In January of this year, Ukraine reduced exports of manganese ore by 2.9% compared to the previous month, from 4,689 thousand tons to 4,553 thousand tons.
According to statistics released by the State Customs Service (SCS) on Tuesday, in monetary terms, exports remained at the December 2025 level of $756 thousand.
At the same time, exports in January were carried out to Slovakia (100% of supplies in monetary terms).
Ukraine did not import manganese ore in January 2026.
The SCS did not publish data on manganese ore exports and imports for January 2025.
As reported, Ukraine reduced manganese ore exports by 50.4% in 2025 compared to the same period last year, to 22,281 thousand tons, but increased shipments in August-December. While deliveries in the first seven months of 2025 amounted to 2,977 thousand tons, exports more than doubled in August, when 5,037 thousand tons were exported, in September they amounted to 1,725 thousand tons, in October – 3,993 thousand tons, 3,860 thousand tons in November, and 4,689 thousand tons in December.
In monetary terms, exports for the whole of 2025 fell by 45.2% compared to 2024, to $3.599 million. At the same time, the main exports were to Slovakia (99.22% of supplies in monetary terms) and Poland (0.78%). During this period, the country imported 37,006 thousand tons from Ghana worth $5.546 million, with all deliveries taking place in November. In 2024, 84,293 thousand tons of ore worth $18.302 million were imported.
In 2024, Ukraine exported 44,903 tons of manganese ore worth $6.563 million to the United States in January, breaking a two-year absence of supplies to foreign markets. In February-December 2024, there were no exports of manganese ore. At the same time, for the whole of 2024, the country imported 84,293 tons worth $18.302 million from Ghana (98.85%), Brazil (0.99%), and Belgium (0.11%). There were no imports in October-November.
Ukraine did not export manganese ore in 2022 and 2023, and in 2021, it exported 770 tons worth $89 thousand.
In addition, it was reported that the Pokrovsky Mining and Processing Plant (PGZK, formerly Ordzhonikidze Mining and Processing Plant) and the Marganetsky Mining and Processing Plant (MGZK, both in Dnipropetrovsk region), which are part of the Privat Group, stopped mining and processing raw manganese ore in late October-early November 2023, while NZF and ZZF stopped smelting ferroalloys. In the summer of 2024, ferroalloy plants resumed production.
PGZ and MGZ did not produce any products in 2024, while in 2023, PGZ produced 160.31 thousand tons of manganese concentrate, and MGZ was idle.
In 2025, PGZK produced 63.9 thousand tons of manganese concentrate worth UAH 342.138 million and sold 25.4 thousand tons worth UAH 216.309 million. In 2026, the plant plans to increase manganese concentrate production by 3.44 times compared to the previous year, to 220 thousand tons.
In Ukraine, manganese ore is mined and enriched by the Pokrovsky and Marganetsky mining and enrichment plants.
The consumers of manganese ore are ferroalloy enterprises.
The Transcarpathian Regional State Administration announced the start of deeper cooperation with Slovakia’s Košice Region in the field of physical culture and sports, in particular regarding the exchange of experience in holding marathons and launching joint sporting events.
According to the Regional State Administration, the prospects for the projects were discussed during a working meeting between the deputy head of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration, Yuriy Guzynets, and Slovak partners visiting the region. Guzynets noted that the region is developing its sports infrastructure, holding charity runs, and promoting adaptive sports.
According to regional media reports citing the Regional State Administration, a separate topic of discussion was the possibility of holding the first Ukrainian-Slovak marathon. The meetings were also attended by Branislav Koniar, director of the Košice World Marathon, and Heinrich Sasai, Consul General of Slovakia in Uzhhorod.
According to published information, the Transcarpathian Grand Run 2025 series of charity races in 2025 brought together about 3,500 participants and raised almost UAH 13.5 million in support of Ukraine. It is also noted that the charity fund of the Košice Peace Marathon allocated 4,000 euros to Ukraine, which was decided to be used for the development of the sports base of Uzhhorod Lyceum No. 15, where a certificate and part of the equipment have already been transferred.
Passenger traffic across the Ukrainian border in the third week of December, from December 13 to 19, jumped by 26.3% to 562,000 as Christmas approached, and this weekend the increase reached 50%, causing queues at the border with Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia, according to data from the State Border Service.
According to them, the number of border crossings for departure increased to 279,000 from 226,000 a week earlier, while the increase for entry was even more significant – to 283,000 from 219,000.
