KIEV, Jan. 22 – Data from the State Statistics Service on the operation of key sectors in December 2012 shows the Ukrainian economy finished 2012 with a small rise of around several tenths of percentage point, although it has all chances of accelerating growth in 2013 to figures close to the budget reference point of 3.4%, according to the head of the group of advisors to the National Bank governor, Valeriy Lytvytsky.

"Ukraine has avoided a large-scale recession – it did not repeat the fate of dozens of countries in Europe that are not only in a technical but also in a large-scale recession," he said in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine.