On September 23, 2026, the Honorary Consulate of Ukraine officially opened in Katowice, Poland, and will be located at ul. Wita Stwosza 2.
According to the Consulate General of Ukraine in Kraków, the opening ceremony was attended by Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland; Oresta Starak, Ukraine’s Consul General in Kraków; Luiza Gananya, Ukraine’s Honorary Consul in Katowice; Silesian Voivode Marek Wujcik, Marshal of the Silesian Voivodeship Wojciech Saluga, and Katowice Mayor Marcin Krupa.
The event was also attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps, local government bodies, and the Ukrainian community.
Vasyl Bodnar, Ukraine’s Ambassador to Poland, stated that the opening of the Honorary Consulate is an important step in the development of cooperation between Ukraine and the Silesian Voivodeship.
“We expect that the Honorary Consulate will become a close partner to the Ukrainian community, support Ukrainian citizens, and at the same time contribute to the development of contacts between Ukraine and the Silesian Voivodeship,” Bodnar noted.
He also thanked Honorary Consul Luiz Ganani for his willingness to carry out this mission, and the authorities of the Silesian Voivodeship and the city of Katowice for their support of Ukraine.
The consulate is expected to promote the development of Ukrainian-Polish interregional cooperation, expand contacts with local authorities, businesses, and civil society organizations, and provide support to Ukrainians living in the Silesian Voivodeship.
The Silesian Voivodeship is one of Poland’s largest industrial and economic regions, and Katowice is its administrative center. The opening of the Ukrainian Honorary Consulate creates an additional platform for the development of regional, economic, cultural, and humanitarian ties between Ukraine and Poland.
The European Union is not yet ready to review the volume of quotas for Ukrainian agricultural products, but Ukraine will continue the dialogue on expanding them, particularly with regard to bioethanol, said Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Taras Vysotsky at a briefing on Thursday.
“The current socio-political situation in the EU does not allow for a review of agricultural product quotas in any category. We will nevertheless continue the dialogue and make our case for what is important,” he said.
According to the minister, one of the areas where Ukraine considers it appropriate to review the quota is bioethanol. Among his arguments, he cited the reduction in EU corn production for bioethanol to about 15 million metric tons and the European Union’s continued imports of corn.
“Essentially, increasing the quota is really just a way to allow the export of bioethanol, which will then be re-exported to Ukraine,” Vysotsky noted.
The head of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy added that Ukraine imports gasoline from the EU that contains about 7% bioethanol.
“We are requesting a quota to export approximately the same amount of bioethanol that Ukraine already imports as part of fuel—in gasoline from the European Union—plus 60,000 metric tons,” the minister explained.
Ukraine’s Cyber Police have warned citizens about a scam involving fake electricity bills, which may be sent via email or messaging apps purportedly on behalf of the Ministry of Energy or other government agencies.
According to the statement, scammers may inform recipients of alleged outstanding balances, send payment invoices, or demand immediate payment. To make their messages more convincing, they use official logos, the names of government agencies, and formatting that resembles genuine communications.
The main goal of the attackers is to trick users into clicking a link to a phishing website. There, they may be asked to enter their credit card information, username, password, SMS verification code, or other personal information. Malware may also be distributed under the guise of a bill or document. As a result, scammers can gain access to bank accounts, email, social media, and other accounts.
The Cyber Police emphasize that the Ministry of Energy of Ukraine does not send electricity bills to consumers and does not collect utility payments. Bills are issued directly by the electricity suppliers with whom consumers have signed contracts.
Signs of a fraudulent message may include a demand for immediate payment via a link provided, information about a non-existent debt, a sender’s email address that does not belong to an official institution, a request to enter bank details or a password, as well as unknown attached files.
Grammatical errors, unusual phrasing, and attempts to create a sense of urgency should also raise red flags.
It is recommended to verify information about electricity payments only through your provider’s official website or app. The cyber police advise against clicking on links in suspicious emails and against entering personal or banking information on websites linked to via email or messaging apps.
If a user has already clicked on a suspicious link, entered banking information, or lost funds, they should contact their bank as soon as possible to block their payment instruments. It is also important to save the correspondence, links, phone number, and other evidence to report the incident to law enforcement.
Additional information about current fraud schemes and ways to protect yourself can be found on the “Cyber Brama” portal at stopfraud.gov.ua.
The insurance company VUSO (Kyiv) and the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) have announced the start of their partnership and that the insurer has been granted the status of official insurance partner of the Ukrainian national soccer team, according to the insurer’s website.
