Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Bishkek on August 31, stated the need to move toward ending hostilities and finding a sustainable peaceful solution.
“Every day of war sets humanity back. We must work to end hostilities,” Modi said during the open part of the bilateral talks. He was referring to the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. The Indian prime minister has consistently advocated ending it through negotiations and diplomacy. At his previous meeting with Putin at the SCO summit in Tianjin in September 2025, Modi also called for accelerating the end of the conflict and finding a long-term peaceful solution.
Modi and Putin met in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, on the sidelines of the 26th summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO). The formal meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State is scheduled for September 1, while on August 31 the leaders are holding bilateral meetings and participating in other summit events.
The SCO was established on June 15, 2001, in Shanghai by Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan on the basis of the so-called “Shanghai Five.” India and Pakistan became full members in 2017, Iran in 2023, and Belarus in 2024.
The SCO currently includes 10 states: Belarus, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Their combined population exceeds 3.4 billion people, and the organisation’s countries account for about a quarter of global GDP. Afghanistan and Mongolia are observers, while another 15 countries have dialogue partner status, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The SCO deals with regional security issues, while the organisation itself officially stresses that it is not a military alliance. Its permanent secretariat is located in Beijing, and the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure is based in Tashkent.
The summit in Bishkek is taking place in the year of the 25th anniversary of the SCO. The Indian government had previously said that Modi intended to use the forum to promote three New Delhi priorities — security, transport and economic connectivity, and new opportunities for cooperation.
Ukrainian canoeist Liudmyla Luzan has won the “Athlete of the Year” nomination as part of the 30th anniversary season of the nationwide “Person of the Year 2025” programme.
Liudmyla Luzan is an Honoured Master of Sport of Ukraine, a three-time Olympic medallist, a multiple world and European canoeing champion, and one of the most decorated Ukrainian athletes of the modern era.
She was born on 27 January 1997 in Ivano-Frankivsk. She began her sporting career in artistic gymnastics, to which she devoted ten years and earned the title of Master of Sport of Ukraine. It was gymnastics that instilled in her the discipline, endurance and diligence that later became the foundation of her success in canoeing.
After switching to canoeing, Liudmyla’s first coach was Serhii Batomunkoiev, who recognised the athlete’s considerable potential. She later continued training under Mykola Matsapura, an Honoured Coach of Ukraine. Liudmyla represents Poltava Region and the city of Horishni Plavni.
One of the major milestones in her sporting career was the Tokyo Olympic Games, where Luzan won a silver medal in the women’s canoe double 500 metres and a bronze medal in the women’s canoe single 200 metres. At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, she won another Olympic medal, confirming her status as one of the world’s leading canoeists.
Liudmyla Luzan remains one of the leaders of Ukraine’s national team and competes successfully in both individual and team events.
For her outstanding sporting achievements and contribution to the development of Ukrainian sport, she has received state honours. Luzan is a full bearer of the Order of Princess Olga and has also been awarded the Order of Merit.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, the athlete has continued to represent Ukraine at the world’s largest international competitions. Her performances and victories make it possible to raise the Ukrainian flag regularly at the world’s leading sporting arenas.
In addition to her professional career, Liudmyla promotes canoeing, motivates young people to participate in sport, takes part in social and charitable initiatives, and supports the development of Ukrainian sport.
Luzan is currently preparing for her third Olympic Games. She names winning Olympic gold for Ukraine as her main sporting goal.
The awarding of the “Athlete of the Year” title to Liudmyla Luzan took place as part of the 30th anniversary season of the “Person of the Year” programme, which annually honours Ukrainians for their professional achievements, civic stance and contribution to the development of the state.
I would like to draw attention to one detail before publication: there is a discrepancy in the source text you provided — in the introduction, Luzan is described as a four-time world champion, while later she is described as an eight-time world champion. Therefore, in this version, I deliberately wrote “multiple world champion” so as not to perpetuate a potentially incorrect figure. If you wish, I can separately verify the current number of her titles following the 2025 season and provide the exact figure.
