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The "Google tax" brought UAH 11.3 billion to the budget of Ukraine in seven months
Foreign technology companies continue to actively pay VAT on electronic services they sell to Ukrainian users. For January-July 2026, such receipts to the state budget reached UAH 11.3 billion — UAH 1.5 billion more than in the same period last year.
Ukraine wants to expand business insurance against war risks: what will change
The Ministry of Economy and Environment is preparing changes to the state program for business insurance against military risks. The government wants to expand the list of properties and enterprises that will be able to use the program, as well as increase the maximum compensation for the cost of insurance.
ChatGPT expands free access: text chats can become unlimited
OpenAI has updated ChatGPT and expanded the capabilities of the free version of the service. Unlimited text communication, a new mode of deep analysis and an updated model are opened to users. Some of the new features are already available to users in Ukraine.
The "October Palace" in Kyiv, worth about 1 billion UAH, was returned to state ownership
The Commercial Court of Kyiv satisfied the lawsuit of the prosecutor's office and decided to return the complex of buildings of the former "October Palace" to the state. The estimated cost of the architectural complex is about UAH 1 billion. The lawsuit was filed by the prosecutor's office in the interests of the state in the person of the State Property Fund of Ukraine. The court decision concerns the ownership of one of the largest cultural and concert venues in the capital.
North Korea could earn up to $22 billion by circumventing sanctions — Bloomberg
For the years 2022-2025, the DPRK could receive up to $22 billion in foreign revenues, despite international sanctions. This is almost four times more than in the previous four years. Military cooperation with Russia, cyber-theft of cryptocurrencies, trade and access to new technologies became the main sources of funds.
Ukrainians bought $2 billion worth of currency in July
In July 2026, Ukrainians purchased cash foreign currency worth $2 billion, while selling it for $1.5 billion. Thus, the purchase exceeded the sale by approximately $0.5 billion. For comparison, in June the difference was $0.51 billion, and in July last year - $0.33 billion.
International reserves of Ukraine decreased in a month: how much money is left
International currency reserves of Ukraine decreased by 0.1% in July. As of August 1, their volume amounted to $51.2 billion. The change in the indicator was influenced by the currency operations of the National Bank and payments on foreign debt. At the same time, a significant part of the costs was compensated by international financial assistance, the placement of currency bonds and the conversion of funds from the EU.
The NBU relaxed credit rules for business: what will change for entrepreneurs and farmers
The National Bank of Ukraine has adopted new measures to support businesses that have faced financial difficulties, logistical problems and infrastructure damage due to the war. Banks were allowed to carry out loan restructuring more flexibly, and it was simplified for agrarian businesses to attract financing against the collateral of products.
OpenAI removes limits on text chats in free ChatGPT
Unlimited correspondence OpenAI plans to expand the possibilities of free tariffs. Starting next week, Free users will be able to have unlimited text chats with ChatGPT.
Meta was fined $567 million due to the safety of children on social networks
The company Meta Platforms must pay $567 million to a special fund for mental health of young people and change the principles of operation of Facebook and Instagram for minors. A New Mexico court found the platforms a public threat because of their impact on children and insufficient protections against sexual exploitation.
Ballistic strikes cause hundreds of millions of hryvnias in damage to Kyiv: the KMDA spoke about the costs of restoration
Each ballistic shelling of the capital causes damage to the city of approximately **300-500 million UAH**\. Due to significant costs for the restoration of damaged buildings and infrastructure, Kyiv is forced to redistribute budget funds, in particular those that could be directed to other needs.
What changes are proposed? One of the draft laws provides for strengthening the norms regarding the use of the state language. In particular, it is planned to: expand the list of officials who are obliged to use the Ukrainian language during the performance of official duties; to simplify the procedure of checks and consideration of complaints regarding violations of language legislation; strengthen the protection of the Ukrainian language in the field of education, culture, activities of local self-government bodies and during election processes. The parliament notes that international partners will be informed in advance about the proposed changes in order to avoid speculations about a possible violation of the rights of national minorities. Fines for Russian music can increase thousands of times. The Committee also supported the draft law, which introduces a real mechanism of responsibility for the reproduction of Russian music in public institutions and the service sector. It is proposed to establish the following fines: UAH 8.5 thousand — for the first violation; up to UAH 170,000 for repeated violations. Currently, the legislation also contains a ban on the public reproduction of Russian music in certain cases, but the current administrative fines are only from 17 to 170 hryvnias, which, according to the authors of the draft law, does not have a deterrent effect. How the punishment procedure will change The document also provides for a change in the prosecution mechanism. If the law is passed, the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language will be able to impose a fine directly during the inspection, without a prior order or requirement to eliminate the violation. This should make control more operational and effective. The committee also asks to support the book industry In addition to the language draft laws, the parliamentary committee appealed to the government with a proposal to strengthen support for the Ukrainian publishing industry. Among the initiatives: the allocation of funds for the restoration of the Book Chamber building, damaged as a result of Russian shelling; financing of equipping the book depository with the necessary equipment; development of assistance programs for Ukrainian publishing houses that suffered losses due to a full-scale war. Currently, the draft laws are only recommended by the committee for consideration. The final decision on the introduction of new fines and changes to the language legislation must be taken by the Verkhovna Rada during the voting.
The Committee of the Verkhovna Rada on humanitarian and information policy recommended that the parliament adopt draft laws that strengthen the protection of the Ukrainian language and introduce effective fines for the public reproduction of Russian music in institutions and the service sector. The initiators explain that the current ban actually does not work because of the symbolic amounts of punishment.