During its spring offensive, Russian forces took control of one of Ukraine’s most promising lithium deposits — the Shevchenkivske site in Donetsk region. Previously under development by an American critical minerals company, the site was seen as a key asset in the growing economic partnership between Kyiv and Washington in the field of strategic resources. Its capture now poses serious risks to future joint projects and has already raised concerns among Western investors.
The Shevchenkivske deposit contains significant reserves of spodumene — a mineral from which lithium is extracted. Lithium is essential for manufacturing batteries used in electric vehicles and energy storage systems. Ukraine had earlier signed a framework agreement with the United States on cooperation in the field of critical raw materials, including the development of domestic lithium, titanium, and rare earth element extraction — crucial for the West’s green energy transition. The agreement envisioned attracting investment into Ukrainian subsoil resources. However, with Shevchenkivske now under Russian control, the feasibility of that cooperation is under threat.
Myroslav Zhernov, the director of the company holding the license for the site, confirmed the loss in a comment to The New York Times. According to him, the battle for the deposit lasted several weeks: “It was very hot. They were bombing with everything they had. And now they’re there.” Zhernov warned that this may not be the end: “If the Russians advance farther, they will control more and more deposits.”
The New York Times reports that signs of activity have already been observed on the occupied territory: an assessment of reserves is underway, and preparations for future extraction may be in progress. In this way, control over lithium could give the Kremlin not only military but also geoeconomic advantages. The article notes that Russia is already leveraging its influence in global raw materials supply chains, particularly in uranium markets.
Although Ukraine still possesses two other major lithium deposits in its western regions, Shevchenkivske was considered the most promising due to its high spodumene concentration — up to 90%. In peacetime, the development of this site could have become not only a source of revenue, but a strategic lever for integrating Ukraine into Western critical materials markets.
Former head of the State Service of Geology and Mineral Resources, Roman Opimakh, explained that such investments are subject to enormous risks during wartime: “Security and control over a deposit is the main prerequisite. The military threat scares away investors, and the loss of such a site effectively nullifies any near-term development plans.”
Observers note that the war is increasingly taking on characteristics of economic conflict. Russia is not only destroying infrastructure but is actively targeting resources that could be useful to itself or potentially strengthen Ukraine. Gaining control over lithium assets allows for pressure on Western corporations and contributes to reshaping global dependencies.
Despite the loss, Zhernov said his company is not giving up on investing in Ukraine and is exploring other options. However, he admitted the situation has fundamentally changed risk assessments: “Before, we saw this project as a driver of economic growth. Now — it’s just another front in the war.”
Earlier, the Experts Club information and analysis center produced a detailed video analysis of the prospects for rare earth element mining in Ukraine.
Revenues from the tourist tax to local budgets in January-May 2025 reached UAH 132 million, while in the same period in 2024 it amounted to UAH 98.6 million, the State Tax Service (STS) reports.
“Kyiv is the most attractive city for tourists. 25% of the paid tourist tax falls on the capital (UAH 33 million),” the service said in a statement on its website on Thursday.
Lviv (UAH 24.7 million), Ivano-Frankivsk (UAH 21.2 million) and Zakarpattia region (UAH 10.5 million) also became leaders in the period under review.
The State Tax Service reminded that the tourist tax is paid to tax agents by citizens of Ukraine, foreigners and stateless persons in advance before temporary accommodation in places of residence. In turn, tax agents (i.e., business entities that provide temporary accommodation services in places of residence/overnight stay: hotels, hostels, rest homes, etc.) transfer it to the local budget.
It is emphasized that the list of tax agents collecting the tourist tax is published on the websites of local councils.
The Service also emphasized that the tax rate is set by local councils independently for each day of stay. It is up to 0.5% of the minimum wage for Ukrainian citizens and up to 5% for foreigners.
Source: https://tax.gov.ua/media-tsentr/novini/909659.html
Norway will allocate 6.5 billion Norwegian kroner ($644 million) to purchase drones and drone equipment from Ukrainian and other European manufacturers for Ukraine’s needs, the government’s website reported on Wednesday.
“Drones play an important role in Ukraine’s struggle for its defense. They are important both for the protection of critical infrastructure and for use on the front line. Norway’s assistance will significantly improve Ukraine’s ability to carry out the necessary surveillance and operations with the help of drones,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was quoted as saying on the website.
According to the information, Norway officially joined the Coalition for the Development of Unmanned Technologies in April and previously announced its intention to increase support for the Ukrainian defense industry and purchase drones for Ukraine.
