KIEV, Feb. 20 - Ukrainian authorities might opt to strengthen the hryvnia in order to slow inflation, analysts said.

"We expect that the government will tighten monetary policy, as inflation continues to increase. Besides the usual monetary methods, the government might also resort to less traditional measures to reduce the level of inflation.

KIEV, Feb. 20 - Naftogaz Ukrayiny said Wednesday it had paid off a second installment of nearly $180 million of payment arrears for gas imports, which Russia's Gazprom puts in total at $1.5 billion.

KIEV, Feb. 18 – UkrNafta saw its net profit fall by half in 2007, to UAH1.2 billion from UAH2.412 billion in 2006, UkrNafta Financial Director Volodymyr Pustovarov reported in Kiev on Monday.

KIEV, Feb. 18 - Germany's Commerzbank AG could finalize the purchase of 60% plus one share in Kiev's Bank Forum by the end of March, the bank told Interfax.

KIEV, Feb. 19 – The board of Polish-based international pipeline enterprise Sarmatia Ltd. has endorsed requirements on a feasibility study on the extension of the Ukrainian Odessa-Brody oil-trunk pipeline to the Polish city of Gdansk through the construction of the Brody-Plock-Gdansk pipeline.

KIEV, Feb. 19 - The average price of electricity sold on Ukraine’s wholesale electricity market in 2007 was UAH239.2 per MWh, a 19.4% rise, the Energy Market state company said.

KIEV, Feb. 20 - The U.S. company Westinghouse will be able to supply a first commercial shipment of nuclear fuel to the EnergoAtom nuclear power generating company, the operator of the Ukrainian nuclear power plants, in 2010, Fuel and Energy Minister Yuriy Prodan said.

KIEV, Feb. 20 ??“ Ukraine??™s industrial output expanded 15.8% year-on-year in January reflecting a strong external demand for steel, the country??™s main export commodity, the State Statistics Committee reported.

KIEV, Feb. 19 ??“ AvtoKrAZ Holding Company, Ukraine??™s largest truck producer, said it will supply six-ton capacity off-road armored truck, the KrAZ-6322 Raptor, to African countries and the Middle East.

KIEV, Feb. 20 ??“ Mobile Synergy Group Holding, a fast growing cell phone equipment retailer, said it plans to boost its chain of Mobilochka discount stores to 300 outlets from current 184 in Ukraine.