This Saturday, December 20, the number of border crossings for exit and entry was also similar – 62,000 and 63,000, compared to 41,000 and 39,000, respectively, on the previous Saturday.
The number of vehicles that passed through checkpoints this week also jumped to 140,000 from 123,000 a week earlier, while the flow of vehicles carrying humanitarian cargo remained at around 520.
According to the State Border Service, as of 12:00 on Sunday, there were no queues at the border with Romania and Poland, while at the borders with three other countries, there were queues at all checkpoints.
At the border with Poland, most passenger cars and buses were waiting to cross at the Krakovets checkpoint – 150 and 20, respectively. The queue at the Ustyluh checkpoint consisted of 125 cars and 15 buses, at the Rava-Ruska checkpoint – 110 cars, Smilnytsia checkpoint – 85 cars and 6 buses, Shehyni checkpoint – 80 cars and 19 buses, Hrushev checkpoint – 80 cars and 9 buses, Nizhankovychi checkpoint – 80 cars and 1 bus, Ugrinov checkpoint – 75 cars and 9 buses, Yagodin checkpoint – 30 buses (passage of passenger cars is temporarily suspended).
Forty passenger cars and two buses were waiting to cross the border with Slovakia at the Uzhgorod checkpoint, and 30 cars were waiting at the Maly Berezny checkpoint.
At the border with Hungary, the longest queues were at the Luzhanka and Dzvinovo checkpoints, with 50 and 45 cars, respectively. There were 30 cars at the Kosino and Vilok checkpoints and 5 at the Tisa checkpoint.
The total number of border crossings this week is slightly lower than last year. At that time, 294,000 people left Ukraine and 290,000 entered the country over the same 7 days, although the flow of cars was lower – 134,000.
Last year, a 28.1% jump in passenger traffic was recorded this week, and the following week it increased by another 12.5%.
As reported, from May 10, 2022, the outflow of refugees from Ukraine, which began with the start of the war, was replaced by an influx that continued until September 23, 2022, and amounted to 409,000 people. However, since the end of September, possibly influenced by news of mobilization in Russia and “pseudo-referendums” in the occupied territories, followed by massive shelling of energy infrastructure, the number of people leaving has exceeded the number of people entering. In total, from the end of September 2022 to the first anniversary of the full-scale war, it reached 223,000 people.
During the second year of full-scale war, the number of border crossings to leave Ukraine, according to the State Border Service, exceeded the number of crossings to enter by 25,000, during the third year by 187,000, and since the beginning of the fourth year by 203,000.
As Sergei Sobolev, then Deputy Minister of Economy, noted in early March 2023, the return of every 100,000 Ukrainians home results in a 0.5% increase in GDP.
In its July inflation report, the National Bank worsened its migration forecast: while in April it expected a net inflow of 0.2 million people to Ukraine in 2026, it now forecasts a net outflow of 0.2 million, which corresponds to the estimate of the net outflow this year. “Net return will only begin in 2027 (about 0.1 million people, compared to 0.5 million in the previous forecast),” the NBU added and confirmed this forecast at the end of October. In absolute terms, the National Bank estimates the number of migrants currently remaining abroad at about 5.8 million.
According to updated UNHCR data, the number of Ukrainian refugees in Europe as of December 11, 2025, was estimated at 5.311 million (5.331 million as of November 14), and 5.860 million (5.850 million) worldwide.
In Ukraine itself, according to the latest UN data for July this year, there are 3.340 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), compared to 3.757 million in April.
Transmission system operators (TSOs) of Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania launched the first monthly auctions for the allocation of cross-border capacity on Monday, according to Ukrenergo.
They are being held on December 15-17 on the Joint Allocation Office (JAO) platform with delivery in January 2026. The final results of the auctions are to be announced on December 23. According to information on the JAO, the capacity of the interconnection with Hungary is 460 MW, with Romania and Slovakia – 172 MW each. No interconnection capacity is offered from Ukraine.
“Long-term auctions for the allocation of cross-border transmission capacity are definitely beneficial for the Ukrainian electricity market. In the context of massive Russian attacks on our energy system, we really need confidence in a stable supply of electricity imports every month,” commented Vitaliy Zaychenko, chairman of the board of Ukrenergo, whose words are quoted in the company’s Telegram message.
“We are grateful to our partners at ENTSO-E and the JAO auction platform, as well as our colleagues from the energy system operators of neighboring EU countries for their effective cooperation. We hope that it will continue and that annual auctions will also be introduced in the future,” said Zaychenko.
