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When the “Crimea blockade” started on September 20, skeptics predicted it would not live long. A month later, in late October, an UNIAN correspondent visited the roadblocks at the administrative border and found out that the activists are preparing for the winter despite everything, and do not intend to give up.

Russia is going to introduce an embargo on the majority of Ukrainian goods in response to the Association Agreement with the EU coming into effect. Ukraine’s Trade Representative, Natalia Mykolska, has told UNIAN, how the country can compensate for these losses and what markets are willing to open up to our exporters.

After a three-month break, Naftogaz resumed gas supplies from Russia; the creditors’ committee agreed to write off Ukraine’s $3 billion public debt; the heating season has gained momentum, and the country’s economy is starting to show signs of growth.  These are the main economic news of the past week.

The IMF mission promises to return in early November; financial regulators have seriously took up the cleaning of the markets; the government is preparing a bill on the restructuring of the state debt to the businesses. These are the main economic news of the past week.

On September 20, the Crimean Tatars started a campaign blocking the food trucks heading to Crimea. UNIAN asked the experts whether the activists will be able to achieve their goals and what the prospects are for the blockade of the Russia-annexed the peninsula.

Serhiy Pinkas, deputy chief of State-owned Ukroboronprom, which unites major defense industry enterprises, has told about supplies of military equipment to the ATO zone, integration of Ukrainian arms industry with NATO, and connection between Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, and Ivano-Frankivsk-based Karpaty factory.

In September, Naftogaz plans to sign an agreement with Russia’s Gazprom on gas supplies in winter period. Mykhailo Honchar, president of Strategy XXI Center told in an interview with UNIAN about the possible pitfalls in the negotiations, the economically justified price of gas, and also elaborated on how to act in case of implementation of the Russian North Stream-2 project.

The head of the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation - EUROCONTROL - Frank Brenner has told in his interview with UNIAN when the world's airlines return to Ukraine, whether they reopen the Crimea airspace, and when Kyiv and Brussels are to sign the Open Sky Agreement.

Ukraine reached an agreement with creditors on restructuring its public debt, writing off of part of it. Global investors see positive outcome while some experts say the agreement carries risks.

The outcome of Ukraine’s foreign trade this year is far from encouraging. In January-May, our exports were down by 35.9%, imports fell by 38.8%. This forces the government to introduce urgent measures to promote trading flows.

Oleksandr Kharchenko, Managing director of the Energy Industry Research Center in an exclusive interview with UNIAN commented on the statements about the coming changes in Ukrainian energy market, earlier voiced by Arseniy Yatsenyuk in Washington, D.C. and during his address to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.

First Deputy Chairman of the State Fiscal Service Serhii Belan speaks in an exclusive interview with UNIAN about the criminal schemes of smuggling goods across the border and in the ATO zone.

Ukraine finally took the right direction in gas talks with Russia by ejecting the conditions of the Gazprom and suspending purchases of Russian gas. Our country will still have some gas available, while the question of filling our gas storage facilities for the winter period lies solely in the framework of relations between Moscow and Brussels, experts say.

Ukraine has signed an agreement with Hungary, taking another step towards diversifying its gas supplies. The document may effectively deprive Gazprom of control over gas transit to the EU, and halt Russian gas supplies to Ukraine in the future. But experts say Gazprom could fight back, and help from the EU might be needed.

Peter Vanhecke has spoken in an interview with UNIAN about what it is like to work in conditions of “non-stop war” against the company, political squabbles over it, and also about the demands of one of the shareholders to fire him.

The state intends to sell its last asset in power generation industry - a company called Tsentrenergo – to French energy giant Gaz de France. A major foreign player entering Ukraine’s energy market may lead to a global transformation of the industry.

The main economic news of the past week: Ukraine’s cabinet appoints Roman Nasirov head of the State Fiscal Service, Naftogaz Ukrainy unveils its audited financial report and increases its financial claims against Russia’s Gazprom, and annual inflation breaks an anti-record.

Deputy Minister of Finance of Ukraine Artem Shevalyov spoke in an interview with UNIAN about the preparation of a new development strategy for state-owned banks, and the participation of international organizations in the management of state-controlled banks.

The country’s largest mining and steel group Metinvest, owned by billionauire businessman Rinat Akhmetov, has announced that it is in default on previously issued debt securities for $ 113 million. UNIAN tried to find out why the owner of the Iron and Steel Works in the hometown of the fugitive Yanukovych cannot pay his debts.

The fall of the banks, which started last year, has become the most significant in the history of the banking system of independent Ukraine. First deputy head of the NBU Alexander Pisaruk spoke in an interview with UNIAN about the causes.