President Volodymyr Zelensky has instructed government officials to prepare a decision introducing a long-term moratorium on business inspections in Ukraine, the Presidential Office announced on June 27.

Zelensky discussed the moratorium during an address at the "State and Business Forum: From Dialogue to Partnership," held in Kyiv.

"I have instructed that a decision on a long-term moratorium on business inspections be prepared to protect businesses from any pressure by unscrupulous individuals in various government positions," he said.

Economic growth is a vital component of Ukrainian resilience, necessitating ongoing dialogue between the government and entrepreneurs, Zelensky said. In addition to imposing the moratorium on inspections, Kyiv will also expand the Council for Entrepreneurship Support in an effort to cultivate entrepreneurship in Ukraine.

"Even under such harsh conditions of this war, Ukraine can rely on its entrepreneurs — on our domestic Ukrainian manufacturing, our Ukrainian logistics, our Ukrainian services across all sectors — from security to everyday life, as well as on Ukrainian developments and investments," the president said.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion in early 2022 and the onset of martial law, Ukraine temporarily suspended certain business regulations, including tax inspections for businesses. Zelensky signed a law resuming tax inspections for certain businesses in December 2023.  

Now in its fourth year of full-scale war against Russia, Ukraine's economy is still attempting to recover from the massive blow dealt in 2022, when the GDP dropped by 29.1%. At the same forum on June 27, Ukraine's new Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko announced another measure meant to boost business: an audit of criminal cases related to businesses in Ukraine.

"The second priority is to finally sort out the proceedings related to business, protect business, and achieve justice in these matters," Kravchenko said.

The Prosecutor's Office will be dedicated to "ensuring the rights of investors and businesses," Kravchenko wrote on his Telegram channel on June 26. Efforts to safeguard businesses will not interfere with Ukraine's legal obligations and the regulatory reforms required for its integration into the European Union, he said.

Ukraine’s new top prosecutor known for high-profile cases, seen as Zelensky loyalist

Loyalty to the incumbent administration has been the key requirement for prosecutor generals in Ukraine. Ruslan Kravchenko, who was appointed as prosecutor general on June 21, appears to be no exception. Previously he had been appointed as a military governor by President Volodymyr Zelensky and is seen as a presidential loyalist. Kravchenko became Ukraine’s top prosecutor after a lengthy hiatus during which the position of prosecutor general remained vacant. His predecessor, Andriy Kostin, r

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

Active fighting is still taking place around the village of Shevchenko in Donetsk Oblast, home to one of Ukraine's largest lithium deposits, a spokesperson for Ukraine's Khortytsia group of forces told the Kyiv Independent on June 27, denying reports Russia had occupied the village.

Earlier on June 26, Russia'a Defense Ministry said it had captured Shevchenko along with another other small settlements in the Velyka Novosilka region of the oblast, as Russian troops continue to push along all areas of the front line.

The spokesperson said that while Russian forces had pushed out Ukrainian soldiers on June 26, the situation is constantly evolving and subject to change several times a day.

"This is one of the two most intense directions right now," Viktor Trehubov, the spokesperson, told the Kyiv Independent.

According to the Ukrainian Geological Survey, the Shevchenkivske deposit covers nearly 40 hectares (98 acres) on the eastern outskirts of Shevchenko. Exact data on the Shevchenkivske deposit's lithium reserves are classified, but it's considered one of the most promising.

The deposit's main reserves consist of lithium ores, but it also contains other rare elements such as rubidium, cesium, tantalum, niobium, beryllium, and tin.

Ukraine is home to 20 of the world's critical minerals and metals like titanium used in the aerospace and defense industries and lithium, an essential component of electric vehicle batteries.

The U.S.-Ukraine minerals deal, signed April 30, specifically mentions lithium as one of the mineral resources that both parties could profit from extracting.

Despite the deposit's relatively small size, it could be operated by a single mine, which could make extraction more efficient, according to a Ukrainian Geological Survey data.

The survey classifies the deposit in the highest complexity category of three possible levels, which could complicate development.

According to KSE, Ukraine holds one-third of the European Union's lithium reserves and approximately 3% of global lithium reserves.

Putin under pressure to declare war on Ukraine, but experts say Russia isn’t ready

Despite suffering over 1 million casualties, pounding Ukrainian cities nightly with missiles and drones, and committing countless war crimes, one startling fact about Russia’s full-scale invasion remains — Moscow has yet to officially declare war on Ukraine. In February 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin described what he believed was going to be a swift victory and the capture of Kyiv within days as a “special military operation.” Nearly three-and-a-half years later, the Kremlin is stuck

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

Ukraine is preparing to request European Union sanctions against Bangladeshi entities over importing wheat stolen from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, Ukraine's ambassador to India told Reuters.

In comments for Reuters published on June 27, Oleksandr Polishchuk said that Bangladesh had failed to respond to Ukrainian diplomatic appeals to stop the trade, prompting Kyiv to escalate the matter to the EU level.

"It's a crime," Polishchuk told Reuters. "We will share our investigation with our European Union colleagues, and we will kindly ask them to take the appropriate measures."

Russian forces have seized millions of tons of Ukrainian grain from occupied areas, with at least 180,000 tons looted through the port of Mariupol alone, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in October 2024.

The grain theft from occupied territories began in 2014 when Russia first invaded Ukraine and continued after the full-scale invasion launched in 2022.

The Ukrainian Embassy in New Delhi sent multiple letters to Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry this year, requesting rejection of more than 150,000 tonnes of grain allegedly stolen and shipped from the Russian port of Kavkaz, according to documents reviewed by Reuters, shared by people familiar with the matter.

According to Polishchuk, Ukrainian intelligence showed that entities in Russia mask grain obtained from occupied Ukrainian territories by mixing it with Russian wheat before shipping it to other countries.

Bangladesh's Food Ministry, in comments to Reuters, denied the imports, saying that they banned grain deliveries originating from occupied Ukrainian territory.

Ukraine's agricultural sector has suffered approximately $80 billion in losses due to Russia's full-scale invasion, Agriculture Minister Vitalii Koval said in February.

The losses include direct damage, disrupted logistics, higher fertilizer and fuel costs, land reclamation expenses, demining costs, and impacts from occupied territories.

Amid relentless Russian strikes, Ukraine’s businesses rebuild alone

It took firefighters two days to extinguish the flames at Oleksiy Tarnopolskiy’s warehouse in Kyiv after a Russian attack on June 10. Nothing inside could be saved from his tea and coffee business. Tarnopolskiy arrived on site to an “apocalyptic” scene at 5 a.m., one hour after a Russian

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell