A sociological survey conducted in March 2026 by the research firm Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club information and analytical center shows a consistently positive attitude among Ukrainians toward Belgium, with a noticeable upward trend. The share of positive assessments rose to 58.7% compared to 54.7% in August 2025. At the same time, the level of negative perception also increased slightly—from 0.3% to 2.3%—though it remains low overall.
The breakdown of responses indicates a predominance of moderately positive perceptions. 19.3% of respondents view Belgium entirely positively, while 39.4% selected the “mostly positive” option. At the same time, the share of neutral assessments remains significant—37.1%—indicating a limited level of formed perception of the country among Ukrainians.
Negative assessments are marginal: 1.4% of respondents indicated a mostly negative attitude, and another 0.9%—a completely negative one. The share of those who could not decide on an answer is 1.9%. This pattern of indicators suggests the absence of systemic negativity, but at the same time—insufficient intensity of informational or emotional interaction with this country.
In terms of trends, it is worth noting not only the growth in positive assessments but also a slight increase in negative ones. This may be linked to the general polarization of public opinion, where neutral positions are partially shifting toward more defined ones—both positive and negative. At the same time, the key trend remains the gradual strengthening of positive perceptions.
“Attitudes toward countries such as Belgium are shaped not so much by direct experience of interaction as by the broader European context and associations with the EU’s institutional role. When a country is associated with support for Ukraine at the level of politics, the economy, or humanitarian initiatives, this gradually translates into a rise in positive perception. At the same time, the high proportion of neutral responses indicates that the potential for strengthening this image is far from exhausted,” noted Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center.
Thus, for Ukrainians, Belgium remains a country with a predominantly positive but not fully formed image. Further growth in positive attitudes will largely depend on the visibility of its role in supporting Ukraine, as well as on practical contacts in the spheres of the economy, education, and humanitarian cooperation.
According to a study conducted by the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center based on data from the State Customs Service, Belgium ranks 22nd in total trade volume with Ukraine, amounting to $1.29 billion. Imports of Belgian goods slightly exceed Ukrainian exports, so the bilateral trade balance remains negative.
The study was presented at the Interfax-Ukraine press center; the video can be viewed on the agency’s YouTube channel. The full version of the study can be found at this link on the Experts Club analytical center’s website.
ACTIVE GROUP, BELGIUM, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, SURVEY, UKRAINE, URAKIN
Nova Poshta, Ukraine’s leading express delivery service, operated on Easter for the first time this year: it accepted 276,000 parcels from customers and delivered approximately 500,000 parcels, according to the company’s co-founder Volodymyr Poperešniuk.
“For the first time, Nova Poshta operated on Easter… It might seem like we were just doing our job, but we gave hundreds of thousands of people a pleasant experience on this holiday,” Poperechnyuk wrote on Facebook, thanking the company’s employees who came to work.
As reported, on Easter, April 12, the company operated on a reduced schedule—from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
“Nova Poshta” currently has 51,852 service points in Ukraine, including 15,913 branches of various formats and 35,939 parcel terminals.
As reported, in 2025 the company increased the number of delivered parcels and shipments by 7.4%—from 486 million to 522 million—including international shipments, which rose by 52.6%, from 19 million to 29 million. Its revenue grew by 21% compared to 2024—to more than 54 billion UAH, while profit amounted to 2.6 billion UAH compared to 2.5 billion UAH a year earlier.
Nova Poshta’s core business is express delivery of documents, parcels, and palletized oversized cargo. Its ultimate beneficial owners are Volodymyr Poperechnyuk and Vyacheslav Klimov.
On September 9, 2025, Ukraine’s second-largest mobile operator, Vodafone Ukraine (VFU), acquired a 9.4% stake in fixed-line operator Frinet LLC for $2 million (83 million UAH), bringing its total stake to 100%.
“$2 million was paid to shareholders whose stakes did not provide control. The book value of non-controlling interests in Frinet LLC was 27 million UAH,” according to Vodafone Ukraine’s annual report.
According to the report, in 2025 the group increased revenue by 14% compared to the previous year—to UAH 27.8 billion—and net profit by 18%, to UAH 4.18 billion.
It is noted that revenue from mobile subscribers grew by 16.4%—to UAH 22.09 billion—while revenue from the fixed-line business increased by 15.9%, to UAH 1.09 billion, revenue from interconnection with other mobile operators rose by 1.5% to UAH 2.51 billion, from roaming by 3.1% to UAH 0.78 billion, and from merchandise sales by 0.6% to UAH 923 million.
