Ukraine’s economy growth slows to 0.9% – economy ministry
Source: Ukraine’s economy ministry
Ukraine’s GDP growth rate saw slight decrease of 0.9% in November compared to the same period last year, according to the country’s economy minister, although its economy showed some signs of recovery growing by 4% (±0.5%) in the first 11 months of 2024.
The uptick was driven by transportation, construction, manufacturing, and domestic trade. The country also made the most of the maritime corridor in the Black Sea, which helped prop up the transport sector, while construction maintained momentum thanks to state support programs.
Domestic trade benefited from stable supply and demand dynamics, while manufacturing did well too after it secured access to imported electricity, alternative energy sources, and business recovery initiatives. Ukraine’s mining sector was expanding, notably with the commissioning of new gas wells.
Government support programs played a key role in sustaining growth. The economy got a boost after the government introduced grants for processing industries, the affordable “5-7-9%” loan program, the “єOselya” housing initiative, and the broader “Made in Ukraine” policy framework boosted.
Meanwhile, the growth of machine-building was spurred by a great number of state contracts awarded to Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex.
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.