This is reportedly the first large-scale purchase of drones directly from foreign manufacturers. This is in line with one of the goals underlying the decision made in March of this year by the Storting (Norwegian National Assembly – IF-U) to increase support for Ukraine by 50 billion Norwegian kroner (about $5 billion) by 2025.
The Norwegian government prioritizes meeting military needs based on what Ukraine itself identifies as the most important.
“Funding for the procurement of unmanned aerial vehicles will help to create an independent Ukrainian deterrence system, which will also be important after a potential peace agreement… We will continue to focus our support on maritime security, air defense, unmanned aerial vehicles and autonomous systems. We will also prioritize support for the procurement of defense equipment from Ukrainian manufacturers and cooperation between the Nordic and Baltic countries to equip and train new Ukrainian military units,” said Defense Minister Thorbjørn Sandvik.
It is noted that the support provided and “lessons learned from the war in Ukraine will also help strengthen the Armed Forces and defense capabilities of Norway.”
Source: https://www.regjeringen.no/en/aktuelt/norway-to-provide-nok-6.5-billion-for-procurement-of-drones-for-ukraine/id3111763/
Ukrainian poultry products have entered the market of the Sultanate of Oman, it is already the ninth market opened by Ukraine since the beginning of 2025, said the chairman of the State Service for Food Safety and Consumer Protection (Gosprodpotrebsluzhba) Sergiy Tkachuk.
“Already the ninth new export market opened this year – Ukraine has received permission to supply meat, by-products and other poultry products to Oman. This became possible after the harmonization of veterinary requirements and the form of the certificate between the competent authorities of both countries,” he wrote in Facebook.
Tkachuk emphasized that the opening of the market of the Sultanate of Oman is another significant step in expanding Ukraine’s export opportunities and the result of systematic cooperation between the State Consumer Service, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Economy and the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food and diplomatic institutions.
“Together we continue to open new horizons for Ukrainian agricultural exports. From now on, Ukrainian producers can supply products that meet the veterinary and sanitary requirements of Oman, taking into account the conditions of production, processing, transportation, packaging and labeling,” – said the chairman of the State Consumer Service.
He added that the form of the certificate is available on the website of the State Consumer Service.
On June 19, the Export Credit Agency (ECA) announced a tender for voluntary insurance of motor vehicles (CASCO), according to the state procurement system Prozorro. The expected cost of purchasing the services is UAH 50 thousand. The deadline for submission of documents is June 28, 2025.
The Export Credit Agency of Ukraine (ECA) is a state institution that supports non-resource exports by insuring the risks of enterprises and banks. The agency insures foreign economic contracts, export credits, bank guarantees, and investment loans against military risks.
Since the beginning of the year, Ukrainians have imported over 181,000 passenger cars, of which almost 80% are used. Despite the significant quantitative advantage of such vehicles, new cars accounted for almost half of the total import value – $1.2 billion out of $2.57 billion. At the same time, the value of used cars is $1.37 billion.
Used cars provided UAH 16 billion in customs duties to the state budget, while new cars provided UAH 10.7 billion.
The type of fuel chosen by Ukrainian consumers reflects both stable preferences and gradual changes in trends. Gasoline cars remain the most popular, accounting for almost half (48.5%) of all imports. Electric cars are in second place (22.1%), not only overtaking diesel (20.6%) but also significantly outperforming hybrids (8.8%).
Electric transport has become the most dynamic segment of the car market. Since the beginning of the year, more than 40,000 electric vehicles with a total value of $810 million have been imported into Ukraine. For comparison, twice as many gasoline cars were imported, but their total value is not much higher — $818 million.
If this trend continues, 2025 could be a record year for the number of electric cars imported.
The average cost of an electric car imported into Ukraine is over $20,000, a diesel car is almost $13,000, and a gasoline car is over $9,000.
It is also interesting that electric cars, although they belong to the more expensive segment, brought a relatively modest 333 million hryvnia in customs duties to the budget. This is due to the current tax breaks on imports of electric vehicles. For comparison, taxes on imports of gasoline cars amounted to over UAH 13 billion, diesel cars — UAH 7.7 billion, and hybrids — UAH 5.5 billion. In total, customs revenues from car imports amounted to UAH 26.7 billion in five months.
Since the beginning of 2025, passenger cars have been imported from more than 50 countries, but the undisputed leaders are:
USA — 69,000 (38% of the total number imported);
Poland — 22,300 (12%);
Germany — 20,400 (11%).
A total of almost 111,700 cars were imported from these countries, accounting for over 60% of the total. The US dominates the gasoline car and electric vehicle segments. Germany and Poland are the leaders in diesel cars.
