KIEV, Dec. 7 – Naftogaz Ukrayiny has asked the German regulator (Bundesnetzagentur) to apply the general procedure for making administrative decisions to the settlement agreement signed by Naftogaz, Gazprom and its affiliates to amend the decision made in 2009 regarding the OPAL gas pipeline.

KIEV, Dec. 4 – Fitch Ratings has upgraded PrivatBank's (Privat) Long-term foreign currency Issuer Default Rating to 'CCC' from 'RD' (Restricted Default) on completion of the bank's external debt restructuring, Fitch said in a statement.

KIEV, Dec. 4 – The Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Economy Ministry hopes that the agreement on the provision of EUR 400 million for development of Ukrainian infrastructure signed with the European Investment Bank in July 2015 will be ratified in 2016, the ministry has reported referring to Deputy Regional Development, Construction, Housing and Utilities Economy Minister for European Integration Roman Chuprynenko.

KIEV, Dec. 7 – Forex reserves of the National Bank of Ukraine grew by $186 million or 1.4% in November, to $13.148 billion, the central bank said on its website.

"The reserves grew thanks to revenue from swap transactions with foreign banks of $650.5 million. The regulator bought $9.5 million at currency auctions to replenish reserves," the NBU said.

KIEV, Dec. 4 - Luhanskteplovoz, owned by Russia's Transmashholding (TMH), has denied mass media that it dismantling equipment at its plant for shipment to Russia.

LUHANSK, Dec. 5 - The self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic is not dependent on thermal power plants in Kiev-controlled territories, head of the LPR reconstruction management center Alexander Drobot claimed.

KIEV, Dec. 5 - Zaporizhia nuclear power plant started to bring its reactor unit up to a minimum controllable power level at 04:27 Kiev time on Friday, state-run EnergoAtom nuclear power company said.

KIEV, Dec. 6 - Consumer prices in Ukraine increased by 0.1% in November after remaining unchanged in October, the State Statistics service reported.

Inflation from January to November 2011 stood at 4.4%.

Taken together, prices of foods and non-alcoholic beverages in November remained unchanged.

MOSCOW, Dec. 7 - Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan's share of the world market for grain will rise to 30% over the next few years, Ignacio Peres, an economist with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development trade and agriculture division's food trade department, said at the International Grain Forum in Moscow on Wednesday.

KIEV, Dec. 7 - Transit of natural gas through Ukraine to CIS and European countries increased by 8.2% or 7.172 billion cubic meters (bcm) year-on-year, to 94.987 bcm in January-October 2011, Ukrtransgaz, a subsidiary of Naftogaz Ukrainy, reported.

Ukrtransgaz said that transit of gas to Western Europe increased by 8.4% in the first 11 months of 2011, to 92.245 bcm, while transit to CIS countries went down by 0.5%, to 2.742 bcm.