Open4Business is an information partner of the nationwide “Person of the Year 2025” programme.
Schneider Electric has introduced a new generation of Easy UPS 3S Pro three-phase uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) with capacities ranging from 10 to 40 kVA, designed for small and medium-sized businesses, small data centers, medical facilities, manufacturing plants, commercial buildings, and telecommunications and transportation infrastructure.
The company announced the launch of the solution in markets that adhere to International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) standards, specifically in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Schneider Electric Ukraine has not yet issued a separate announcement regarding the start of sales for the new product line directly in Ukraine.
The Easy UPS 3S Pro is available in versions with internal and external battery packs. The equipment’s efficiency exceeds 96% in double-conversion mode and reaches 99% in ECO mode, which helps reduce the system’s own energy consumption.
For facilities with increasing loads, parallel operation of multiple UPS units is supported—both to increase power capacity and to provide redundancy according to the N+1 configuration. The systems can also share a common battery bank, which helps reduce capital expenditures on battery infrastructure.
The equipment is designed to operate under various operating conditions. It features a wide temperature range, dust filters, and a protective coating on the electronic circuit boards. The Easy Loop function allows certain system tests to be performed without connecting a separate load bank.
Schneider Electric has placed special emphasis on remote monitoring. The built-in Network Management Card enables monitoring via the EcoStruxure IT platform, and BACnet support allows the UPS to be integrated into building management systems.
The network management module is certified to the IEC 62443-4-2 cybersecurity standard, which is becoming increasingly important as power supply, automation, and IT infrastructure systems converge.
For the Ukrainian market, the new product line is of particular interest given the need to improve the energy resilience of facilities where even a brief power outage or degradation in power quality can lead to operational shutdowns. This includes server rooms and data centers, telecommunications equipment, manufacturing facilities, medical institutions, retail, and other critical infrastructure.
At the same time, a UPS does not replace power generation or long-term battery energy storage. Its primary function is to ensure the continuity and quality of the power supply, as well as to support the load until a generator starts up, a switchover to another line occurs, or another backup source is connected.
Schneider Electric has been operating in Ukraine since 1994. The company is present in more than 100 countries worldwide and employs approximately 160,000 people.
According to Experts.news, Ukraine’s largest retailers continued to increase their revenue in the first half of 2026, with the growth rates of leading chains in most cases exceeding that of the country’s retail market as a whole. ATB remains the leader in terms of revenue, while among the largest companies, Aurora and Fora posted the highest growth rates, according to an analysis by the Experts Club research center based on data from OpenDataBot.
As of mid-August 2026, there were 41,235 companies operating in the retail sector in Ukraine. Their number has been increasing for the fifth consecutive year. Since the beginning of the year, the number of registered retailers has exceeded the number of those that closed by 796 companies, which is practically in line with the pre-war level of net growth—804 companies over a comparable period. A total of 969 new companies were registered in 2026, 32% more than the previous year. (OpenDataBot)
To assess financial trends, OpenDataBot identified 2,073 companies that submitted financial statements for both the first half of 2025 and the corresponding period of 2026. Their combined revenue increased by 18%—from 692.29 billion UAH to 817.14 billion UAH.
The ranking of Ukraine’s largest retailers by revenue for the first half of 2026 is as follows:
ATB-Market – 135.99 billion UAH, up 16.1% compared to 117.15 billion UAH a year earlier.
Silpo-Food – 59.55 billion UAH, +18.2%.
Vygodna Kupka / “Aurora” – 28.26 billion UAH, +30.0%.
Fora – 26.83 billion UAH, +29.4%.
Comfi Trade – 20.16 billion UAH, +27.5%.
Novus Ukraine – 19.65 billion UAH, +20.6%.
RUSH / EVA – 18.02 billion UAH, +21.4%.
Metro Cash & Carry Ukraine – 17.70 billion UAH, +14.5%.
Petrol Contract / WOG – 16.35 billion UAH, +17.2%.
Omega / Varus – 13.72 billion UAH, +21.6%.
