Coronavirus should not considerably affect Ukrainian grain exports, the acting head of the Ukrainian Grain Association Serhiy Ivaschenko has said. Since the outbreak of coronavirus in China, Ukraine has not felt any decline in demand, he told Interfax-Ukraine. “However, it should be remembered that certain logistic restrictions, such as a ban on entering ports for ships that visited regions where coronavirus disease is detected, or credit restrictions due to the collapse of economies, can negatively affect international trade,” Ukraine reported its first confirmed coronavirus case on March 3.
Ukraine will issue “golden visas” in exchange for investment. Foreigners who have invested at least $100,000 will be able to simplify the procedure for obtaining Ukrainian citizenship, lawmaker Oleksiy Goncharenko told Liga.net.
PrivatBank has paid off $120 million of Ihor Kolomoisky’s debt to Ukraine, Novoye Vremya reported, citing the National Bank. At the end of February, state-owned PrivatBank paid the NBU Hr 3 billion ($120 million) that was owed on refinancing loans issued to the bank before its 2016 nationalization. Kolommoisky owned the bank with his partner Hennadiy Boholyubov until that year, when auditors found a $5.5 billion hole in its books and had to bring it under state ownership. Further refinancing was then needed to keep the bank solvent.
A competition has been announced to replace the head of Energoatom, Ukraine’s state-owned nuclear power entity. Liga.net reports that the Economy Ministry had announced its plans to replace the current president, Yuri Nedashkovsky. At least 55% of all Ukrainian electricity comes from its 15 fission reactors, operating at four different nuclear power plants around the country.
Nuclear reactors in Ukraine are still not as safe and secure as they could be. They are vulnerable to external shocks, internal sabotage, cybersecurity threats and terrorism, according to shortcomings identified in various expert assessments.
SkyUp Airlines has expanded its fleet with its 11th Boeing 737-900ER aircraft. The aircraft with a capacity of 215 seats is listed in the Civil Aircraft Registration under number UR-SQK, According to Interfax-Ukraine, citing the press service of the airline. In 2019, low-cost carrier SkyUp Airlines completed over 12,000 flights and transported more than 1.7 million passengers.
Hungarian low-cost carrier Wizz Air may expand its presence in Ukraine as it considers launching domestic flights, too. The airline is working on expanding its presence in Ukraine and is considering launching new routes from Ukraine, as well as transportation inside the country, according to Liga.net, citing the press service of the Ministry of Infrastructure.
Belarus appears to want better ties with Ukraine as its president Alexander Lukashenko believes it’s a good idea for Belarus to partner with the Baltic countries and Ukraine to refine oil at Belarusian refineries. That oil would be for export to neighboring markets. Belarusian relations with Moscow have soured recently, mostly in relation to disputes over the oil trade. “We can work together. Reach an agreement with Ukraine, the nations of southeastern Europe to work together to supply petroleum products to this market, buying oil via the port of Odesa,” Lukashenko said, Interfax-Ukraine reported.
