Economy
The Russian economy is not recovering despite rising oil revenues
Sweden has stated that Russia’s economy remains weak, even despite the increase in oil revenues against the backdrop of the war in the Middle East. According to military intelligence assessments, the country’s financial problems are worsening, and official figures may not reflect the true situation.
Ukraine plans to resume oil transit to Hungary via the Druzhba pipeline as early as today, 21 April
Ukraine is hoping that oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline will resume in the near future. This could be a condition for the release of substantial funding from the European Union.
Ukraine has deferred payments on its sovereign debt until 2030
Ukraine has reached an agreement with international creditors to defer payments on sovereign and state-guaranteed debt. A memorandum to this effect was signed by representatives of the government and partner countries.
The UAE is discussing potential financial support with the US against the backdrop of the war with Iran
The United Arab Emirates has begun consultations with the US regarding a potential financial support mechanism in the event that the economic situation deteriorates as a result of the war with Iran. These are preliminary discussions and do not constitute a formal request.
In the Carpathian region, the public prosecutor’s office is demanding over 300 million hryvnias from ‘Forests of Ukraine’ for illegal logging
The company is to pay a record fine for the mass destruction of trees in the Hutsulshchyna National Park.
The government plans to allocate 637.9 million hryvnias to the “Yedyni Novyny” telethon
The Cabinet of Ministers is preparing a decision to allocate 637,964,266 hryvnias to the state-owned enterprise “Multimedia Platform for International Broadcasting of Ukraine” for the production and broadcast of content for the “Yedyni Novyny” telethon. The draft government order was published by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak.
A $27 billion project for a new city has been unveiled in Egypt
An Egyptian property developer has announced plans to build a large-scale city near Cairo. The project involves the construction of dozens of residential and commercial towers.
The global economy has lost $50 billion due to an oil shortage caused by the war in Iran
Following the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East in late February 2026, the global market faced a shortfall of over 500 million barrels of oil and condensate.
Half of Ukraine’s coffee market operates in the grey economy, and the annual loss to the budget amounts to $7 billion – Getmantsev
Danylo Getmantsev, chair of the parliamentary committee, stated that around 50 per cent of Ukraine’s coffee market operates outside the official economy. According to him, this results in the state budget losing billions of dollars every year.
Banks report a decline in funding and a rise in its cost – NBU survey
In the first quarter of 2026, banks recorded a decline in the volume of funding alongside a simultaneous rise in its cost, primarily due to funds from the public. At the same time, financial institutions expect a return to growth in both the volume of funds raised and their cost as early as the second quarter.
The IMF will not insist on VAT for sole traders at this stage – Svyrydenko
Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stated that, following consultations in Washington, the International Monetary Fund has agreed that introducing VAT for sole traders is not a constructive idea at this stage. At the same time, the matter does not appear to be definitively closed, as the current IMF programme documents previously envisaged an expansion of the VAT base from 2027, and there is already talk in parliament of possibly postponing this discussion until the summer.
‘Break the chain of interests’: Pope Leo XIV condemned the exploitation of Africa in Luanda
Pope Leo XIV, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, has launched a scathing attack on the world’s elites. During a speech in Luanda, the capital of Angola, the pontiff called for an end to the treatment of African resources as mere commodities
