KIEV, Dec. 2 - The Ukrainian government expects to receive an additional UAH1 billion per year by raising fees for the usage of subsurface resources and water in addition to royalties for natural gas used for the population's needs.

KIEV, Dec. 2 – U.S. investors are not going to leave the Ukrainian market because of the economic crisis in the country, says President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine Jorge Zukoski.

KIEV, Dec. 3 – Naftogaz Ukrayiny paid UAH3.891 billion in VAT for imported gas during 2008, the state holding reported on Tuesday.

The company said that $314.9 million of VAT in the national currency according to the official NBU exchange rate was paid by the company for 8.772 billion cubic meters of gas worth around $1.6 billion pumped to the gas storage facilities in March to August.

KIEV, Dec. 4 – The export of Ukrainian grain will become more active in February, Agriculture Minister Yuriy Melnyk has predicted.

"We expect that the export of grain will become active as of February," he told reporters in Kiev.

KIEV, Nov. 30 - The increase in prices for Turkmen gas for Gazprom is a consequence of the intensifying battle for energy resources and routes for their delivery between Russia on one hand and the European Union and United States on the other, Viacheslav Butko, the chief analyst at the Energy Research Center in Kiev, said.

ZHOVTI VODY, Nov. 30 - Skhidny Integrated Mining and Concentrating Plant (Skhidny GOK), Ukraine's only uranium miner, plans to increase production of uranium concentrate from 830 tons this year to 900 tons next and to 1,000 tons in 2010, said Oleksandr Hrebenyuk, the state company's general director.

KIEV, Dec. 3 - It makes sense for Ukraine to form part of its foreign currency reserves in Russian rubles, as Russia might switch to ruble payments for its exports in the future, according to Deputy Prime Minister Mykola Azarov.

KIEV, Dec. 3 - The Federation of Ukrainian Metallurgists has asked President Viktor Yushchenko to prevent another increase in rail freight tariffs planned by the Transportation Ministry and the state railroad administration Ukrzaliznytsia.

KOMSOMOLSK, Dec. 4 - Ukraine's top iron ore pellet producer, Poltava Mining, plans to invest $300 million in the construction of a crushing and concentration plant as part of the development of the Yeristov deposit, CEO Viktor Lotous said.

KIEV, Dec. 4 – Russia will increase by 38.4% the price of natural gas to be supplied to Ukraine next year, while Ukraine will up by 6.3% the fee it charges Gazprom for shipments of gas to the European Union.