According to Serbian Economist, the monument to Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko in Novi Sad has been restored after being damaged and doused with black paint in February. The city’s Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments reported that the bust and pedestal have been restored to their original condition following an assessment of the damage and restoration work carried out at the monument’s site.
The restoration was carried out by sculptor Ljubomir Šćepanović. During the work, the missing letters in Shevchenko’s surname were restored, and the monument and pedestal were cleaned and treated with wax. The institute noted that the work was completed within an optimal timeframe and without the use of harsh chemicals to preserve the original material.
The monument was vandalized on February 24, 2026. The monument was installed in 2021 near the university campus as a gift from Lviv.
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For most people, the habit of sitting with their legs crossed does not in itself pose a serious health risk. This is the conclusion reached by the authors of an article published by ScienceAlert, citing The Conversation: according to their assessment, the available data does not confirm that this posture harms the back, “wears out” the hip or knee joints, or causes varicose veins.
As the authors note, the problem is more often related not to the posture itself, but to the fact that a person remains in one position for too long. It is prolonged immobility, rather than “incorrect” posture as such, that more often leads to stiffness, discomfort, and a feeling of numbness. The researchers emphasize that the modern view of posture is gradually moving away from the idea of a single “ideal” position for everyone.
The article specifically addresses the common belief that crossing one’s legs is harmful to the back. According to the data cited by the authors, studies on posture and back pain have not identified a single universal sitting position that reliably protects against problems, nor have they found evidence that ordinary everyday sitting positions in and of themselves cause damage.
A similar conclusion is drawn regarding the joints. The authors point out that the knees and hip joints endure much greater stress daily when walking up stairs, standing up from a chair, running, or carrying heavy objects than when sitting with crossed legs. Although this posture may temporarily alter the angle of the joints, there is no conclusive evidence that it leads to arthritis or long-term damage.
The popular claim linking this habit to varicose veins is also unsubstantiated. As the publication notes, the risk of varicose veins is much more strongly associated with age, heredity, pregnancy, obesity, and certain occupational factors—including prolonged standing—rather than sitting with crossed legs.
However, the authors note a caveat: in certain clinical situations, such as after some hip surgeries, doctors may temporarily recommend avoiding this position. But this does not mean it is harmful for everyone. The main practical conclusion of the review is that what matters more than “perfect posture” is regularly changing body position, moving around, and avoiding sitting in one position for too long.
The results of a public opinion sociological survey conducted in March 2026 by the research company Active Group in cooperation with the information and analytical center Experts Club indicate a further strengthening of Ukrainians’ positive attitudes toward the Czech Republic. Overall, 67.4% of respondents evaluate this country positively, while the share of negative assessments is only 3.0%. Compared to August 2025, positive perception has increased (from 62.0%), while negative assessments have even slightly decreased (from 3.3%).
The structure of responses demonstrates a stable and fairly balanced picture. The share of “completely positive” attitudes is 23.3%, and “mostly positive” accounts for 44.1%. This means that the positive assessment of the Czech Republic is not only widespread, but also has different levels of intensity, indicating a formed and stable perception.
At the same time, almost a third of respondents (28.2%) take a neutral position. This is a fairly typical indicator for countries that are not constantly present in the information space, but at the same time have a consistently positive image. Negative assessments remain low: 2.3% of respondents chose the option “mostly negative,” and another 0.7% selected “completely negative.” The share of those who were undecided is 1.4%.
The dynamics of changes over recent months indicate not sharp fluctuations, but a gradual strengthening of the positive background. The Czech Republic does not show sharp jumps in perception, but steadily increases positive assessments while maintaining a minimal level of negativity. This indicates a formed image of the country that is not subject to significant fluctuations.
From an analytical point of view, the Czech Republic belongs to the group of states with a high level of trust, where positive attitudes are combined with low conflict in perception. It is important that even with a significant share of neutral responses, the negative segment remains marginal, which strengthens the overall positive picture.
“Attitudes toward the Czech Republic can be described as stably positive and at the same time sufficiently balanced. We do not see sharp fluctuations, but we record a gradual increase in positive assessments with a very low level of negativity. This indicates a formed and quite stable image of the country in Ukrainian society,” said Oleksandr Pozniy, Director of the research company Active Group.
Overall, the results of the study show that the Czech Republic is consolidating its position in the group of countries with a positive and stable perception. The combination of a high share of positive assessments, a low level of negativity, and moderate neutrality forms a fairly balanced image that has all the prerequisites for further strengthening.
According to a study conducted by the Experts Club information and analytical center based on data from the State Customs Service, the Czech Republic ranks seventh in terms of total trade in goods with Ukraine, with a figure of $3.41 billion. At the same time, imports of Czech goods significantly exceed exports of Ukrainian products, resulting in a negative balance in bilateral trade.
According to Fixygen, JSC “AB ‘Radabank’” intends to hold its annual general meeting of shareholders on April 17, 2026, remotely via a written ballot. The record date for shareholders entitled to participate in the meeting has been set for April 14, 2026.
