We lost almost a fifth of our economy because the Russians invaded our territory and illegally seized the assets of our country, including the natural resources. That was a huge challenge. Also, they ignored all international norms. They imposed limitations on the movement of Ukrainian goods, including the transit of Ukrainian commodities through Russia. It was an unprecedented pressure, but we also viewed the pressure as an opportunity. We've had to retarget the national economy to other markets. Doing that gave us an impetus to introduce new technology. For decades, Russia was holding us at bay in terms of stagnation. They prevented Ukraine by various means from developing technological breakthroughs.
Now I want to stress that we have economic growth. As I said, this year it will stand at 2.2%. Next year it will be more than 3%, but we believe economic growth of 5% to 7% is absolutely a realistic goal, because we see huge potential for the participation of Canadian business in our privatization. We have 3,500 state-owned enterprises. That's the inheritance from an inefficient past.
We have now registered a bill that will regulate privatization according to the best international standards. After the bill is passed into law, it will provide wonderful opportunities for investment. There are very many areas, from land to space, that can bring good profits for investors.
Last month we returned to the international lending market. We placed our bonds, amounting to $3.5 billion, so now we see the re-emergence of foreign investors' interest in Ukraine, but we need to move forward and we need to become a country of high standards.