Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Passenger traffic across Ukrainian border breaks records

Passenger traffic across the Ukrainian border during the week of August 2-8 increased by 1.6% to 778,000, setting a new record for wartime: last year, the highest passenger traffic was also recorded in August, but amounted to 737,000.

According to data from the State Border Service on Facebook, the outbound flow in the tenth week of summer increased from 367,000 to 376,000, while the inbound flow increased from 399,000 to 401,000.

Last weekend, 123,000-129,000 border crossings were recorded daily, and this Saturday, 120,000.

The number of vehicles that passed through checkpoints this week increased from 141,000 to 142,000, while the flow of vehicles carrying humanitarian cargo decreased slightly from 538 to 570.

“With the start of the summer season, passenger traffic through the checkpoints in the Lviv region has increased by 40%, and on weekends the load increases even more – by an average of 16% compared to weekdays,” the Western Regional Administration of the State Border Service said in a statement.

According to the report, the busiest checkpoints are Krakivets, Shehyni, and Ustyluh, with average traffic recorded at Hrushev, Uhryniv, and Rava-Ruska, while the least busy are Smilnytsia and Nizhankovychi.

This Sunday, as of 12:00, according to the State Border Service, the longest queue of 60 cars was at the Ustyluh checkpoint on the Polish border. Thirty-five cars were waiting to cross the border at the Hrushev checkpoint, 30 at the Uhryniv checkpoint, 25 at the Krakivets checkpoint, and 10 at the Shehyni checkpoint.

On the border with Hungary, the longest queue of 30 cars was at the Luzhanka crossing, while at the Vilok and Dzvinkovo checkpoints there were 20 cars each, at Kosino there were 15, and at Tisa there were 5.

At the border with Slovakia, 35 and 25 cars were waiting for inspection at the Uzhgorod and Maly Berezny checkpoints, respectively, and at the border with Romania, there were queues of 60 cars at the Porubne checkpoint and 15 at the Dyakovo checkpoint.

The total number of people crossing the border this year is 5.7% higher than last year: during the same seven days last year, 356,000 people left Ukraine and 380,000 entered, and the flow of cars was also lower – 137,000.

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 exceeded the number 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 the full-scale war, the number of border crossings out of Ukraine exceeded the number of crossings into the country by 25,000, according to the State Border Service, by 187,000 in the third year, and by 128,000 since the beginning of the fourth year, of which 108,000 were seasonal since the beginning of summer.

As Deputy Minister of Economy Serhiy Sobolev 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 returns will only begin in 2027 (about 0.1 million people, compared to 0.5 million in the previous forecast),” the NBU added. 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 July 31, 2025, was estimated at 5.115 million (5.083 million as of July 1), and 5.676 million worldwide (5.643 million).

In Ukraine itself, according to the latest UN data for April this year, there were 3.757 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), compared to 3.669 million at the end of last year.

 

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Almost 2,000 criminal cases suspended in Ukraine this year due to mobilization

At least 7.3 thousand criminal cases have been suspended due to the defendant’s conscription into the army since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, according to the court registry search engine Babusya. Thus, this year, more than 1,900 cases have been suspended due to the mobilization of the accused. This is almost as many as for the whole of 2023. The largest number of such cases this year is in Kyiv, Lviv, and Dnipro regions.

At least 7,312 criminal proceedings have been suspended due to the mobilization of the accused into the Armed Forces since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. This legal mechanism appeared in 2022, when the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine was amended, and since then it has been actively used by the courts.

The number of such suspensions is growing from year to year. For example, 858 cases were suspended in the first year of the full-scale program, and the number of such cases has only increased every year. The record year was 2024, when 2,406 cases were stopped where the accused joined the Armed Forces. This year, there are already 1973 suspended cases.

Most of the decisions to suspend cases due to mobilization were made in Kyiv region – 617. The second place is occupied by Lviv region (582), and the third place is occupied by Dnipropetrovs’k region (559).