According to the published announcement, the agenda includes 11 items, including the election of the counting commission, consideration of the supervisory board’s report for 2025, the audit report on the financial statements for the year ended December 31, 2025, approval of the bank’s financial and operational results and annual report for 2025, profit distribution, approval of the report on remuneration for members of the supervisory board, determination of the main areas of activity for 2026, amendments to the Corporate Governance Code, as well as the establishment of an aggregate limit on investments in NBU deposit certificates and domestic government bonds.
Separately, the bank announced changes to the agenda proposed by shareholder Vadym Sysenko, who owns 1.8% of the shares. The changes concern the distribution of profits for 2025. The updated materials include two alternative draft resolutions: the first proposes allocating UAH 11.35 million to the reserve fund, and the second, UAH 11.13 million, with the remainder in both cases proposed to be left undistributed, and no dividends to be accrued or paid based on the results of 2025.
AB “Radabank” operates as a privately owned bank and is a member of the Deposit Guarantee Fund for Individuals. According to the NBU, as of March 1, 2026, the bank’s assets amounted to UAH 16.395 billion, liabilities to UAH 15.542 billion, capital to UAH 852.7 million, and net income to UAH 15.9 million. According to the ownership structure disclosed by the bank as of January 1, 2026, the largest shareholder is Tatyana Gorodnitskaya with a 73.635% stake; another 9.521665% belongs to Roman Gorodnitsky, while Alexander Gorodnitsky, Svetlana Lushnikova, Anastasia Gorodnitskaya, and Konstantin Gorodnitsky. The bank states that it has been operating in the market since 1993.
According to Fixygen, Deutsche Börse confirmed on Tuesday that it had acquired a stake in the U.S. crypto exchange Kraken for $200 million. The group’s official statement notes that the investment was structured as a secondary transaction and gives Deutsche Börse a 1.5% fully diluted stake in Payward Inc., the infrastructure company behind Kraken.
The company emphasized that the deal deepens the strategic partnership with Kraken, announced back in December 2025. It covers regulated crypto products, tokenized markets, derivatives, as well as solutions to enhance liquidity for institutional clients across various regions.
Deutsche Börse stated that the collaboration will expand into the areas of trading, custody, settlement, collateral management, and tokenized assets. The group noted that the investment aligns with its strategy to build a hybrid market infrastructure capable of handling both traditional securities and blockchain-based tokens within a single liquidity pool.
The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, subject to standard closing conditions, including obtaining the necessary regulatory approvals. Reuters notes that Deutsche Börse announced in 2025 the launch of crypto custody and settlement services through Clearstream, and in 2024 launched its own platform for trading crypto assets.
Deutsche Börse Group is the operator of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and one of the largest infrastructure players in the European financial market. Kraken is one of the largest crypto platforms in the U.S. and has been collaborating with Deutsche Börse since late 2025 to integrate traditional and digital markets.
The results of a public opinion sociological survey conducted in March 2026 by the research company Active Group in cooperation with the information and analytical center Experts Club indicate a sharp improvement in Ukrainians’ attitudes toward Italy. Overall, 70.2% of respondents evaluate the country positively, while negative attitudes account for only 0.5%. Compared to August 2025, positive assessments increased by more than 10 percentage points (from 57.3%), while negative ones significantly decreased (from 2.3%).
The structure of responses demonstrates not only growth in positivity, but also its qualitative strengthening. The share of “completely positive” attitudes is 19.3%, while “mostly positive” accounts for 50.8%. This means that the positive perception of Italy is not situational, but stable in nature and is formed among the majority of respondents without significant reservations.
The share of neutral assessments is 28.9%, which is a moderate indicator and indicates a sufficiently formed perception of the country. The negative segment is practically absent: only 0.5% of respondents chose the option “mostly negative,” while “completely negative” attitudes were not recorded. The share of those who were unable to determine their answer also stands at 0.5%.
The dynamics of changes between 2025 and 2026 is one of the most indicative among all countries. The growth of positive assessments is accompanied by an almost complete disappearance of negative ones, which indicates a consolidation of public opinion in a positive direction. Unlike cases where polarization or an increase in neutrality is observed, in the case of Italy a clear and stable positive image is being formed.
From an analytical point of view, this means that attitudes toward Italy are moving into the category of a high level of trust. The combination of a significant share of “mostly positive” and the growth of “completely positive” assessments indicates strengthening emotional certainty and a reduction in the level of doubt in the perception of the country.
“In the case of Italy, we see an example of rapid positive consolidation of public opinion. The growth of positive assessments is accompanied by an almost complete disappearance of negative sentiment, which is quite a rare dynamic. This indicates the formation of a stable positive image of the country in Ukrainian society,” said Oleksandr Pozniy, Director of the research company Active Group.
Overall, the results of the study show that Italy occupies one of the strongest positions among countries with a positive perception in Ukraine. A sharp increase in positivity, a minimal level of negativity, and a stable structure of responses indicate a formed and consolidated image that has the potential to remain устойчивый in further dynamics.
According to a study conducted by the Experts Club information and analytical center based on data from the State Customs Service, Italy ranks sixth in terms of total trade in goods with Ukraine, with a figure of $5.02 billion. At the same time, imports from Italy slightly exceed Ukrainian exports, forming a moderate negative balance for Ukraine.
The study was presented at the Interfax-Ukraine press center, and 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 website of the Experts Club analytical center.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, ITALY, LATER, SOCIOLOGY, SURVEY, UKRAINE