According to Experts Club’s calculations, the combined revenue of the top ten companies reached 356.23 billion UAH, an increase of approximately 19.7% compared to the first half of 2025. Thus, the top 10 grew slightly faster than the entire comparable group of retailers.
The ten largest companies accounted for about 43.6% of the total revenue of the 2,073 retailers included in the OpenDataBot sample. ATB and Silpo alone generated approximately 195.5 billion UAH, or nearly 24% of the total revenue of the entire group studied, while the top five companies generated approximately 270.8 billion UAH, or one-third of the total.
ATB remains the undisputed market leader: its revenue is more than double that of Silpo and nearly five times that of Aurora. Furthermore, ATB recorded the largest absolute increase in revenue—18.84 billion UAH over the year.
However, in terms of growth rates, “Aurora” and “Fora” stand out the most. “Aurora’s” revenue increased by 30%, or 6.52 billion UAH, while “Fora’s” rose by 29%, or 6.1 billion UAH. “Komfi” saw an increase of about 27.5%.
Outside the top ten in terms of revenue, FTD-Retail—which operates the “Foxtrot” chain—demonstrated strong growth, increasing its revenue by 4.47 billion hryvnia. OKKO-Light added 3.88 billion UAH, while Glusko Retail—whose gas station network is managed by Ukrnafta—added 2.76 billion UAH.
The financial results also reveal another trend. The combined profit of the companies surveyed grew by 17%—from 14.91 billion UAH to 17.44 billion UAH—but the number of profitable retailers decreased.
In the first half of 2025, 1,354 companies in the comparable group reported a profit; in 2026, that number dropped to 1,272. Their share fell from 65% to 61%.
This means that growth in the Ukrainian retail sector is becoming more concentrated. The sector’s total revenue and profit are increasing, and leading chains are posting double-digit growth rates; however, operating conditions remain challenging for some small and medium-sized companies.
According to Experts Club’s assessment, the discrepancy between the 18% increase in total revenue for the surveyed group and the decline in the share of profitable companies is particularly telling. It may indicate rising operating expenses, labor costs, logistics costs, rent, electricity costs, and financing costs, as well as intensified competition from the largest chains.
At the same time, the financial statements for the first half of the year do not yet reflect the consequences of subsequent massive Russian strikes on distribution centers, warehouses, and other infrastructure of Ukrainian businesses, a point specifically highlighted by OpenDataBot. Their impact may become apparent in the results of the coming quarters.
General government statistics also confirm the continued growth of the consumer market. As previously reported by Open4Business, citing the State Statistics Service, in January–July 2026, the physical volume of Ukraine’s retail trade turnover increased by 9% compared to the same period last year, while its nominal volume reached approximately 1.7 trillion UAH.
Retail turnover of legal entities grew slightly faster over the seven-month period, by 9.1%. In July alone, total retail turnover increased by 8.7% year-over-year and by 4% compared to June, while turnover of legal entities rose by 8.8% and 3.7%, respectively. Overall, Ukrainian retail grew by 8.1% in 2025, so the figures for the first seven months of 2026 indicate that consumer activity continues at a higher pace.
From August 1 to 27, Ukraine exported 47.5% less agricultural produce than during the corresponding 27 days in July—1.726 million metric tons versus 3.287 million metric tons, according to a weekly market review by the brokerage firm Spike Brokers.
According to its data, the decline was less significant in monetary terms—25.6%: exports of goods in groups 01–24 of the Ukrainian Classification of Goods for Foreign Economic Activity (UKT ZED) for the first 27 days of August totaled $1.060 billion, compared to $1.424 billion in July. At the same time, the average price per metric ton of the export basket rose from about $433 to $614, primarily due to a shift in the commodity structure of exports.
The main decline in physical volumes was in grains. Total exports of wheat, corn, and barley fell by 69.5% to 740,000 metric tons. Specifically, 486,600 metric tons of wheat were shipped (-49.8% compared to July), 190,700 metric tons of corn (-84.3%), and 62,600 metric tons of barley (-74.5%). The share of these three crops in total agricultural exports fell from 73.9% to 42.9%, respectively.
