Nova Post in the Czech Republic plans to invest over 6 million Czech korunas (over $288,000 at the current exchange rate) this year in scaling up its logistics system, which will include 7-day-a-week delivery, next-day service, pickup within an hour, as well as delivery and pickup of oversized parcels, according to a company statement on Thursday.
“We are seeing rapid growth in demand for international logistics and a high level of trust, as evidenced by the year-over-year increase in shipment volumes. That is why we have partnered with the Czech division of UPS and now deliver to 187 additional countries and regions around the world,” Nova Post CEO in the Czech Republic Andriy Artemenko is quoted as saying in the release.
He noted that by the end of 2026, the company also plans to open 30 new branches and launch another 2,500 service points.
The company added that Nova Post in the Czech Republic currently handles customs clearance of shipments independently. In addition, the company has connected another network of 570 parcel lockers—OX Box—bringing the total number of delivery lockers to over 3,500: ALZA box, GLS, and OX Box.
As reported, last year the NOVA Group handled 522 million shipments, 29 million of which were in Europe. The group, which currently ranks 30th globally in parcel volume among express delivery and postal services, aims to enter the top 20 by 2030 and increase the number of shipments to 2 billion.
Co-owner of the leading express delivery company “Nova Poshta” Vyacheslav Klimov noted at the “Dialogues with NV” event dedicated to European integration that Nova Post Europe, part of the NOVA Group, plans to double its network of branches in Europe by 2026 and keep its strategy focused on ensuring maximum delivery speed.
The main activity of Nova Post, the NOVA Group’s primary asset, is the express delivery of documents, parcels, and palletized oversized cargo. Its ultimate beneficial owners are Volodymyr Poperechnyuk and Vyacheslav Klimov.
One of Ukraine’s largest grain market operators, Nibulon Joint Venture LLC (Mykolaiv), has expanded the scope of its river fleet cargo transportation on the Danube and opened a new logistics route involving Moldovan ports, the company announced on its Facebook page.
“After entering the markets of the Middle and Upper Danube in 2025, Nibulon opened a new route involving Moldovan ports. The first operation involved the implementation of a comprehensive logistics scheme: a voyage was completed along the route Izmail (Ukraine) – Galați (Romania), transporting 3,600 tons of metallurgical slag,” the statement noted.
According to the company, after unloading, the vessel proceeded to the port of Giurgiulești (Moldova), where it loaded 5,000 tons of rapeseed for further transport to Constanța, Romania. The total volume of cargo transported on the voyage exceeded 8,600 tons.
In addition, Nibulon implemented a two-way logistics scheme involving the delivery of grain from Izmail to Bulgarian ports, with a return load of mineral fertilizers in Serbia for transport to Moldova.
“This format allows us to minimize empty voyages and increase the efficiency of fleet utilization,” the company emphasized.
In total, by the end of 2025, Nibulon had transported over 110,000 tons of cargo via river transport. Its own fleet enables the agricultural holding to transport various types of goods, including agricultural products, fertilizers, slag, and metal, and to adapt routes to market needs.
Before the war, Nibulon cultivated 82,000 hectares of land across 12 regions of Ukraine and exported agricultural products to over 70 countries worldwide. In 2021, the grain trader exported a record 5.64 million tons of agricultural products. After the war began, the company was forced to relocate its headquarters from Mykolaiv to Kyiv. In addition to 23 grain storage complexes, Nibulon has its own road and rail transport capabilities, as well as a fleet built at its own shipyard. During wartime, this fleet continues to carry out river transport operations.
Nibulon is actively developing its own humanitarian demining unit to restore safety on leased lands and assist Ukraine’s agricultural sector. The company is a certified operator of mine action activities.
Centravis Production Ukraine, a leading manufacturer of seamless stainless steel pipes and a subsidiary of the Centravis holding company, has been forced to change its product supply routes due to the situation in the Middle East.
According to Centravis Sales Director Artem Atanasov, the company continues to closely monitor the development of the geopolitical situation in the Middle East and its potential impact on regional logistics and supply chains.
“Over the past weekend, the situation has changed, and new developments have affected previously available logistics options,” Atanasov stated.
According to him, as of March 16, several shipping lines have temporarily suspended new bookings to and from a number of destinations in the Persian Gulf region, including the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia (Dammam & Al Jubail), Oman (Sohar), and Bahrain.
The sales director of Centravis noted that the situation remains fluid. Shipping lines are currently working on possible solutions to ensure transportation and minimize operational risks.
Centravis was founded in 2000 and ranks among the top ten largest manufacturers of seamless stainless steel pipes in the world. Its main production facilities are located in Nikopol (Dnipropetrovsk region). In 2023, the company opened a branch in Uzhhorod.
