Kyiv region became the largest among the regional new housing construction markets specified by the State Statistics Service in January-June 2026, with 599.3 thousand sq. m, while 437.9 thousand sq. m were declared in Kyiv.
According to the Experts Club information and analytical center, around 9.1 thousand apartments were declared at the construction commencement stage in Kyiv region. In annual terms, the area of new construction remained virtually unchanged, decreasing by only 0.3%.
In Kyiv, the area of declared new housing decreased by 10.7% — to 437.9 thousand sq. m.
At the same time, the statistics on the number of apartments in the capital look unusual: the State Statistics Service indicates around 1.4 thousand declared apartments despite the significant total area. This may be related to the structure of specific projects and the specifics of the published data.
Lviv region became the third major market, where 501.5 thousand sq. m of housing and around 7.2 thousand apartments were declared in the first half of the year.
In Ivano-Frankivsk region, the area of new construction amounted to 248.4 thousand sq. m, decreasing by 20.5% year on year. At the same time, around 5.8 thousand apartments were declared.
In Odesa region, the figure reached 328.7 thousand sq. m and around 1.1 thousand apartments, but the State Statistics Service does not disclose comparable figures for the previous year.
Thus, in terms of the volume of declared new construction, the largest markets continue to be concentrated around Kyiv and the western regions of the country.
The Kyiv region became the largest among the regional markets for new residential construction listed by the State Statistics Service in January–June 2026, with a figure of 599,300 square meters, while 437,900 square meters were reported in Kyiv, according to Experts.news.
In the Kyiv region, approximately 9,100 apartments were registered at the start of construction. On an annual basis, the area of new construction remained virtually unchanged, decreasing by only 0.3%.
In Kyiv, the area of registered new housing decreased by 10.7%—to 437,900 square meters.
At the same time, the statistics on the number of apartments in the capital appear unusual: the State Statistics Service reports approximately 1,400 registered apartments despite a significant total area. This may be related to the structure of specific projects and the characteristics of the published data.
The Lviv region became the third-largest market, where 501,500 square meters of housing and approximately 7,200 apartments were announced in the first half of the year.
In the Ivano-Frankivsk region, the area of new construction totaled 248,400 square meters, down 20.5% year-over-year. At the same time, approximately 5,800 apartments were registered.
In the Odesa region, the figure reached 328.7 thousand square meters and approximately 1,100 apartments; however, the State Statistics Service has not disclosed comparable figures for the previous year.
Thus, in terms of the volume of announced new construction, the largest markets continue to be concentrated around Kyiv and the western regions of the country.
Perfect Group plans to expand its rental real estate business in Kyiv and transfer some of the apartments in its complexes to professional management by hotel operators.
As the company’s CEO, Oleksiy Koval, stated in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine on September 1, 2026, the first such project is being developed in the LA MANCHE residential complex at 46 Shchekavitska Street in Podil. Forty apartments have been allocated for this income-generating real estate project.
The operator will focus primarily on long-term rentals.
Another project is being developed as part of the Stanford residential complex at 35 Predslavinskaya Street. Here, a separate section is planned for short-term rentals, and Perfect Group is in negotiations with a major professional operator.
The developer also plans to extend some hotel services to the other residents of the residential complexes. These include concierge services, babysitting, children’s playrooms, dog-walking, and other additional services.
According to Koval, after a period of competition among developers based on price, architectural concept, and infrastructure, the next key factor in market competition will be service quality.
For comfort-class housing, the company intends to develop a similar approach through digitalization. Perfect Group is developing an app to facilitate communication between residents and the management company, process requests, and vote on additional services. Its launch is planned for before the end of 2026.
In addition to income-generating real estate projects in Kyiv, Perfect Group is building the VELMY aparthotel in Polyanytsia near Bukovel.
The SEPTEMBER FEST 2026 urban festival, previously scheduled for September 18 at the A-STATION venue in Kyiv, has been rescheduled for November 5, 2026. The event will take place at the “Parkovy” Exhibition and Convention Center in conjunction with the UBC Congress in the format of SEPTEMBER FEST + UBC, according to the DMNTR media group, which is organizing the festival.
The decision to reschedule was made following the introduction of new restrictions in Kyiv on mass gatherings due to the deteriorating security situation.
