News
You can now buy tickets for European trains via Privat24
A new feature is now available on the Privat24 mobile app: the purchase of tickets for European trains. Since April 2026, the bank has integrated international rail routes directly into the Transport section.
The FAO has warned of the risk of a food crisis due to the Strait of Hormuz
Continued disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a global food crisis. The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations warns that supplies of energy and fertilisers have been hit, which could subsequently drive up prices for agricultural products and fuel food inflation.
There are plans to cut NASA’s budget in the US by 23%, and science funding by almost half
The White House’s new budget request for the 2027 financial year proposes a 23% cut in NASA’s overall funding and a reduction of nearly 47% in the agency’s scientific programmes. Space experts have already described this initiative as a serious threat to American science.
The minimum cost of living in Ukraine is not being increased due to 170 payments
Ukraine is currently unable to raise the minimum subsistence level, as it is still linked to around 170 different benefits. The Ministry of Social Policy states that the calculation system itself must first be reformed, four draft laws must be passed, and this indicator must be decoupled from the benefits that are currently automatically dependent on it.
Russia has reduced the number of contract soldiers being recruited for the war in Ukraine: ISW cites the reasons
Despite a further increase in recruitment bonuses, the number of Russian military personnel recruited fell at the start of 2026.
Tsyvinskyi could spend the entire annual budget of the ESBU by September, - Ekonomichna Pravda
The Economic Security Bureau could exhaust its entire budget for 2026 as early as September. This would lead to the complete collapse of the ESBU. Meanwhile, the government has allocated 199 billion hryvnias this year to a special reserve for the security and defence sector, which is intended to be funded by the proceeds from the formalisation of the economy.
Volker: Putin is stalling for time and waiting to see how the war with Iran will end
Kurt Volker, the former US Special Representative for Ukraine, believes that Vladimir Putin is not yet ready to end the war against Ukraine, as he is waiting to see how the situation regarding Iran, oil prices and future US policy develops. At the same time, he says that if economic conditions change, the Kremlin may reconsider ending hostilities as early as this year or next.
Law enforcement officers have uncovered a tobacco supply chain running from Zakarpattia to underground workshops
Law enforcement officials have announced the dismantling of a group that had established an illegal full-scale operation for the production and distribution of tobacco products. According to the investigation, the raw materials were grown in Zakarpattia and processed in the Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Zelenskyy has signed a law introducing criminal liability for anti-Semitism
On 14 April, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Law No. 2037-IX, which introduces criminal liability for acts of anti-Semitism through amendments to Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The Verkhovna Rada had adopted Bill No. 5110 as early as 15 February 2022.
Preparations for the heating season: Zelenskyy identifies ‘problem’ regions
The President warned that the heads of four regions, including Kyiv, would be held personally accountable.
Merz backed restrictions on men leaving Ukraine for the EU
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has stated that Berlin supports Ukraine’s measures to restrict the travel of men of conscription age to European Union countries. According to him, such steps are necessary to enable Ukraine to defend itself in the context of a full-scale war.
The military levy will not be abolished after the war: Zelenskyy has signed the law
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has signed a bill (No. 15110) extending the military levy for three years following the end of martial law.