According to NEC, the introduction of such auctions was made possible thanks to cooperation with TSOs of neighboring countries and with the support of the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSO-E). Work on the rules for long-term allocation for the EU’s external borders has been ongoing for the past two years.
“After these rules were approved by the national regulators of Ukraine, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania, it became possible to allocate free capacity at inter-state crossings through monthly long-term auctions. For Ukraine, this means more effective price forecasting and, in the long term, a reduction in the cost of imported electricity,” Ukrenergo explained.
As noted in the report, on a global scale, monthly auctions contribute to closer integration of the Ukrainian and European energy markets and ensure greater stability of Ukraine’s integrated energy system.
As reported, with the start of a full-scale invasion, given the military risks, ENTSO-E agreed only to daily auctions for the distribution of inter-state cross-border capacity for import and export operations with electricity.
At the same time, traders and energy companies have repeatedly pointed out that the absence of long-term auctions, in particular monthly and annual ones, hinders the effective attraction of imported electricity.
In early December, Vitaliy Zaychenko, Chairman of the Board of NEC Ukrenergo, told Energorforma that he expects the first long-term (monthly) auctions for the distribution of inter-state crossings with Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia since the start of the war to be successful.
“I think these auctions will take place. The market is definitely waiting for long-term auctions. Therefore, I think that the entire proposed cross-border capacity will be sold,” he said.
“Unfortunately, there will be no auctions in Poland because the Polish transmission system operator does not give its consent,” added the head of Ukrenergo.
It should be noted that the auctions launched today are joint, i.e., they are held simultaneously by both operators. The TSO agreed on this mechanism in 2023, and so far, daily auctions have been held under it. Monthly auctions were previously held in Moldova and Poland (Dobrotvir-Zamosc crossing), where unilateral auctions are still in place instead of joint ones.
Ukraine and the Slovak Republic have signed an agreement on technical and financial cooperation and a joint roadmap.
On the Ukrainian side, the agreement was signed by Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Taras Kachka following joint Ukrainian-Slovak intergovernmental consultations on Friday.
The countries also signed a protocol between the governments on border crossing points across the common state border. On the Ukrainian side, the document was signed by Deputy Prime Minister for the Restoration of Ukraine – Minister of Community and
Territorial Development Oleksiy Kuleba.
In addition, an agreement was signed between the countries on mutual understanding regarding the placement of Ukraine’s diplomatic mission in Slovakia and Slovakia’s diplomatic mission in Ukraine. On the Ukrainian side, the document was signed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sibiga.
Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Sviridenko and Prime Minister of the Slovak Republic Robert Fico signed an agreement on the exchange of information on labor mobility, as well as a joint roadmap.
As reported, joint Ukrainian-Slovak intergovernmental consultations are taking place on Friday with the participation of Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Sviridenko and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
Slovakia and a number of EU countries bordering Ukraine are advocating the creation of a special fund to compensate their farmers for losses caused by the growth in imports of Ukrainian agricultural products. This was announced by Slovak Minister of Agriculture Richard Takáč (Smer-SD) following a meeting of the EU Council on Agriculture in Brussels, according to the TASR news agency.
According to him, the European Commission had previously talked about a 25% increase in quotas for Ukrainian goods, but in reality the figures are much higher — “for honey and sugar, the increase is 400-500%.”
“One problem is quantity, another is product quality and safety. European farmers are required to comply with strict rules on fertilizers, pesticides, and EU standards, while in Ukraine such standards are often absent,” Takáč emphasized.
The minister noted that it was Ukraine’s neighboring countries, which experience the main influx of products, that approached the European Commission with this initiative, while Western European countries often benefit from cheaper imports and do not feel the pressure.
Takach suggested that Slovakia would not be able to “achieve 100% success” in the negotiations, but he is counting on a compromise solution.
“In the new EU financial plan and within the framework of the common agricultural policy, I see an opportunity to create a fund specifically for countries bordering Ukraine. This fund should compensate our farmers and processors for their losses,” he said, adding that Slovakia will seek support through the government and the prime minister.
According to him, agreements on this have already been reached with his Polish counterpart. The issue of increased quotas for Ukrainian agricultural products will also be discussed during the upcoming joint meeting of the governments of Ukraine and Slovakia.
Since 2022, the EU has provided Ukraine with unprecedented access to the common market to support the economy in wartime. However, a number of Eastern European countries — Poland, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Bulgaria — have repeatedly complained about the growing pressure on their producers of grain, sugar, and other crops.