On September 7, the Kyiv Defense Council voted to temporarily ban entertainment and sports events in open areas, as well as in buildings and structures lacking shelters capable of accommodating the expected number of participants. The new rules take effect at 12:00 a.m. on September 10, the Kyiv City State Administration announced on September 9.
“In light of the decision by the Kyiv Defense Council and the announcement by Mayor Vitali Klitschko, starting September 10, entertainment and mass events in open areas and in premises without appropriate shelters are temporarily prohibited in the capital. Therefore, we are postponing the September Fest urban festival to November 5 and will hold it jointly with the UBC Congress at the “Parkovy” Exhibition and Convention Center—in the format of SEPTEMBER FEST + UBC,” the organizers announced.
According to DMNTR, the festival’s announced program, speakers, and concert lineup remain unchanged.
SEPTEMBER FEST 2026 was previously planned as an open-air event. The festival is positioned as a professional platform for representatives of the development sector, architecture, city governments, investment companies, and related industries. Over 150 speakers were announced for the professional program.
Key topics of the event include the development of Ukrainian cities, architecture and real estate development during the war, post-war reconstruction and revitalization of territories, investments in real estate and infrastructure, the labor shortage in construction, the digitalization of the industry and BIM technologies, energy independence, the design of public spaces, and the creation of a modern urban environment.
Previously announced international participants in the professional program include Christos Passas, Design Director at Zaha Hadid Architects; British industrial designer Ross Lovegrove; and German designer Konstantin Grcic. The Ukrainian portion of the program will feature developers, architects, investors, mayors, and chief city architects, as well as representatives of government agencies and industry organizations.
The organizers expect that combining SEPTEMBER FEST with the UBC Congress will allow them to preserve the professional and cultural components of the festival in a new, safer format and bring together representatives of the development, architectural, investment, and urban communities under one roof.
The general sponsors of SEPTEMBER FEST + UBC are A Development and “Creator-Bud.” The organizer is the DMNTR media group.
The new date is November 5, 2026.
Venue: “Parkovy” Exhibition and Convention Center, Kyiv.
Additional information from the organizer: 077 777 25 47.
“Interfax-Ukraine” and Open4Business are the official media partners of SEPTEMBER FEST 2026.
Official announcement from the Kyiv City State Administration regarding restrictions on mass events dated September 9, 2026: Kyiv City State Administration
ARCHITECTURE, DEVELOPMENT, DMNTR, FESTIVAL, KYIV, SEPTEMBERFEST
American missionary and philanthropist Kim Kio Yok, who has been working in Ukraine for more than 30 years, said that probable fraud occurred during the purchase of a house in Kyiv for the activities of the charitable foundation and Grace church, as a result of which the organization lost the ability to fully provide assistance to internally displaced persons, pensioners and other vulnerable categories of the population.
As Oleksandr Keer, managing partner of the law firm Revealing Information, said during a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency, in 2022 Kim Kio Yok agreed to purchase a building in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, but instead of the main sale and purchase agreement, an agreement on the intention to conclude such an agreement was signed. According to the lawyer, at the time the agreement was concluded, the real estate was pledged due to debts of the previous owner’s family, and the initial payment amounted to $30,000.
“In 2022, $30,000 was transferred as a deposit and confirmation of the genuine intention to purchase this property. From 2022 until today, the amount of funds received increased from $30,000 to $400,000; in fact, 21 agreements were concluded to postpone the deadlines for concluding the main sale and purchase agreement. The last two additional agreements were concluded when the party no longer even had the ability to sell the property because it did not own it,” Keer said at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency on Wednesday.
According to him, because of the outstanding previous obligations of the person who was supposed to sell the house, ownership of the real estate passed to creditors, making it impossible to fulfill the original agreements. At the same time, the lawyer claims that Kim Kio Yok effectively transferred almost the entire agreed value of the property but did not receive ownership of it.
Keer said that after the philanthropist approached them, the lawyers initially tried to resolve the situation through negotiations and mediation, but they were unable to reach an agreement with the other party. After that, submissions to the police and prosecutor’s office were prepared, as well as civil lawsuits concerning the disputed agreements and the return of the funds.
