Ukraine’s parliament passes law to streamline reforms of country’s customs
Source: Yaroslav Zheleznyak/Telegram
Ukraine’s Customs is in for a major overhaul after the Ukrainian parliament passed Bill No. 6490-d to update customs operations. The news came from Yaroslav Zheleznyak who praised the legislation after it received the votes of 260 Ukrainian MPs on Tuesday.
“This reform is a huge signal to the IMF, World Bank, the U.S., business associations, and the public. But most importantly, it’s the best thing we could do to boost revenue for the state budget,” Zheleznyak said in his post on social media.
The reform is expected to rake in at least 100 billion hryvnias in revenue over the next few years. One of the key features of the bill is about ‘transparent’ appointment of the head of the executive body responsible for customs policies. It will be handled by a selection committee to ensure top talent leads the charge.
The reform promises not just smoother customs operations but also a solid foundation for reducing corruption and easing the burden on businesses. The authors of the policy believe that new recruitment and service policies will help spur up Ukraine’s economic growth, and keep its customs operations efficient and transparent.
In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.
During the GLOBSEC Defence Forum 2026 in Prague, representatives of “Steel Front”, an initiative by Rinat Akhmetov, discussed with NATO delegations, military officials, and representatives of the European defense industry the lessons learned from Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
After the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine witnessed an unprecedented wave of private support for the army. Citizens, big businesses, charitable foundations, and international philanthropists began financing the country’s defense alongside state assistance provided by international partners. Estimates of total private contributions range from tens to hundreds of billions of hryvnias. However, determining the exact amount remains difficult. In many cases, companies combine military aid, humanitarian programs, tax payments, social spending, and employee support in their reporting.
Rinat Akhmetov’s military initiative, “Steel Front”, has delivered a batch of drones worth UAH 214 million to the 1st “Azov” Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine. This shipment is part of the Metinvest Group’s ongoing support for the unit in 2025.
On October 6, the Administrative Cassation Court within the Supreme Court of Ukraine continued hearing case No. 990/80/25, in which the fifth President and leader of the party “European Solidarity”, Petro Poroshenko, seeks to have Presidential Decree No. 81/2025 from February 12, 2025 — enacting sanctions by the decision of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) — declared illegal and annulled. The plaintiff claims the document was falsified and that the sanctions are a tool of political persecution of the opposition, contrary to international norms. Government representatives deny the allegations and insist their actions were lawful. Journalists of Bukvy were present at the hearing.