now competes not only with gas stations but also with fast-food chains, restaurants, and stores. OKKO 3.0 features a full-fledged dining area offering Ukrainian, European, and Asian cuisines, plus a section for ready-to-eat meals: soups, main courses and side dishes, salads, burgers, pizza, WOK dishes, and pasta. The key difference of the new format is the open kitchen. Thanks to the expanded kitchen infrastructure, the company can now operate multiple culinary concepts simultaneously—including preparing dishes “to order.” OKKO remains Ukraine’s No. 1 coffee chain by sales: in 2025, customers purchased nearly 34 million cups. In the new gas station format, the coffee area has been expanded; specifically, the location in Hatne offers over 150 coffee options.
electromobility, gas station, INVESTMENT, Даниляк, ОККО, СЕС
