Scammers in Ukraine use ads for passenger and freight transportation to obtain advance payments by creating fake pages for private carriers and logistics companies.
To build trust, the scammers use photos of real buses and trucks, logos of well-known companies, reviews from other people, and other copied materials. Potential customers are usually lured in by lower travel or delivery costs compared to market rates.
Once a customer contacts them, the scammers try to get the money as quickly as possible. In particular, they may claim that there are almost no seats left or that an advance payment must be made immediately to confirm the reservation.
When arranging freight transportation, scammers may demand full payment in advance via a credit card or to an individual’s bank account. After receiving the money, the fake carrier stops responding, and the ad or page is deleted. In some cases, after the first transfer, the customer is asked to make additional payments supposedly for insurance, documents, customs clearance, or other services.
Experts cite the following as signs of potential fraud: a significantly low price, a demand for an urgent prepayment, communication exclusively via messaging apps, recently created carrier pages, and a lack of operational history. The risk also increases if the carrier refuses to provide detailed information about the route, vehicle, and terms of transport, or demands new payments after an agreement has been reached.
Links for booking and payment pose a particular danger. They may lead to phishing sites that mimic the appearance of banking and payment services. Their purpose is to obtain bank card details and other payment information.
Users are advised to verify the company name and phone number through several independent sources before making a payment, review the carrier’s reviews and track record, and avoid sharing CVV codes, passwords, or one-time transaction confirmation codes.
If money has already been transferred to scammers, it is recommended to save the correspondence, screenshots of the ad, and payment confirmation. If you have disclosed your banking information, you should contact your bank as soon as possible. You can also report cases of fraud to the Cyber Police or by calling 102 or 112.
You can learn more about current fraud schemes and ways to protect yourself on the StopFraud platform.
The period for free storage of documents, packages, cargo, and tires/wheels at “Nova Poshta” branches will be reduced to five days instead of seven starting October 1, the company announced on its website.
“Today, the speed of receiving shipments is a guarantee of safety. Given the constant hostile attacks on civilian infrastructure, the less time a shipment spends at a branch, the lower the risk of it being lost or damaged,” Nova Poshta explained regarding these changes.
As noted, currently 97% of shipments are picked up by customers within the first five days.
“Nova Poshta” also clarified that the free storage period for pallets remains unchanged at three days.
As for parcel lockers, according to information on the company’s website, orders can be picked up from them within five days, after which the package will be transferred to the branch closest to the locker.
A new system of transport routes is taking shape across Eurasia, aimed at expanding connections between China, Central and South Asia, the Gulf states and Europe. Key projects include the trans-Afghan CASA corridor, the Middle Corridor across the Caspian Sea, the China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway, Iraq’s Development Road and the IMEC economic corridor, the Experts Club information and analytical center reports.
At the end of September 2026, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and the UAE agreed to study a railway route linking Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan with access to the ports of Karachi and Gwadar. CASA’s preliminary potential has been estimated at up to 10 million tonnes of freight, although the project remains at the technical and economic assessment stage.
The Middle Corridor is already operating through Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijan and Georgia. According to the World Bank, a combination of infrastructure investment and reforms could increase trade volumes along the route by up to four times by 2040 and reduce delivery times by roughly two-thirds compared with 2023. Required investment in core and supporting infrastructure is estimated at more than $55 billion.
The China–Kyrgyzstan–Uzbekistan railway is expected to strengthen eastward connectivity, while Iraq’s Development Road is designed to link the Grand Al-Faw port with Türkiye and the European transport network. IMEC, meanwhile, is intended to connect India, the Gulf and Europe through combined maritime and rail links.
For Ukraine, the restructuring of Eurasian logistics offers an opportunity to expand access to Central Asian and Chinese markets through the Black Sea, the Caucasus and the Caspian Sea. Ukraine’s 2026 government action plan includes negotiations on integrating Ukrainian ports into the Trans-Caspian route.
“Ukraine should not simply watch this transformation from the sidelines. It should seek the physical and tariff integration of its ports and railways into the new routes,” Experts Club founder Maksym Urakin said.
Global grain trade in the 2026/27 agricultural year (July–June) will total 505.8 million metric tons, down 3.5% from last year, according to a forecast by the FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).
According to the organization’s monthly grain report, the new estimate is 3.5 million metric tons lower than the previous forecast made in September. “This reflects a downward revision of wheat and corn export forecasts, driven primarily by shipping difficulties through the Black Sea and insufficient capacity on alternative transport routes,” the report states. “The upward revision to the barley trade forecast only partially offsets the lost corn and wheat trade volumes.”
