Ukraine has announced a tender to conclude a production sharing agreement (PSA) for the Dobra lithium deposit (Kirovohrad region) to prospect, extract and enrich lithium, niobium, rubidium, tantalum, cesium, beryllium, tungsten and gold for a period of 50 years.
According to a report in the Uriadovyi Kurier newspaper and on the website of the Ministry of Economy, the minimum investment for exploration is the equivalent of $12 million, and for the organization of mining and processing of lithium-containing minerals and other metallic minerals – $167 million, but the final obligations are determined by the results of the tender. The total area of the site is 17.07 square kilometers, the deadline for submitting applications for participation in the tender is December 12, 2025, and the participation fee is UAH 0.5 million.
According to the terms, the maximum share of compensation products that will reimburse the investor for its costs is 70% of the total output until the investor’s costs are fully reimbursed, while the state’s share in profitable products should be at least 4-6%.
The Ministry of Economy clarified to Interfax-Ukraine that comparing such a share of the state in profitable products with a similar indicator for oil and gas PSAs, where it is significantly higher, is not correct, as this is the first PSA in the history of Ukraine for metal ores.
It is noted that the reserves and resources of lithium ores at the site were approved by decisions at the end of 2017 and in 2018 in the amount of C2 and P1 categories – 1 million 218.14 thousand tons (average Li2O content of 1.37%) and P2 – 70.6 thousand tons (average Li2O content of 1.43%).
Separately, the State Commission of Ukraine for Mineral Resources (SCR) noted the presence of prospective and inferred resources of associated mineral components (P1+P2) in lithium ores at Dobra: Ta2O5 – 4.75 thousand tons; Nb2O5 – 8.24 thousand tons; Rb2O5 – 104.07 thousand tons; BeO – 22.08 thousand tons; SnO2 – 4.46 thousand tons and Cs2O – 7.97 thousand tons.
“In addition, by the protocol dated 31.07.2002 No. 35, the resources of cat. P2 for the Novostankuvatske manifestation were estimated: Ta2O5 – 1414.22 tons (0.0127-0.0134%); Nb2O5 – 1734.5 tons (0.0163%); Li2O – 85196.1 tons (0.7541%); Rb2O5 – 9859.3 tons; Cs2O – 1493.6 tons; BeO – 3588.9 tons; SnO2 – 447.9 tons; WO3 – 8862.3 tons (cat. P3; 0.177%); at the Tashlykskoye ore occurrence: Ta2O5 – 480.32 tons (0.0106-0.0854%); Li2O – 13,596.4 tons (0.6291%); Rb2O5 – 1371.9 tons; Cs2O – 345.4 tons; BeO – 447.4 tons; SnO2 – 106.9 tons; Nb2O5 – 903.0 tons (0.0244%); Lutkivske deposit: WO3 – 2292.4 t (cat. P3; 0.101-0.378%); Kontaktovoye ore occurrence: Au – 2.05 t (4.08 g/ton); on the Stankuvatskoye ore occurrence: Au – 1.78 tons (1.3-2.5 g/t). For the Severostankuvatskoye ore occurrence, the operationally estimated Li2O resources are: cat. P1 – 269.93 thousand tons and cat. P2 – 140.82 thousand tons with an average Li2O grade of 1.3548%,” the announcement reads.
The winner of the tender must ensure geological exploration of the subsoil and international audit of reserves at the site within two and a half years and submit materials on the assessment of lithium and other metal minerals reserves to the State Committee for the approval of such reserves.
After the conclusion of the PSA, the investor is obliged, among other things, to prospect, extract and enrich (primary processing) lithium and possibly other metal minerals, and to ensure the comprehensive development and mining of the metal mineral deposit.
In addition, the PSA tender documentation for the first time includes obligations for the investor related to the agreement signed at the end of April this year to establish the US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, which has the priority right to invest in new projects for the extraction of rare earth materials and purchase their products.
In mid-June, the head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, said that the development of the Dobra lithium deposit could become the first pilot project in cooperation with the United States.
In early July, the mining investment company TechMet (Dublin), one of the largest investors of which is the US government through DFC, announced its interest in participating in the first PSA tender for lithium mining in Ukraine and, if it wins, building processing facilities with investments of more than $0.5 billion. Recently, a delegation of DFC accompanied by the heads of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine visited Kirovohrad region.
At the same time, the US-based Critical Metals Corp also claims its rights to the Dobra site, linking them to the transfer of assets from Australia’s European Lithium, which, in turn, received these rights from Ukraine’s Petro-Consulting LLC.
The Moldovan government is preparing to build a high-speed highway that will connect the border with Romania and run to Odesa. Doina Nistor, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Ministry of Economy of Moldova, said this at the opening of Moldova Business Week.
Currently, a feasibility study is being prepared to determine the possible route of the road and whether parts of the new route will use existing roads.
In addition, Moldova is modernizing both rail and road corridors. The feasibility study for the Ungheni-Chisinau-Odesa corridor is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2025.
The road will be of particular importance for Ukraine’s reconstruction, as it will help shorten routes, reduce logistics costs and increase the resilience of supply routes.
Once the feasibility study is completed, a final decision on the route and construction details will be made. The project will depend on funding, international support, and cooperation between the governments of Moldova and Ukraine (and possibly Romania).
The total volume of the electric vehicle segment (new and used cars, trucks and buses) in August 2025 amounted to 11.5 thousand, which is 12.5% more than in July this year, and 22.5% more relative to the indicators of August-2024, according to the Institute of Auto Market Research.
“11.545 thousand electric cars cumulatively is a historical volume record for our market, and the main drivers here are three: the rise in fuel prices at gas stations, the general trend of growing interest in electric cars (which consists of improving their performance and reducing market prices), as well as the approaching customs clearance with VAT, which is scheduled for January 1, 2026,” – said in a statement on the website of analysts.
