KIEV, Dec. 20 ??“ Foreign direct investment in Kiev is expected to increase 38.6% on year to $1.5 billion in 2006, Denis Bass, deputy Kiev City mayor and the head of the economy and investment department, said.

KIEV, Dec. 20 - The Ukrainian government plans to attract $180 million in loans next year for development of Ukraine??™s offshore crude oil and gas deposits, the energy and fuel ministry reported Wednesday.

KIEV, Dec. 20 - Lukoil, Russia??™s largest oil company, will restart its Ukrainian oil refinery in Odessa in August 2007 after completing the first stage of $320 million modernization, a government official said Wednesday.

KIEV, Dec. 20 ??“ Sokrat Investment and Financial Group, which is lead managing a tender for the sale of 32.86% of Galychyna oil refinery, does not rule out that the Continium Business Group, which controls 41%, may block or foil the sale.

KIEV, Dec. 20 ??“ Personal City Communications (Citius trademark,) a leading fixed-line communications provider in Kiev, plans to launch cable television services in 2006.

KIEV, Dec. 20 ??“ The Fuel and Energy Ministry has requested that regional administrations and oil refining companies continue to honor agreements on fuel prices reached by the Cabinet of Ministers and oil companies this September, the ministry??™s official website reports.

KIEV, Dec. 20 ??“ The first Ukrainian-Russian An-148 pilot jet took off in Kiev on Friday. The plane's maiden flight lasted a bit longer than an hour.

KYIV, Nov 20 – The environmental damage caused by Russia during 1,000 days of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine is estimated at approximately $71 billion, according to Ukraine's Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources, Svitlana Hrynchuk. She made this statement at the ongoing United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) in Baku.

KYIV, Nov 20 – The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has prohibited the use of foreign currency loans to purchase securities denominated in foreign currencies and has introduced stricter conditions for partial dividend repatriation.

KYIV, Nov 20 – The International Finance Corporation (IFC), the U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) and Raiffeisen Bank (Kyiv) have announced the creation of two new risk sharing frameworks (RSF) for a total amount equivalent to approximately $210 million, the financial institution’s website reported on Wednesday.