Last year’s increase in cost of sales to UAH 7.02 billion from UAH 6.01 billion in 2024 was largely due to higher electricity costs and other production expenses—rising to UAH 2.86 billion from UAH 2.4 billion, as well as fees for radio frequency usage—to UAH 1.38 billion from UAH 1.13 billion—and roaming expenses—to UAH 0.41 billion from UAH 0.33 billion, while expenses for traffic transit on other mobile operators’ networks even decreased slightly—to UAH 1.15 billion from UAH 1.16 billion.
In addition, last year Vodafone Ukraine’s expenses for advertising and marketing rose to 0.51 billion UAH from 0.43 billion UAH a year earlier, commissions to dealers – to 0.50 billion UAH from 0.43 billion UAH, for consulting – to 0.69 billion UAH from 0.57 billion UAH, and billing and data processing to UAH 0.46 billion from UAH 0.36 billion.
According to the report, the number of the group’s full-time employees remained unchanged over the year—approximately 4,500 people.
It is noted that the company plans to continue servicing its financial obligations on time, although there is inherent uncertainty related to the moratorium on cross-border payments. “The ability to repay the principal amount of debt (on Eurobonds), which amounts to $281 million with a maturity date in February 2027, depends to a large extent on the continuation of currency control restrictions at that time. It also depends on the Group’s ability to secure refinancing from financial institutions or to negotiate changes to the bond terms with creditors,” the document states.
According to the document, the Group may take additional measures to manage and control cash outflows in order to secure refinancing or reach agreements, and management is currently considering all options on this list depending on the status of foreign exchange controls.
“Based on management’s forecasts, it is expected that the Group will be able to meet the terms of its debt financing agreements regarding financial covenants over the next twelve months from the date of these consolidated financial statements,” the report states.
The company noted that in February it made its regular semi-annual interest payment on Eurobonds in the amount of $13.4 million (578 million UAH).
According to the report, in 2025, “Vodafone Ukraine” declared dividends to shareholders totaling UAH 3.01 billion; as of December 31, 2025, dividends in the amount of UAH 412 million remained unpaid, but in the first quarter, an additional UAH 151 million in dividends were paid.
It is also noted that to manage currency risk and purchase foreign currency, the group acquired dollar- and euro-denominated domestic government bonds with maturities of up to 12 months. At the same time, their total volume at the end of 2025 decreased to the equivalent of 0.97 billion UAH from 1.33 billion UAH a year earlier, and while all securities were denominated in dollars at the end of 2024, by the end of 2025, the equivalent of $0.28 billion had been invested in euro-denominated bonds.
As of the end of 2025, Vodafone Ukraine’s available cash amounted to UAH 8.09 billion, compared to UAH 10.34 billion a year earlier, of which 49.1% was in hryvnia, and nearly all the rest was in dollars.
In addition, as of the end of 2025, the company held a short-term deposit at 0.4% for the equivalent of UAH 0.85 billion in one of the subsidiary banks of a major international banking group, which was classified as a short-term investment, whereas a year earlier, similar deposits at 0.3–0.35% per annum were held in three subsidiary banks of major international banking groups for a total of 2.02 billion UAH.
A sociological survey conducted in March 2026 by the research firm Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club information and analytical center shows an overall positive trend in Ukrainians’ attitudes toward Austria. The share of positive assessments rose to 55.9% compared to 48.7% in August 2025. At the same time, the level of negative perception nearly halved—from 4.7% to 2.6%.
Despite this, a significant portion of respondents—40.3%—adopt a neutral stance. This distribution of responses indicates that for many Ukrainians, Austria remains a country without a clearly defined emotional image. At the same time, the positive segment is quite stable: 17.5% of respondents expressed a completely positive attitude, and another 38.5%—a mostly positive one.
Negative assessments remain minimal. The share of those who view Austria mostly negatively is 2.3%, and those who view it entirely negatively is only 0.2%. Another 1.2% of respondents were unable to decide on their position. This configuration of indicators suggests the absence of systematic negativity and, at the same time, a limited depth of positive perception.
The key factor in the dynamics of change is precisely the increase in positive sentiment. This may indicate a gradual strengthening of Austria’s presence in the Ukrainian information space or a clearer understanding of its role in the European context. At the same time, the persistence of a large share of neutral responses suggests that this process is not yet complete.