Forecasts for corn exports from the EU were lowered due to reduced supply from Ukraine resulting from logistical difficulties. At the same time, an increase in export supply from Australia has allowed for an upward revision of the forecast for barley trade, a significant portion of which will be shipped to China.
The improved forecast for wheat exports from Kazakhstan has not fully offset the decline in shipments from Russia and Ukraine.
According to the forecast, international rice trade will decline by 2.2% in calendar year 2026; however, it may increase by 1.7% in 2027, reaching 61.2 million metric tons. “In 2027, a recovery in import demand is projected in most regions; however, the availability of sufficient domestic stocks in East Asian countries suggests that the downward trend in their purchasing volumes may continue for the third consecutive year,” the document states.
According to the FAO forecast, the wheat harvest in 2026 will total 813.9 million metric tons, which is 3.3% less than last year, while the total grain output will be 2 billion 979 million metric tons (2.1% less).
Ukraine and Uzbekistan are introducing a “transport visa-free regime,” which provides for the abolition of permits and related quotas for direct and transit international freight truck transportation between the two countries.
A corresponding protocol between the governments of Ukraine and the Republic of Uzbekistan amending the bilateral Agreement on International Road Transport was signed on September 30, 2026, according to the Ukrainian Embassy in Uzbekistan.
According to the diplomatic mission, the preparation of the document took nearly a year.
The main change will be the simplification of direct and transit freight transport by eliminating the need to obtain permits, as well as quantitative quotas for such transport. This regime, by analogy with other agreements in the field of international road transport, is referred to as “transport visa-free travel.”
For Ukrainian and Uzbek carriers, this will mean the removal of one of the administrative barriers to organizing freight transport between the two countries and transit through their territories.
The embassy expects that the liberalization of road transport will contribute to the restoration of Ukraine’s trade and economic ties with Uzbekistan, which were partially disrupted due to logistical problems following the start of full-scale Russian aggression.
The agreement takes on particular significance amid the restructuring of Ukraine’s foreign trade and the search for alternative transport corridors to Central Asia.
“The removal of bureaucratic barriers should soon facilitate the restoration of full-fledged trade and economic ties between Ukraine and the Republic of Uzbekistan,” the embassy noted.
The diplomatic mission also described the new agreement as one of the steps toward Ukraine’s return to Central Asian markets via new logistics routes.
The protocol, signed on September 30, amends the existing intergovernmental Agreement between Ukraine and Uzbekistan on international road transport. Specifically, it concerns the liberalization of direct and transit freight transport by road. The embassy’s statement does not provide for the abolition of other customs, border, or transportation procedures required for the international transport of goods.
Original source – Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
Starting October 1, 2026, a new electronic toll system called TollRo will go into effect in Romania for freight vehicles with a maximum authorized mass exceeding 3.5 metric tons, according to the National Company for Road Infrastructure Administration of Romania (CNAIR).
The new system will apply to vehicles designed for the transport of goods with a maximum authorized mass exceeding 3.5 metric tons. For the purposes of TollRo, mixed-use vehicles will be treated as commercial vehicles.
Unlike the traditional vignette system, the fee for heavy freight vehicles will be based on actual use of the road infrastructure.
The fee amount will depend, in particular, on the distance traveled, the vehicle category, and its environmental characteristics. Thus, for international carriers that regularly transit through Romania, the cost of using the road network will increasingly depend on the specific route and the truck’s characteristics.
To administer the payments, Romania has established the STRR electronic toll collection system, which will operate through the national SETRE platform.
The introduction of TollRo is also significant for Ukrainian international trucking companies, as Romania is one of the key road routes for Ukrainian exports and imports to the EU, as well as for the transit of goods to Central and Southeastern Europe.
Accordingly, transportation companies using trucks weighing more than 3.5 metric tons in Romania must take the new road toll model into account when calculating transportation costs after October 1.
CNAIR clarifies that August 31, 2026, was the deadline for establishing the necessary STRR and TollRo infrastructure, while the actual collection of the new tolls, in accordance with the law, begins on October 1.
The next step will be the integration of the Romanian system with similar systems in other European Union countries. According to Romanian law, interoperability via the European Electronic Toll Service (EETS) is scheduled to begin on January 15, 2027.
The transition to distance-based tolling is in line with a general trend in the EU, where road tolls for heavy commercial vehicles are increasingly linked to actual infrastructure use and the environmental performance of vehicles.
Official information about the system’s launch and its operating rules is available on the SETRE National Electronic Registry platform.
