Ukraine extends export ban on salt, gas, and gold into 2025

Ukraine’s government has approved a list of goods subject to export and import licensing and quotas for 2024 extending the ban on exporting certain items through 2025. Among those are salt, domestically produced natural gas, gold, silver, and precious metal scrap.

The government said these restrictions aim to prevent shortages of critical goods in the domestic market. For instance, the country faced shortage of salt after Russian troops occupied Soledar, prompting the continued export licensing and quota regime for salt. The bans will be reviewed once the domestic market stabilizes.

Exports of coking coal of grade “K,” fuel oil, and certain agricultural products will also require licensing. Among other things that fall undes the quota policies are grain and oilseeds exported to Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and Poland. A similar policy applies to exports of sugar and poultry meat to EU countries.

For imports, the government has imposed quotas and licensing requirements for ozone-depleting substances, fluorinated greenhouse gases, and products that may contain them.

Amendments to Ukraine’s enforcement proceedings legislation, initiated by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, have entered into force. Among other measures, the reform provides for the automated lifting of attachments on bank accounts immediately after debts in enforcement proceedings have been fully settled. The main practical benefit for citizens is the complete elimination of the need to contact an enforcement officer in person and wait for paper decisions once the debt has been paid.

The 157th Separate Mechanized Brigade has received another batch of supplies as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative. This time, the military received seven quad bikes and four mobile shower and bath units.

In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.

Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.

Internationally recognized brands and financial institutions should direct capital to Ukraine now, not waiting for the hostilities to end. This was emphasized by Rinat Akhmetov, president of FC Shakhtar, during a working visit to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where he met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.