Syrian is perceived by Ukrainians as mostly neutral, but still with a noticeable share of negative assessments, despite the change in military and political leadership. This is evidenced by the results of a sociological survey conducted by Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club analytical center in April 2025.
According to the data, 7.5% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude toward Syria (5.4% — mostly positive, 2.1% — completely positive), while 29.5% express a negative opinion (23.6% — mostly negative, 6.0% — completely negative). 53.1% of respondents said they had a neutral attitude, and 9.9% were undecided.
“The high level of neutrality combined with a significant share of negative attitudes indicates the complexity of perceptions of Syria in Ukrainian society. The change of the Assad regime has significantly reduced this negativity, but Syria’s overall image remains ambiguous,” commented Alexander Pozniy, co-founder of Active Group, on the results.
The presentation of the study is available at the link.
ACTIVE GROUP, DIPLOMACY, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, URAKIN
According to the results of a survey conducted by Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club think tank, Ukrainians demonstrate a mostly neutral or positive attitude towards Argentina.
In particular, 53.1% of respondents said they had a neutral attitude, while 37.8% rated their attitude as positive (of which 29.3% said “mostly positive” and 8.4% said “completely positive”). Only 3.2% of respondents have a negative perception of Argentina, while 6.0% abstained from answering.
“In the Ukrainian consciousness, Argentina is often associated with football, tango, and the romance of distant countries. At the same time, the political and economic aspects of the country’s life are less well known, which explains the dominance of neutral and positive perceptions,” notes Maksim Urakin, candidate of economic sciences and founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center.
More than a third of Ukrainians have a positive attitude toward Argentina, and more than half have a neutral attitude. These data indicate a positive image of the country, based mainly on cultural associations and distance from current political conflicts.
The presentation of the study is available at the link.
ACTIVE GROUP, DIPLOMACY, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, URAKIN
The State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) produced 7 million 485.59 thousand tons of oil in 2024, according to the company’s report on last year’s results.
As reported, SOCAR produced 7 million 736.202 thousand tons of oil in 2023. Thus, last year, the figure decreased by 3.2%.
According to the data, gas production in 2024 amounted to 7 billion 718.053 million cubic meters, compared to 8 billion 390.738 million cubic meters a year earlier. Thus, DNAOC reduced gas production by 8% last year.
The company also notes that last year, gas consumption in Azerbaijan amounted to 13 billion 666.353 million cubic meters, which is 1.7% more than in 2023.
Earlier, the republic’s Ministry of Energy, citing operational data, reported that in 2024, the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan produced 7.5 million tons of oil with condensate at its own fields, which is 3.8% less than in 2023, as well as 7.7 billion cubic meters of gas, which is 8.3% lower than the previous year.
A survey conducted by Active Group and Experts Club shows that 58.1% of Ukrainians have a neutral attitude toward Saudi Arabia, while another 7.1% were unable to give a clear answer. This indicates a lack of deep emotional associations with this country in the mass consciousness.
At the same time, 25.2% of respondents have a generally positive attitude toward Saudi Arabia (21.9% — mostly positive, 3.4% — completely positive). A negative attitude was expressed by 9.5% of respondents (7.5% — mostly negative, 2.1% — completely negative).
“Saudi Arabia is associated with wealth, oil resources, and cutting-edge technological megaprojects. However, at the same time, cultural distance, limited rights, and a closed society create a mixed perception. The positive attitude is primarily due to the country’s active peacemaking position in the war,” comments Maxim Urakin, PhD in Economics and founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center.
The neutral and cautious attitude of Ukrainians towards Saudi Arabia shows that the country’s economic attractiveness does not always outweigh cultural stereotypes and a lack of deep contacts.
The presentation of the study is available at the link.
ACTIVE GROUP, DIPLOMACY, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, URAKIN
According to a survey conducted by Active Group and the Experts Club analytical center, 56.6% of Ukrainians have a positive attitude toward New Zealand. In particular, 34.6% of respondents said they had a “mostly positive” attitude toward the country, and another 22.1% said they had a “completely positive” attitude.
A neutral position was taken by 37.4% of respondents, which indicates limited knowledge about the country, but without prejudice. Only 1.3% of respondents expressed a negative attitude (1.3% mostly negative, 0% completely negative), and 4.7% were unable to decide on an answer.
“New Zealand is perceived by Ukrainians as one of the most peaceful, progressive, and naturally attractive countries in the world. Its environmental policy, the well-being of its citizens, and its positive image in world culture create a consistently high level of sympathy,” commented Maksim Urakin, candidate of economic sciences and founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center.
New Zealand has a strong positive image among Ukrainians, despite its geographical remoteness. Its support for international values and reputation as a peaceful, developed country form the basis for this friendly attitude.
The presentation of the study is available at the link.
ACTIVE GROUP, DIPLOMACY, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, URAKIN
State-owned Oschadbank and Ukrgasbank, together with PUMB, issued a loan of UAH 2.8 billion to a defense industry enterprise in the fourth quarter of 2024 under the Program for Strengthening the State’s Defense Capabilities and Meeting the Urgent Needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to information on the website of the Ministry of Finance.
As clarified to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency by Oschadbank, the bank acted as the organizer of this consortium loan, which was the first loan to the domestic defense industry.
“As the coordinating bank for this agreement, Oschadbank has set itself the main task of creating a consortium not so much to diversify risks as to set a precedent for involving banks that do not have access to state secrets in the financing of defense industry enterprises,” commented Yuriy Katsion, deputy chairman of the board of Oschadbank, responsible for corporate business.
The shares of the participants in the consortium loan are not disclosed.
As reported, since the start of the full-scale war, Oschadbank has concluded loan agreements to support the defense industry worth over UAH 17.1 billion.
According to the Ministry of Finance, in 2024, the state-owned Oschadbank, Ukreximbank, Ukrgasbank, and PUMB provided 11 loans under state guarantees to defense industry enterprises under the above-mentioned program in the amount of UAH 21 billion. Excluding the consortium, Oschadbank issued six loans worth UAH 9.86 billion, and Ukreximbank issued four loans worth UAH 8.25 billion.
A year earlier, Oschadbank provided a loan worth UAH 6.09 billion under this program, and Ukreximbank provided a loan worth UAH 5.98 billion.