As noted by VUSO CEO Andriy Artyukhov, the company is always on the lookout for projects that embody vibrant energy, character, and a drive to win. The partnership with the Ukrainian Football Association is precisely such an opportunity.
According to the information provided, the partnership includes comprehensive branding of the VUSO brand during the national team’s home and away matches, integration into the UAF’s digital channels, and the implementation of joint media projects.
“In soccer, as in life, it’s important to have reliable support and confidence in those around you. That is precisely why we are pleased to welcome VUSO as the official insurance partner of the Ukrainian national soccer team. It is especially valuable that, even amid the war, Ukrainian businesses continue to support Ukrainian sports and our national team,” noted UAF President Andriy Shevchenko.
VUSO Insurance Company was founded in 2001. On April 23, 2024, the National Bank of Ukraine renewed the company’s licenses to conduct insurance activities (33 for voluntary insurance and 17 for mandatory insurance). The company has 34 representative offices, two branches, and more than 20 agency sales centers throughout the country.
As of the end of 2025, the company’s insurance premiums exceeded 5.1 billion UAH. VUSO ranked second in the voluntary medical insurance and travel insurance segments, third in the comprehensive auto insurance and property insurance segments, and was among the top 10 insurers for mandatory auto liability insurance.
In the 2025–26 marketing year, rapeseed processing in Ukraine increased 2.7-fold, and rapeseed oil exports increased 2.5-fold compared to the previous marketing year. In total, 42% of the rapeseed harvest was processed domestically (last year this figure was 15%), which is an all-time record since the crop began to be grown in Ukraine. Foreign exchange earnings from rapeseed oil exports more than tripled, reaching $588 million.
This was reported by Dmytro Kysilevsky, Deputy Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Economic Development, citing data from the “Ukroliyaprom” association. He also noted that the share of domestic processing of the soybean harvest in the 2025–26 marketing year rose from 39% to 54.2% (also a historic record for processing). Despite a decline in the soybean harvest from 6.6 million metric tons to 4.8 million metric tons, foreign exchange earnings from exports of soybean oil and meal rose by 12.3%, to $1.02 billion.
Compared to the previous marketing year, the harvested areas for these crops changed insignificantly: rapeseed +15.7%, soybeans -3.9%. In total, the area planted with these crops increased from 3.25 million hectares to 3.37 million hectares.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, additional revenue to the state budget from export duties on soybeans and rapeseed amounted to 2.174 billion UAH for the marketing year, i.e., for the period from September 2025 to August 2026.
“These figures show that export duties on soybeans and rapeseed have been effective: the share of processing has increased—Ukrainian plants have seen higher utilization rates; the area under cultivation has expanded—farmers consider these crops profitable to grow; and the budget has received additional revenue from duties as well as from plant operations. Step by step, Ukraine is moving away from low-value commodity exports, increasing processing, foreign exchange earnings, and tax revenues, and developing new plants that offer decent wages for Ukrainians. “When Ukraine exports processed products rather than soybeans and rapeseed, the growth in foreign exchange revenue per metric ton of exports ranges from 30% to 50%,” noted Dmytro Kysilevsky.
On July 16, 2025, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine approved the introduction of a 10% export duty on soybeans and rapeseed. The duties took effect on September 4, 2025.
Ukraine and Honduras have signed a “roadmap” for deepening bilateral cooperation for 2026–2029, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga announced.
“The signing of a ‘roadmap’ to deepen cooperation between Ukraine and Honduras for 2026–2029 was an important step in strengthening our relations,” he wrote on social media platform X.
Sibiga reported that he had met with Honduran Foreign Minister Mirey Agüero de Corrales following her visit to Kyiv as part of the Honduran president’s delegation.
According to him, the parties agreed on the importance of expanding economic and business ties.
Sibiga thanked Agüero de Corrales for her attention to Ukraine and noted that her visit to Kyiv allowed her to see the consequences of the Russian war firsthand and strengthen mutual understanding between the two countries.
He specifically emphasized Honduras’s position on the illegal activities of the “shadow fleet,” particularly the need to end the practice of registering ships under the Honduran flag.
The parties also discussed the need to restore freedom of navigation in the Black Sea, the protection of Ukrainian ports, global food security, and the unimpeded export of Ukrainian agricultural products.
Sibiga briefed his counterpart on efforts to establish an International Commission for the Settlement of Claims and other international initiatives aimed at ensuring accountability and justice.
The ministers also discussed cooperation on the return to Ukraine of children abducted and deported by Russia, as well as practical steps to intensify these efforts.
According to Sibiga, Ukraine counts on Honduras’ continued support in its efforts to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace.