Centravis Ltd. was established on the basis of CJSC “Nikopol Stainless Steel Pipe Plant” and the service and trading companies LLC “Production and Commercial Enterprise ”YUVIS.” Its shareholders are members of the Atanasov family. Centravis Ltd. owns 100% of the shares in Centravis Production Ukraine PJSC.
Kernel, one of Ukraine’s largest agricultural holdings, invested $25 million in logistics sustainability and infrastructure in July–December 2025 (the first half of fiscal year 2026), the company said in its financial report.
“Net cash used in investing activities amounted to $145 million during October-December 2025. The outflow of funds mainly consisted of $120 million invested in financial assets as part of the group’s liquidity management strategy, and $25 million in capital expenditures, mainly related to the reconstruction of the transshipment terminal in Chornomorsk, agricultural machinery, backup power equipment, and grain transport cars,” the document says.
According to the report, the group’s total capital investments for the entire reporting half-year amounted to $55 million. In addition to infrastructure projects, $25 million was invested in agribusiness, in particular in upgrading the fleet of precision farming equipment, and about $5 million was spent on other capital expenditures. Thus, the company continues to implement projects to modernize the logistics chain and ensure the autonomy of production capacities.
As reported, the cost of sales in the second quarter increased by 28% compared to the previous quarter. The holding explained this dynamic by a 55% increase in the cost of delivery and handling of cargo, which was a result of higher insurance premiums due to increased Russian attacks on civilian vessels in the Black Sea port area during the reporting period.
Kernel is the world’s largest producer and exporter of sunflower oil, the largest exporter of grain from Ukraine, an operator of an extensive network of logistics assets, and a leading producer of grain and oilseeds in Ukraine. It is one of the largest producers and sellers of bottled oil in Ukraine. It is also engaged in the cultivation and sale of agricultural products.
Kernel’s net profit in the first half of fiscal year 2026 (FY, July–December 2025) decreased by 33% compared to the same period last year, to $119 million. The agricultural holding’s consolidated revenue for the reporting period amounted to $1.924 billion, which is 1% less than in the first half of FY 2025. EBITDA decreased by 14% to $247 million.
Ukraine’s export logistics entered 2026 in a new configuration, where Ukrzaliznytsia’s transition to a fixed tariff for grain car rental reduced cost volatility, according to the information and analytical agency UkrAgroConsult.
According to analysts, the main cargo flows are currently concentrated in the direction of the ports of Greater Odessa, where terminal utilization has stabilized at 50%. In early February, the number of grain cars heading for ports exceeded 9,000 units, which is associated with the active fulfillment of contracts and the need for working capital for farmers before spring field work.
“The dynamics of grain car traffic demonstrates continued pressure on infrastructure capacity. This situation indicates a resumption of activity by exporters, but at the same time leaves minimal margin for the logistics system,” experts noted.
The agency noted a shift in the competitive balance between modes of transport: railways retain a key role in mass shipments, while road transport is increasing its share due to faster turnover.
“This model of coexistence will become a long-term reality for Ukrainian exports,” UkrAgroConsult predicts.
EXPORTS, GRAIN, LOGISTICS, RAILWAYS, ROAD TRANSPORT, TARIFFS, УЗ
Logistical constraints related to the war are leading to a redistribution of corn imports to the European Union in favor of alternative suppliers, with Ukraine’s share in the 2025/26 season declining significantly, according to a review by S&P Global Commodity Insights (Platts).
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence Global Trade Analytics Suite (GTAS), corn imports to the EU in the 2024/25 marketing year amounted to 18.79 million tons, compared to 19.83 million tons in 2023/24, and GTAS forecasts an increase in imports to 21 million tons in 2025/26.
S&P notes that, on average over five years, Ukraine remained the dominant supplier of corn to the EU, supplying about 9.7 million tons per year (53.5% of imports), but in the 2025/26 marketing year (July-June), the structure of supplies changed: Brazil’s share grew to 40%, the US’s share rose to 28.3%, while Ukraine’s share fell to 22.4%.
Market participants reported delays in receiving contracted Ukrainian corn, which led buyers to switch more actively to Brazil and the US. Market participants cited the EU-Mercosur trade agenda as an additional factor in choosing the origin of products.
Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy remain among the largest corn importers in the EU. According to the European Commission, Spain imported 7.2 million tons in 2024/25 MY (7.6 million tons in 2023/24), the Netherlands imported 3.3 million tons (2.6 million tons), and Italy imported 2.8 million tons (2.1 million tons).
At the same time, Spain, as a price-sensitive market, has recently switched to more competitively priced American corn, while Ukrainian corn was relatively expensive amid high demand from Turkey, the review says.
Platts price benchmarks for February 3: feed corn ex-works Tarragona (Spain) – €213/t with loading between February 3 and March 5, Ukrainian corn – $223/t FOB POC (Odessa-Pivdenny-Chernomorsk ports) with loading between March 3 and 17, Brazilian corn – $210.81/t FOB Santos with loading in August.
