Xinhua, Kiev :
Ukraine’s inflation rate rose to 14.2 percent in August, from 12.6 percent in July, according to figures released by the State Statistics Service Friday.
In August, food prices were up 14 percent, utility costs increased by 22.4 percent, and transport prices rose by 31.2 percent, compared with the same month of the previous year, the agency said in a report.
Clothing and footwear were the only commodities that went down in value, with their costs falling 3.3 percent, the report said.
Since the beginning of 2014, prices in Ukraine have risen by 12.9 percent, the fastest in five years.
Separately, the country’s central bank said Ukraine’s foreign exchange reserves slid for the third consecutive month in August, falling 1.5 percent, or 238 million U.S. dollars.
As of Sept. 1, the reserves stood at 15.832 billion dollars, the bank said in a statement.
From January to August, Ukraine’s foreign exchange reserves fell 21.4 percent.