It is noted that the last of these factors is probably now most actively encouraging motorists to switch to electric cars, because in just a few months they will rise in price by almost a third.
According to analysts, the growth of volumes in this segment will continue in the future because of the approaching return of VAT on the customs clearance of electric cars, and from next year we should expect some pause, a subsidence lasting several months, after which there will be a certain stabilization, which will be replaced by a trend of growth in volumes.
“At this rate, next month the total replenishment of the BEV fleet will exceed last year’s volumes, while this will happen in less than 9 months,” experts believe.
In the structure of this segment in August, the basis is made up of imported electric vehicles with mileage, the share of such 52.1%, or 6018 pcs. – This is 9.5% more than in August 2024.
The second largest sub-segment is domestic resales with a share of 30.8%, and the number of 3,561 pcs. – 31.1% more.
New electric cars took 17% (1,966 units), up 62.6%, and a new record for new electric cars.
Analysts note that as of the end of July this year, the fleet of BEV Group vehicles in Ukraine (excluding industrial electric cars, trolleybuses and rail cars) amounts to 185 thousand units.
Most of them are passenger cars – 181 thousand, electric trucks – 3.9 thousand, there are also several electric buses (8 pcs.). In addition, about 1.1 thousand units of various motorized vehicles are registered.
“Interestingly, the most in our fleet of electric vehicles Tesla – 20%, although from the beginning of ”electromobilization” and until recently the leader was Nissan, whose share is now 18.9%. The third in this list is Volkswagen with a share of 12.6%.
The Supervisory Board of IC “Euroins Ukraine” on September 1, 2025 decided to terminate the activities of fifteen separate structural subdivisions, which have not been operating for a long time, the company reported in the information disclosure system of the National Commission on Securities and Stock Market (NCSSM).
In particular, we are talking about the sales center in Krasnoye settlement of Lviv regional directorate, a branch in Kharkiv, sales center in Kamenske of Dnipro regional directorate, sales centers № 4 and № 7 of Zaporizhzhya directorate, sales center in Skadovsk of Kherson regional directorate, a branch in Yuzhnoukrainsk of Mykolayiv region, Kherson regional directorate, sales center in Valki of Kharkiv regional directorate, sales center in Uman of Cherkassy regional directorate.
IC “Euroins Ukraine” is a universal non-life insurer, operating in the Ukrainian market since 1992. The company has 75 representative offices all over the country, has a license for insurance in 16 classes. It actively works in the segments of auto insurance, medical insurance, property, liability and cargo insurance for private and corporate clients.
IC “Euroins Ukraine” is a member of the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine, League of Insurance Organizations of Ukraine (LIOU) and EBA (European Business Association).
Over seven months of 2025, Ukraine exported frozen vegetables worth USD 6.1 million, according to an analytical review of the State Service for Agrarian Policy and Investments. The export structure is dominated by such products as frozen carrots, beets, celery, lettuce, chicory and potatoes.
The growth of frozen vegetable exports can be partly explained by the rapid development of the berry sector in the agro-sector. After the rapid increase in raspberry production, many companies invested in freezing facilities. Using them to their full potential, they expanded their product range to include a variety of fruits and vegetables.
Despite strong growth, Ukraine is still a net importer of frozen vegetables – exports are inferior to imports. This indicates the accumulated potential for further growth and diversification of the assortment in the future.
Key markets for Ukrainian frozen vegetables include Germany, Israel, Belgium, Italy, Poland, France, France, Italy and Romania.
Growing exports of frozen vegetables are a signal of industry adaptation and efficient use of resources. Particularly impressive is the diversification into frozen products, a move that allows Ukrainian producers to enter new markets and sustainably consolidate in existing ones. Nevertheless, the persistent deficit in the balance of exports and imports requires attention to quality, product mix and brand development. Increased support for local processors, modernization of freezing and logistics chains, and promotion in foreign markets are key factors for further growth.
The production of Ukrainian weapons will be organized in Lithuania, according to an agreement reached at a meeting between the defense ministers of the two countries, the Lithuanian Defense Ministry’s press service reported on Tuesday.
“During the meeting between Lithuanian Minister of National Defense Dovilė Šakalenė and Ukrainian Minister of Defense Denys Shmyhal, a bilateral Protocol of Intent on the production of Ukrainian weapons in Lithuania was signed, and the types of weapons to be produced and further steps were discussed,” the ministry said in a statement on its website.
It is noted that the document “provides for joint production of defense industry products, technology transfer, project development, and localization of production in Lithuania.”
“This will pave the way for long-term partnership, strengthening collective European security, and creating sustainable supply chains,” the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense said.
According to Šakalėnė, Lithuania remains firmly committed to further supporting Ukraine. According to the minister, “in the coming years, it is planned to allocate more than EUR 200 million to support Ukraine for projects related to armaments, anti-drone systems, demining, rehabilitation, training, and support for Ukraine’s defense industry.” The Lithuanian Defense Minister also announced in Kyiv that Lithuania intends to contribute up to EUR 30 million to the PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) initiative.
The minister also met with the leadership of the Ukrainian Air Force and air defense experts to discuss emerging challenges, lessons learned, and innovations in the field of air defense.
“We discussed Ukraine’s latest decisions in response to the changing situation with air threats and technological innovations. I want to ensure the most effective cooperation possible in strengthening our air defense and responding to the changing technologies and methods used by Russia. We agreed to hold regular expert consultations on the application of practical experience to strengthen our air defense,” Shakalene said.
According to her, “it is extremely important to strengthen airspace surveillance in order to detect Russian drones heading for Belarus as early as possible, which may subsequently violate Lithuanian airspace. To this end, it was agreed to exchange information between representatives of our air forces.”
