Our expert answers your questions about Ukraine

As of early 2005, the proven reserves of mineral resources of Ukraine were estimated at about $7-10 trillion. By 2023, according to Forbes, this amount has increased to almost $15 trillion. About 70% of the total amount falls on only three regions - Donetsk Oblast (3.8 trillion), Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (3.5) and Luhansk Oblast (3.2). Other regions (in billions):

• Poltava - 790,
• Kharkiv - 685,
• Zaporizhzhia - 605,
• Zhytomyr - 555,
• Lviv - 521,
• Kirovohrad - 270,
• Crimea - 206,
• Cherkasy - 168,
• Ivano-Frankivsk - 99,
• Zakarpattia - 63,
• Sumy - 62,
• Volyn - 46,
• Rivne - 43,
• Mykolaiv - 38,
• Khmelnytskyi - 31,
• Chernihiv - 25,
• Vinnytsia - 24,
• Kyiv - 21,
• Ternopil - 14,
• Chernivtsi - 10,
• Odesa - 10,
• Kherson - 10.

In the total value of minerals, about 62% is provided by coal, 14% by iron ore, each of the other assets is less than 5%. The total volume of minerals is 111 billion tons. I hope this information will help you in your studies.

As of September 2021, the average salary in Kharkiv is about 13,000-14,000 Hryvnias per month (500 USD).

You should contact Ukrainian legal agencies. I have found some contacts: first, second, third.

Ukrainian banks don't operate in this territory, as well as any other reliable foreign and even Russian bank. Citizens of Ukraine living in a zone beyond the control of the Ukrainian authorities can and have to receive banking services in the rest of Ukraine without restrictions.

Here is the list of Lugansk banks that may be useful. You can use the following service to translate the sites from Russian/Ukrainian if necessary.

The following heavy industries are on the leading places in Ukrainian GDP: coal mining, metallurgy, and machine building.

These numerous circles are agricultural fields equipped with automatic watering machines riding in circles.

I think it doesn't matter if you are a foreigner or not (it may be even your advantage someway). If you are not afraid to have business with additional risks in a country of young democracy and market economy with its typical imperfections (high level of corruption, crime situation etc.) you will be successful. And here is the rating about doing business in Ukraine

Unfortunately, I haven't found the information you need.

The problem of Odessa is street crime. 60% of people (October 2007) don't feel themselves safe during evening or night time. The same situation is with Nikolaev. Unfortunately I don't have enough information about Odessa organized crime. Ukraine statistics: 2006 - every third crime was not solved. My advice is: try so find someone who is already doing business in these cities and ask him the specific questions.