Austrian bank opens underground branches in war‑torn Ukrainian cities

Austrian Raiffeisen Bank announced on Friday via the Telegram platform that it has opened its first underground branches in two cities: Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine and Dnipro in the central region of the country.

The underground branches were established based on traditional premises and will serve customers in the event of an air raid alarm. These branches can be accessed through a separate entrance.

"Underground workplaces allow us to guarantee uninterrupted customer service even during an alarm. This is particularly important in cities that are constantly shelled, necessitating a prolonged cessation of work at above-ground branches," noted bank representative Artem Nidzielski.

The underground branches offer all banking services available at traditional branches, including opening accounts, issuing loans, and providing cashier services. In the future, Raiffeisen intends to open additional underground branches in Kharkiv, Dnipro, and other front-line cities.

Raiffeisen is one of the Western companies that did not leave the Russian market after Russia initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The bank only announced in the spring of 2024 that it would begin the process of winding down its business in Vladimir Putin's country in the summer.

Ukrainian Deputy Finance Minister Olha Zykova reported on Wednesday that Ukraine will need £9.8-12.2 billion more in foreign aid in 2025 than previously estimated due to the war's costs.

Reuters recalled that the Ukrainian government had earlier informed that in 2025, it would need £18.6 billion in foreign aid. Kyiv, now estimating that these needs will grow to around £30.7 billion, has already received £19.5 billion from foreign partners for these purposes.

Earlier on Wednesday, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck assured that Ukraine would receive £40.4 billion from the G7 countries, most likely by the end of the year, and an additional £3.2 billion would be available next year.

At the beginning of August, Ukraine received the first tranche of £3.2 billion in non-repayable budget support from the United States through the World Bank. Kyiv is to receive a total of £6.5 billion in direct budget assistance from the USA.

Ukraine needs energy solidarity from its partners, said Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, at a meeting on energy security on Thursday. Secretary of State in the Ministry of Climate and Environment Krzysztof Bolesta attended the talks from the Polish side.

The meeting concerned the implementation of the presidential so-called peace formula regarding energy security. The Office of President Zelenskyy reported on Thursday evening that talks involving representatives of over 40 countries and international organisations were held online.

Yermak thanked the co-chairs of the group dedicated to energy security, namely Denmark, Norway, and Poland, for their leadership and assistance to Ukraine, including in preparing this conference.

- The defence of energy infrastructure facilities, their rapid reconstruction, and development is the only way to prevent the deepening crisis. Ukraine needs your energy solidarity - he said. At the same time, he added, Ukraine could become a platform for testing new practices of the "green transformation".

Krzysztof Bolesta emphasized that during its presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2025, Poland would work on continuing discussions regarding Ukraine's accession to the Union, including the integration of the energy sector.