At the same time, rapeseed exports surged in August as seasonal shipments began. From August 1–27, rapeseed exports reached 255,200 metric tons, compared to 11,800 metric tons during the same period in July. Rapeseed’s share of total exports rose from 0.4% to 14.8%. Rapeseed oil exports increased more than 4.5-fold, reaching 69,400 metric tons.
The processed products segment contracted significantly less than the grain segment. Exports of the three main vegetable oils—sunflower, rapeseed, and soybean—totaled 234,000 metric tons, down 16.7% from the corresponding period in July.
Exports of sunflower and soybean meal fell to 153,800 metric tons (-6.4%), and sunflower oil exports dropped to 131,300 metric tons (-42.5%); however, shipments of sunflower meal rose to 83,100 metric tons (+28%).
The geography of exports also changed. The largest destinations by physical volume in August were Germany—195.7 thousand metric tons, Italy—159.7 thousand metric tons, Poland—151.9 thousand metric tons, the Netherlands—147.2 thousand metric tons, and Spain—125.3 thousand metric tons. Exports to Turkey fell by 79%—to 114,000 metric tons, down from 544,800 metric tons in July. In contrast, Germany increased its imports from Ukraine by approximately fourfold, largely due to rapeseed.
According to Spike Brokers, 279,3 thousand metric tons of agricultural products were exported by road through border crossings from August 1–27, which is 11.3% more than during the same period in July.
At the same time, rail shipments of grain as of August 26 fell by 42.4% compared to July—to 951,000 metric tons—and by 57% compared to August 2025. The average daily shipment volume was 37,600 metric tons.
Meanwhile, the average daily transit of grain railcars through western border crossings over the first 25 days of August rose to 173.7 railcars, compared to 71.3 railcars in July—a 2.4-fold increase. As of August 26, 9,822 railcars had accumulated en route to the border crossings, of which 1,508 were carrying grain.
At the same time, rail transportation of grain to port stations—including domestic transport to Izmail—decreased by 81.8% during the current period in August, to 230,600 metric tons, compared to 1.265 million metric tons in July.
Only 55,700 metric tons of grain were transported to the ports of Greater Odesa, which is 95.5% less than the July figure. Specifically, shipments to Chornomorsk-Port-Export totaled 31,600 metric tons (-93.5%), to Odesa-Port—17,200 metric tons (-92.2%), and to Chornomorska for TIS—6,600 metric tons (-97.8%).
Starting September 1, the Registry of Type Approval Certificates and Manufacturer-Issued Certificates of Conformity for Wheeled Vehicles and Equipment will become operational in Ukraine, marking a full transition from paper-based records to a unified electronic system, according to a statement from the Ministry of Recovery, Infrastructure, and Transport of Ukraine.
“We are digitizing a procedure that has essentially remained paper-based for years. The registry makes it possible to view all necessary information in a single system and verify it without paper documents,” said Serhiy Derkach, First Deputy Minister of Recovery, Infrastructure, and Transport, as quoted in the press release.
The ministry clarified that the registry is currently operating in a pilot phase, with 33 vehicle manufacturers and 20 certification bodies participating in the testing.
The next phase is expected to begin on September 27, when the new technical regulation for the approval of the design of wheeled vehicles, their components, and equipment takes effect.
Under the technical regulation, certificates will be issued exclusively in electronic form and entered into the Registry.
It is noted that previously issued paper certificates will remain valid, and once the relevant information about them is entered into the registry, no separate reissuance will be required.
Among other things, the ministry reported that it is working on changing the approach to vehicles imported into Ukraine from abroad.
“The current practice in Ukraine of certifying such vehicles prior to their first state registration does not correspond to the model applied in the European Union,” the ministry explained.
Specifically, as part of European integration, Ukraine must transition from certifying imported used vehicles to requiring mandatory technical inspections prior to their first state registration in Ukraine.
