KIEV, Sept. 29 – Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the probability of default rating (PDR) of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine ("Naftogaz") to Ca from Caa2.

KIEV, Sept. 28 – The attraction of foreign capital will be a key factor for growth of Ukrainian companies in the period of economic recovery, and they should start preparing for IPOs now, according to participants of a conference devoted to IPOs with the participation of the Phoenix Capital Investment Company, the Vienna Stock Exchange, Baiten Burkkhardt and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

KIEV, Sept. 28 – The European Commission has stopped an antidumping investigation into imports of welded pipes and profiles, including those from Ukraine, and India has stopped similar investigation into imports of hot-rolled steel, said Economy Minister Bohdan Danylyshyn.

KIEV, Sept. 26 – Wind Rose air company on Nov. 3 will launch regular flights on the Kiev-Moscow-Kiev route, Andriy Moroz, the head of the fleet analysis and development department at Wind Rose, told Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, Sept. 26 – Prices for natural gas supplied to Russia from Ukraine will rise to more than $400 per 1,000 cubic meters from January 1, 2009, Russian Former Fuel and Energy Minister Borys Nemtsov said at a press conference in Kiev on Friday.

"Don't want to upset you, but unfortunately the price will increase to more than $400 per 1,000 cubic meters," he said.

KIEV, Sept. 29 – A number of Ukrainian companies, due to the worsening of the international financial crisis, have temporarily lost access to the international capital markets through performing initial public offerings, Eurobond issues or attracting syndicated credits, according to Ihor Mazepa, the head of Concorde Capital investment company.

KIEV, Sept. 29 – Ukrainian Yuzhnoye design bureau and Yuzmash (both in Dnipropetrovsk) have signed a contract with the US Orbital Science Corp. for the development and production of the first stage of the Taurus light launch vehicle to deliver cargos to the International Space Station (ISS), Yuriy Moshnenko, the head of information communications center in Yuzhnoye design bureau, has told Interfax-Ukraine.

KIEV, Sept. 29 – Russia's Economic Development and Trade Ministry has extended a special protective investigation into imports of stainless steel pipes for another three months, according to a report of Dnipropetrovsk-based Ukrtrubprom issued on Sept. 26.

KIEV, Sept. 29 - UkrNafta, Ukraine's largest crude oil producer, plans to boost crude oil and gas condensate extraction 2.5% to 3.1 million tons in 2005, up from 3.02 million tons produced in 2004, the company's press service said Thursday.

KYIV, Aug 28 – Ukraine will temporarily suspend payments on debt obligations on loans from Cargill Financial Services International from September 3, 2024, the amount of which, according to the Ministry of Finance, was $703.7 million at the end of July and the maturity date is in 2024-2026.