It should be understood that the suspension of proceedings is not the same as automatic exemption from liability. However, in fact, the case is postponed indefinitely. This creates an opportunity for abuse – especially in high-profile corruption cases or when it comes to rear-guard positions where participation in hostilities is not required.

That is why the Verkhovna Rada has registered draft law No. 13284, which proposes to amend the Criminal Code and the Criminal Procedure Code regarding the specifics of prosecuting persons called up for military service. In particular, it provides for the possibility of continuing pre-trial investigation and trial of cases on certain categories of crimes, even despite the mobilization of the accused.

The new draft law should also reduce opportunities for abuse of mobilization: the suspension of proceedings should be clearly limited to cases of direct participation of the accused in defense measures, confirmed by a combat order (instruction) issued by the commander of a military unit or subdivision.

“Currently, there is obviously a lack of a mechanism to appeal the suspension of proceedings and resume the proceedings in cases where the court or a party abuses its right. Of course, mobilization should not become a circumstance that offsets the fundamental principles of criminal procedure, in particular, the implementation of the principle of access to justice, competition and inevitability of punishment. However, we should also think about a person who, risking his life, wants to at least whitewash his reputation, but is unable to defend himself in court while at war,” comments Tetiana Popovska, senior associate at Asters.

https://opendatabot.ua/analytics/mobilization-and-court

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69% of Ukrainian citizens ‘in favor’ of negotiated end to war – Gallup

A new poll shows that some 69% of respondents in Ukraine believe their country should seek an early negotiated end to the war with Russia, data obtained by the American Institute for Public Opinion Research Gallup shows.

“In the latest Gallup poll in Ukraine, conducted in early July, 69% of respondents favored an early negotiated end to the war, while 24% support continuing the fight until victory,” the organization’s website says.

The survey also shows that Ukrainians’ hopes of joining NATO and the European Union have faded and support for the US leadership has plummeted, Ukrainians still see the EU, the UK and the US as key players in ending the war. However, most doubt this will happen anytime soon.

“Although the vast majority of Ukrainians now favor a negotiated end to the war as soon as possible, most are skeptical that active fighting will end anytime soon. One in four (25%) believe that active hostilities are likely to end within the next 12 months, although only 5% consider this “very likely.” More than two-thirds (68%) believe that active hostilities are unlikely to end within the next year,” the survey says.

It is noted that Ukrainians’ views on the US as a military ally have changed dramatically since the first months of the war.

“In 2025, 16% of Ukrainians approve of US leadership, while 73% express disapproval, a record high. All the goodwill that Washington accumulated in 2022, when 66% approved of U.S. leadership, has disappeared,” the institute reports.

Despite the sharp disapproval of US leadership, a majority of Ukrainians still believe Washington has a significant role to play in ending the war.

“70% believe that the US should play a ‘significant role’ in peace talks, which is in line with views relative to EU countries (75%) and the UK (71%).” Although some negotiations have recently taken place in Turkey, 55% of Ukrainians support its significant involvement, which is much lower than support for the EU, the UK and the US,” the pollsters inform.

But the perception of Germany has improved significantly this year. “The approval rating for Berlin’s leadership reached a record high of 63%, despite Germany’s more cautious stance in the early months of the war. Russia’s approval rating remains insignificant (1%), and China continues to receive low marks (8%), as it did at the beginning of the war,” the study said.

Ukraine has long expressed a desire to join NATO, which many see as crucial to the country’s long-term security.

“In the first two years of the war, there were high hopes for rapid NATO membership, with large majorities (64% in 2022 and 69% in 2023) expecting Ukraine to be admitted to the Alliance within the next decade. Hopes for early NATO membership fell to 51% last year and continue to decline, reaching 32% in 2025… Meanwhile, the percentage of those who believe Ukraine will never be admitted to NATO rose to 33%, the same percentage as those who expect to join within the next 10 years,” the American Institute for Public Opinion Research reported.