“The results regarding Austria clearly demonstrate how attitudes toward countries that are not at the center of Ukrainians’ daily attention are formed. We see a rise in positive sentiment, but at the same time, a significant proportion of neutral assessments remains, which indicates a lack of knowledge or experience in interaction. In such cases, the key factor becomes the country’s informational presence and clear signals regarding its role for Ukraine,” noted Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group.
Thus, Austria is currently perceived by Ukrainians more positively than negatively, though this perception has not yet taken on a clearly defined character. Further growth in positive assessments will largely depend on the extent to which the country is present in the Ukrainian public sphere and how clearly its role in the broader European context becomes understood.
According to a study conducted by the Experts Club information and analytical center based on data from the State Customs Service, Austria ranks 20th in total trade volume with Ukraine, which amounts to $1.33 billion. At the same time, imports from Austria exceed Ukrainian exports, resulting in a moderate trade deficit of over $200 million.
The study was presented at the Interfax-Ukraine press center; the video can be viewed on the agency’s YouTube channel. The full version of the study can be found at this link on the Experts Club analytical center’s website.
ACTIVE GROUP, AUSTRIA, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, SURVEY, UKRAINE, URAKIN
Insurance company Quorum (Kyiv) collected net insurance premiums totaling UAH 60.4 million in 2025, which is 23.2% more than in 2024, while gross premiums amounted to UAH 63.4 million (-8.72%).
This was reported by the rating agency (RA) “Standard-Rating” in its announcement regarding the update of the company’s credit rating/financial stability rating on the national scale to “uaAA.”
The rating assessment was updated based on an analysis of the company’s performance for the specified year.
Revenues from individuals to the insurance company decreased by 26.34% to UAH 30.875 million; there were no revenues from reinsurers. The share of individuals in gross premiums for the year amounted to 48.70%.
Insurance premiums ceded to reinsurers amounted to UAH 3.023 million, which is 85.21% less than in the previous year. Thus, the reinsurers’ share of insurance premiums decreased by 24.67 percentage points to 4.77%.
The volume of insurance payments and claims settled by the company in 2025 increased by 20.16% compared to 2024, reaching UAH 10.518 million. Meanwhile, the claims ratio rose by 3.99 percentage points to 16.59%.
Quorum Insurance Company’s operating profit for the past year amounted to UAH 6.494 million, with net profit at UAH 7.015 million.
As of December 31, 2020, the insurer’s assets grew by 16.00% to UAH 81.080 million, equity by 11.40% to UAH 68.419 million, liabilities by 49.39% to UAH 12.661 million, cash and cash equivalents – by 11.34%, to UAH 55.507 million.
Insurance Company “Quorum” was established in March 2014 and specializes in risk insurance.
According to Fixygen, JSC “Ukrainian Energy Machines” intends to hold its annual general meeting of shareholders on April 23, 2026, remotely via a written ballot. The record date for shareholders entitled to participate in the meeting is set for April 20, 2026.
According to published materials, the agenda includes consideration of the supervisory board’s report for 2025, the conclusions of the audit report, the approval of the results of financial and economic activities and the distribution of profits, a review of the remuneration for members of the supervisory board, the determination of the main areas of activity for 2026, as well as the issue of approving agreements with JSC “TASCOMBANK.”
The meeting materials also propose approving the payment of dividends based on the results of 2025. The draft resolution provides for allocating 75% of net profit to dividend payments to shareholders and retaining 25% as retained earnings, with the total amount of annual dividends proposed at UAH 2.304 million.
In addition, shareholders are asked to approve the annual assessment of the achievement of operational goals set out in the owner’s letter of expectations for 2025, reflecting the state’s control over the company. According to SMIDA data for the fourth quarter of 2025, the Ukrainian state owns 75.2241% of the company’s shares, another 15.3416% is controlled by the closed-end non-diversified venture capital investment fund “Seventh” managed by LLC “Asset Management Company ‘Svarog Asset Management’,” and 5.5980% by non-resident individual Valandin V.V.
JSC “Ukrainian Energy Machines” is registered in Kharkiv; the company’s authorized capital is UAH 1.417 billion; the CEO is Viktor Subotin. The main activity is the production of engines and turbines, excluding those for aviation, motor vehicles, and motorcycles. According to Opendatabot, the company’s revenue in 2025 was UAH 1.061 billion, net profit was UAH 3.073 million, and assets at year-end were UAH 8.47 billion. On its corporate website, the company lists itself among the world’s largest manufacturers of steam and hydraulic turbines, as well as turbo and hydro generators.
