Economy

On 17 April, following the results of a tender, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence placed an order with Dolya i Ko. Ltd. for Motorola body-worn cameras and associated equipment worth 290.91 million hryvnias. The order comprises 5,525 body cameras for military personnel of the Territorial Defence Forces and Special Forces, which are to be delivered to Kyiv by 31 July 2026.

In early 2026, the hryvnia hit new lows against the US dollar on several occasions. The exchange rate was affected by both domestic economic issues and external events, whilst the National Bank of Ukraine responded with interventions and a tight monetary policy.

A corruption scheme involving the embezzlement of state-owned enterprise funds was in operation at Ukrenergo for years during the full-scale invasion. Law enforcement agencies estimate the losses to the budget at over 440 million hryvnias.

Ukraine plans to produce 1 billion cubic metres of fuel annually by 2030, doubling this figure over the following five years.

The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine has ordered the freezing of the accounts of one of Ukraine’s largest pharmaceutical distributors. The company in question is Optima-Pharm.

UNICEF will allocate over US$91 million to support education in Ukraine in 2026. The funds will be channelled through the Annual Work Plan, which the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine has signed with the newly appointed Head of the UNICEF Office in Ukraine, Anne-Claire Dufay.

The state agency PlayCity has revoked the licence of the online casino Cosmolot, which operates through Spacix LLC. During an inspection, the regulator identified breaches of financial transaction rules – the company was using peer-to-peer payments and allowing accounts to be topped up using third-party cards.

Ukraine, in collaboration with Canada and under the Tallinn Mechanism, has completed the first five projects aimed at strengthening digital resilience, with a total value of over 55 million hryvnias. These projects concern the cyber security of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the National Security and Defence Council Secretariat, the Cabinet of Ministers Secretariat, the State Judicial Administration and the State Border Guard Service.

In April, Russia reduced its oil production following drone strikes on port and refining infrastructure. The suspension of pipeline supplies to Europe also had an impact.

In the first quarter of 2026, 9,467 used cars imported from the US were sold in Ukraine, which is 1.5% fewer than last year. The Ford Escape and BMW X3 were the top sellers of the quarter.

European Union ambassadors, meeting at the Coreper level, have approved a €90 billion loan for Ukraine and the 20th package of sanctions against the Russian Federation. Final approval is to be given via a written procedure.