The survey results are based on a sample of 1,000 or more respondents aged 15 and older living in Ukraine. Some territories that are under Russian control and have a population of about 10% were excluded from surveys conducted after 2022 due to lack of access.
As reported, Russia’s conditional peace plan, which among other things includes a significant reduction of Ukraine’s army, refusal of NATO membership and the transfer of Ukrainian-controlled territories under Russian control, is categorically rejected by 76% of Ukrainians, can agree to Russia’s demands – 17%, as evidenced by the results of a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology during July 23 – August 4, 2025.

https://interfax.com.ua/

 

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New group of children from Ukraine has left for Azerbaijan for rehabilitation

A new group of Ukrainian children left for Baku on Monday as part of a rehabilitation program, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to Ukraine Seymur Mardaliev said.
“A new group of Ukrainian children left for Baku today as part of a children’s rehabilitation program offered by Azerbaijan. I am grateful to my colleagues from the Azerbaijani embassies in Ukraine and Moldova, who facilitated their smooth departure from Chisinau,” he wrote on social media.
According to the ambassador, 360 Ukrainian children have joined the program so far.

 

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Ukrainian women’s national team has taken gold for first time at European Beach Volleyball Championship

In the final match of the European Championship, Ukrainians Marina Gladun and Tatiana Lazarenko defeated Frenchwomen Clemence Viera and Aline Chamereau, the National Olympic Committee of Ukraine reports.
Ukraine won a historic gold medal at the European Beach Volleyball Championships.

 

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Grain harvest data in Ukraine is still significantly behind last year’s figures

As of August 1, farmers harvested 15.47 million tons of early grains and legumes from 4 million 423.9 thousand hectares, which is 39% of the area sown with these crops, according to the Ministry of Economy.

Last year, as of August 2, 25.29 million tons of grain were harvested from 6 million 106.1 thousand hectares, which means that the current figures are 38.8% and 27.5% lower, respectively, and the average yield, which is 3.5 tons/ha, is 15.6% lower.

According to the Ministry of Economy, 11.36 million tons of wheat were harvested from 3 million 54.2 thousand hectares (last year – 19.44 million tons from 4 million 465.8 thousand hectares), barley – 3.57 million tons from 1 million 14.8 thousand hectares (4.82 million tons from 1 million 294.1 thousand hectares).

The average yield of these crops this year is 3.7 tons/ha and 3.5 tons/ha, respectively, which is 14.6% and 5.5% less than last year’s figures.

At the same time, this year’s pea harvest is already higher than last year’s – 0.49 million tons from 208,200 hectares compared to 0.45 million tons from 205,700 hectares, and the yield is 7.7% higher at 2.4 tons/hectare.

Other cereals and legumes were threshed on an area of 145,500 hectares, with a harvest of 50,400 tons.

It is noted that among the leaders are, in particular, the Odessa region with 0.09 million tons from 1 million 70.4 thousand hectares, the Kirovograd region with 1.93 million tons from 462.9 thousand hectares, and the Poltava region with 1.52 million tons from 344.7 thousand hectares.

Farmers in the Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions have begun threshing millet, harvesting 83 tons from an area of 1,200 hectares, the Ministry of Economy added.

According to its data, as of August 1, 1.76 million tons of rapeseed had already been harvested from an area of 781,900 hectares, while last year on August 2, 3.24 million tons were harvested from 1,195,500 hectares, and the average yield is 16.8% lower than last year’s on this date and amounts to 2.3 tons/hectare.

As reported, the National Bank of Ukraine, in its Inflation Report published on Friday night, lowered its forecast for this year’s grain harvest from 61.7 million tons to 57.9 million tons, and for oilseeds from 22 million tons to 21 million tons.

The NBU recalled that last year, the grain harvest in Ukraine fell to 56.2 million tons from 59.8 million tons in 2023, while oilseeds fell from 21.7 million tons to 20 million tons.

 

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