In Russia, the war is expected to lead to mass closures of small and medium-sized businesses

Energoatom and Ukrhydroenergo have sold all the electricity volumes offered at the first special long-term auctions. In total, the state-owned companies sold 462,148 MWh, to be supplied between August and December 2026.

The International Monetary Fund has agreed to postpone the introduction of value added tax (VAT) for sole traders operating under the simplified tax system. Instead of January 2027, the new rules are due to come into force on 1 January 2028.

The Ukrainian government is considering replacing the current 5 per cent military levy with a special tax for post-war reconstruction. This option is included in the updated Memorandum of Cooperation between Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund.

During a retrial, the Kharkiv District Administrative Court quashed a tax penalty of 4,038,423 hryvnias imposed on a business owner following an inspection of a shop in the centre of Odesa. The decision was based on irregularities in the way the inspection was arranged, rather than on a refutation of the tax authorities’ claims regarding the accounting of goods.

The Innovation Development Fund has announced a tender for the purchase of 860 Starlink Internet Satellite Mini satellite modems or their equivalents. The maximum funding amount for the purchase, including VAT, is 17.028 million hryvnias.

Ukrainian radio stations and television channels, whose frequencies have been temporarily reallocated for defence and security purposes, will be able to switch to new broadcast channels. For some listeners and viewers, this may mean having to retune their radio or T2 television set.

Ukraine may begin a gradual increase in gas and electricity tariffs for households as early as 2027. This scenario is set out in the updated Memorandum on Economic and Financial Policies, which the Ukrainian authorities have agreed with the IMF. However, no final decision has yet been made – the document itself does not imply an automatic increase in tariffs.

In the first six months of 2026, 73,292 children were born in Ukraine, whilst 259,853 people died. The death rate is therefore almost four times higher than the birth rate.

Large-scale testing of fifth-generation mobile networks has begun in Kyiv. Owners of compatible smartphones can use 5G, although coverage depends on the network operator and the specific area of the city.

The Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) has announced that it is seeking a communications expert. The vacancy has been advertised as part of an international technical assistance project aimed at strengthening the capacity of anti-corruption bodies in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian company DEVIRO has unveiled a new ‘Palytsia’ aircraft-type strike drone, which is set to become a more affordable and mass-produced addition to the already well-known ‘Bulava’ strike system.

The Pentagon has announced that the third service member believed to have been killed in the Iranian attack on a US base in Jordan is Sergeant Angel S. Rampersad. The total number of US military personnel killed since the start of the war has risen to 18.

The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has set a number of tasks for the new Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Mykhailo Drapaty.

On 21 and 22 July, the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ unmanned systems unit struck a further 13 vessels belonging to the Russian shadow fleet in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. There are also reports of further strikes on energy infrastructure in the temporarily occupied territories

The Ukrainian Magura unmanned surface vessels, which have become a symbol of the defeat of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, are to be manufactured in the US for the first time. The American company ReconCraft has signed an agreement with the Ukrainian firm Uforce to jointly manufacture unmanned boats that have already proven their effectiveness in real combat conditions.