With Russian troops once again advancing in eastern Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has accused alliance members of failing to provide Kyiv with promised military aid and renewed calls for a more sustainable response to Russian aggression. Speaking during an unannounced visit to Kyiv on April 29, Stoltenberg acknowledged that supply shortfalls had left […]
Russian aggression in Ukraine
Posted inPolitics
Ukrainian MPs confirm appointment of Rustem Umerov as country’s new Defense Minister
Ukrainian MPs voted on September 7 to confirm the appointment of Rustem Umerov as the country’s new Defense Minister. Umerov previously headed Ukraine’s State Property Fund and also played key roles as a negotiator in prisoner exchanges with Russia and the UN-brokered Black Sea Grain Initiative. He replaces Oleksii Reznikov in what is the biggest […]
Posted inInfrastructure
MIRACLE ON RAILS: Ukraine’s train workers are the unsung heroes of the country’s war effort
In mid-August 2023, British Ambassador to Ukraine Dame Melinda Simmons took the intercity train from Kyiv to Lviv. In normal circumstances, her journey would have been entirely unremarkable; at a time when Ukraine is fighting for national survival against a genocidal Russian invasion, the mere existence of this daily train service is a minor miracle […]
Posted inInvestment
Henkel underlines commitment to Ukraine with series of new investments in facility upgrades
International industrial and consumer goods producer Henkel has been present in Ukraine for a quarter of a century and had established four production facilities in the country by the time of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022. Eighteen months on, three of Henkel’s production facilities in Ukraine are currently operational, while the company has retained […]
Posted inInterview
Metro Ukraine CEO Olena Vdovychenko: “Empowered people can do impossible things”
How do you prepare your company for the shock of a full-scale invasion by a military superpower? This is not the kind of management task you will find taught at most business schools or addressed in the average MBA textbook, but it is a situation Ukrainian executives like Metro Ukraine CEO Olena Vdovychenko are all […]
Posted inEconomy
Carlos de Cordoue: Ukraine can offer huge opportunities to those who are here at beginning of reconstruction story
In May 2023, France’s Credit Agricole marked thirty years in Ukraine, being the oldest international bank on the Ukrainian market. In normal circumstances, such a milestone would be an occasion to stage a major corporate celebration, but that was obviously not possible this year due to the realities of Russia’s ongoing invasion. Nevertheless, Credit Agricole […]
Posted inEconomy
Building business bridges between Ukraine and Europe
More than eighteen months since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the Ukrainian economy is in significantly better health than many would have dared imagine on the terrible morning of February 24, 2022. While the war unleashed by Russia has caused barely imaginable disruption to almost every aspect of daily life, Ukrainian businesses have demonstrated […]
Posted inEconomy
State-owned Oschadbank is preparing to play key role as hub in Ukrainian reconstruction
Although there remains no end in sight to Russia’s full-scale invasion, discussion over the future postwar recovery and reconstruction of Ukraine has already gained considerable momentum. Since the invasion began on February 24, 2022, a number of international forums and conferences dedicated to reconstruction have been held in Switzerland, London, and elsewhere. Current projections for […]
Posted inEconomy
Banking on the exceptional wartime adaptability of Ukraine’s business community
There are few more convincing expressions of confidence in the business climate than the recruitment and training of additional staff. This is exactly what ProCredit Bank is currently doing in wartime Ukraine. The bank spent 2022 adjusting to the new realities created by Russia’s full-scale invasion and concentrating on strengthening institutional stability, but business development […]
Posted inEconomy
How McDonald’s became a symbol of Ukraine’s remarkable resilience
In the eighteen months since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the watching world has frequently been amazed by Ukraine’s remarkable resilience. Ukrainians have defied the expectations of experts who predicted Kyiv would fall in a matter of days, and have instead managed to secure significant success on the battlefield while also keeping the country […]