“When Mr. Kim approached us, the first thing we proposed was to hold negotiations and mediation in order to clarify the circumstances and try to reach an agreement. In response to repeated attempts to hold such a meeting, we were told that there were no grounds or purpose for it. After that, we prepared statements to the police and prosecutor’s office, as well as civil lawsuits regarding the return of the funds,” he added.
Keer noted that, according to the assessment of the injured party, the case has prospects in court because the transfer of funds and changes to the agreements were documented by signed agreements. He also said that for some time the philanthropist actually used the building, invested funds in improving it and purchased equipment, but now, according to his representatives, does not have access to this property.
He noted that the prosecutor’s office of the Darnytskyi district had opened criminal proceedings and that a pre-trial investigation was ongoing. The lawyer also positively assessed the court’s prompt response to the appeal by representatives of the injured party, but noted that since May the case has not yet resulted in a notice of suspicion or the submission of an indictment to the court.
For his part, Kim Kio Yok said that he came to Ukraine from California 33 years ago and during that time was engaged in religious, educational and charitable projects. After the start of the full-scale war, together with like-minded people, he helped people whose homes had been damaged, distributed food packages and firewood, and also organized free meals for internally displaced persons in Kyiv.
“We helped Ukrainians who suffered greatly during the full-scale war: we found damaged houses, helped rebuild them, provided people with food packages and firewood so that they could survive the winter. In the building in the Darnytskyi district, we served hot lunches to between 150 and 200 internally displaced persons. Because of this situation, in recent months people have been unable to receive the assistance that we provided before,” Kim Kio Yok said.
Kim Kio Yok, American missionary and philanthropist, injured party in the criminal proceedings
The missionary said that, as a U.S. citizen, he sent an official letter to the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine and contacted the U.S. consul.
“We sent an official letter to the U.S. Embassy. They responded and are showing interest in this case because I am a U.S. citizen. I also contacted the U.S. consul with a request to help me in this situation,” Kim Kio Yok said.
According to him, people who previously regularly received assistance continue to call representatives of the organization and ask when the free lunches and other programs will be resumed. The missionary stressed that he intends to remain in Ukraine and continue his charitable activities.
Kim Kio Yok noted that the organization operates not only in Kyiv. Over 33 years of its activities, centers have been established in various cities of Ukraine, including rehabilitation programs for people with drug and alcohol addiction. The Grace gymnasium, which includes a kindergarten and education through the 11th grade, also operates, while the building purchased in Kyiv was planned to be used, among other things, for educational projects.
“I am now 75 years old, and even during the war I want to help Ukrainians and serve them with love. We appeal to law enforcement agencies, the police and the prosecutor’s office: help us so that we can work again on the territory of Ukraine. We have dedicated our lives to serving Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” he said.
For her part, Viktoriia Khliebnikova, a volunteer with the charitable foundation, noted that the consequences of the conflict surrounding the building concern not only the foundation itself, since professional kitchen equipment purchased specifically to provide free meals to people remained inside the premises.
“For us, this story is very painful because this is not a question of the house, the equipment or the money. The most painful thing is that we cannot help people to the full extent, as we did before. The professional equipment was purchased not for business and not to make a profit – it was purchased for charitable activities, to feed people,” Khliebnikova said.
She noted that during widespread electricity outages, such meals were of particular importance to people who were unable to cook food at home. At present, according to her, the team is seeking to regain access to its property and resume its work.
“People are waiting, they meet me on the street and every time ask when we will start helping again. We want to return to normal work, prepare lunches, help elderly people, children and families who have lost their defenders at the front,” the volunteer added.
For his part, Pastor Kim Shine, vice president of the international Grace mission, who joined the press conference from the United States, said that the American organization financially supported the activities of Kim Kio Yok and his family in Ukraine and helped with the purchase of the premises. According to him, after the start of the full-scale war, the mission offered the missionaries the opportunity to return to the United States for security reasons, but they decided to stay.
“When they said that they had found a building where they could support elderly people and prepare food for displaced persons, we decided to provide financial assistance for its purchase. Now we are appealing to the Ukrainian authorities so that this case is resolved in accordance with the law and the activities can continue,” Kim Shine emphasized.
CHARITY, fraud, INTERFAX-UKRAINE, KYIV, MISSIONARY, UNITED STATES
The International Soft Skills Summit 2026, dedicated to the development of individuals, teams, and organizations in the era of artificial intelligence, will take place September 12–14 in a hybrid format and will bring together more than 70 Ukrainian and international experts.
According to the event organizers, the first day of the summit will take place in person in Kyiv with an online livestream, while the remaining two days will be held online. More than 5,000 participants are expected to attend.
The summit will also feature the inaugural Soft Skills Summit Awards 2026—a professional award for corporate programs in the areas of leadership development, talent development, team development, corporate culture, and soft skills.
According to the organizers, the Soft Skills Summit program is structured around three levels of development: the individual, the team, and the organization.
On September 12, the program will focus on individual development. On this day in Kyiv, there will be presentations on the main stage, panel discussions, hands-on Soft Skills Hubs, a Mindfulness Zone, an EXPO, Guided Speed Networking, and the awards ceremony for the winners of the Soft Skills Summit Awards 2026.
On September 13, the online program will focus on team development, communication, psychological safety, and modern approaches to leadership.
On September 14, participants will discuss corporate culture, talent and change management, organizational effectiveness, and corporate transformation driven by artificial intelligence.
“Today, a company’s competitive advantage is determined not only by technology. It is determined by people—their ability to think, interact, learn, and lead others through change. That is why we created the Soft Skills Summit—a platform that brings together global expertise and Ukrainian experience to help people, teams, and organizations prepare for the future,” said Ihor Lukianenko and Nataliia Novhorodska, co-founders of UpPro School and the Soft Skills Summit.
The organizers note that the development of soft skills is taking on added significance amid the spread of artificial intelligence technologies and changing labor market demands.
According to a World Economic Forum forecast, by 2030, approximately 39% of the professional skills required for work will have changed. Among the competencies expected to grow in importance the fastest are analytical thinking, resilience, adaptability, creativity, leadership, and social influence.
For Ukraine, the relevance of this issue is also linked to labor shortages, the integration of veterans and internally displaced persons into the labor market, the potential return of Ukrainians from abroad, the need to develop management teams, and the implementation of AI tools in business processes.
Among the announced speakers for the Soft Skills Summit 2026 are Andriy Fedoriv, founder of Fedoriv Group; Richard E. Boyatzis (U.S.), communications expert and TED speaker Julian Treasure (U.K.), SoftServe Senior Vice President of HR Renta Delporte, Advanter Group Chairman Andriy Dligach, PwC Ukraine Academy Leader Iryna Blinova, business consultant Frank Pucelik (U.S.), Shola Kaye (UK), an expert in communications and People-First culture, and Chen Lizra (Canada), a somatic transformational coach and TED speaker.
The full program and information on participation are available on the Soft Skills Summit 2026 website.
The summit is aimed at business owners, CEOs, team leaders, HR and L&D professionals, business trainers, coaches, psychologists, consultants, and other specialists working in the field of people and organizational development.
As part of the Soft Skills Summit Awards 2026, the best programs will be recognized in five categories: leadership development, talent development, team and corporate culture development, mental health support, and innovation in soft skills training and development.
Projects will be evaluated using a unified methodology developed by the UpPro School Analytical Center in collaboration with the non-governmental organization “Independent Association of Psychology and Coaching” and an independent panel of experts. The organizers state that the main criteria will be the program’s professional value, the quality of its implementation, and its actual impact, regardless of the company’s size.
Detailed information about the award and the terms of participation is available on the Soft Skills Summit Awards 2026 page.
The summit is organized by UpPro School—an international educational center for training and professional development of psychologists, HR and L&D specialists, managers, and other professionals working in the field of people, team, and organizational development. According to the organizers, UpPro School is an accredited CPD provider in the United Kingdom; over 150,000 participants have taken part in the center’s educational events, and more than 8,000 students have completed professional training.
For readers of “Open4business,” the promo code Open4business is available, offering a 10% discount on tickets to the Soft Skills Summit 2026. The promo code is valid through September 11, 2026.
For partnership inquiries, contact Svitlana Chaurova at partnerships@softskills-summit.com.
Open4Business is the official media partner of the event
