Personnel reshuffles initiated by the President of Ukraine at the start of 2026 are perceived by society with restraint: amid high awareness, Ukrainians more often speak of cautious hope than of a feeling of real renewal of power, according to the results of a nationwide survey by the research company Active Group.
According to the published data, 79.2% of respondents reported that they had heard about the personnel changes, and another 14.8% noted that they “had heard something but are not sure about the details.” 6.0% of those surveyed learned about these decisions for the first time – thus, the overall level of awareness exceeds 94%.
At the same time, assessments of the consequences of the personnel changes remain uncertain: 43.6% of respondents believe that these decisions brought more benefit to the country, 18.3% – more harm, and almost 38.0% were unable to give an unambiguous answer.
The founder of the sociological company Active Group, Andrii Yeremenko, commenting on the survey results, noted that the recorded high awareness of the personnel decisions did not transform into a formed assessment of their consequences.
“We see a situation where more than 94% of respondents have at least heard about these appointments, but almost 38% cannot say whether this is more benefit or harm. This means that society currently does not have sufficiently clear markers of effectiveness – people expect practical results, not signals of a ‘reset’ at the level of personalities. The distribution of answers regarding the ‘renewal of power’ almost equally additionally confirms that there is a demand for change, but it is tied to governance logic and the implementation of decisions, not to the very fact of personnel replacements,” Yeremenko emphasized.
When asked whether the decisions of recent weeks can be considered a renewal of power, 42.5% answered in the affirmative, while 46.7% answered negatively. In the emotional dimension, 52.1% of respondents stated that the personnel reshuffles give more hope, while 29.1% said that disillusionment prevails; at the same time, 10.2% feel “only hope.”
Among the areas of state policy that, in respondents’ opinion, may be strengthened as a result of the appointments, foreign policy, diplomacy and the negotiating track were most often named: 41.5% expect strengthening, 13.2% – weakening. Regarding the defense of the state, 39.0% forecast strengthening, 20.5% – weakening. For a number of domestic areas – social policy, the economy, the work of law enforcement agencies and the fight against corruption – restrained or negative expectations prevail, while a significant share of “hard to say” answers remains.
Assessing the impact of personnel decisions on trust in key officials, most respondents report no changes. In particular, regarding President Volodymyr Zelensky, 63.8% noted that the level of trust did not change, 17.5% speak of an increase in trust, and 13.5% – of a decrease. Regarding Kyrylo Budanov, 54.5% did not feel changes, 24.0% record an increase in trust, and 13.4% – a decrease; regarding Mykhailo Fedorov, respectively 55.3%, 18.6% and 15.8%. The most critical indicators are for Denys Shmyhal: 57.5% stated no change, 24.9% – a decrease, and 8.2% – an increase in trust.
The director of the sociological company Active Group, Oleksandr Poznyi, emphasized that the emotional background around the reshuffles remains restrained, and the impact on trust in key figures is limited.
“More than half of respondents say that personnel decisions give more hope, but only about 10% feel this hope unconditionally. At the same time, for most of those involved in the appointments, the dominant answer is ‘trust has not changed,’ which indicates the absence of an effect of rapid restoration of trust. In such a situation, society will assess these decisions through concrete results – primarily in the external contour and the security sphere, where the balance of expectations is more positive, while in domestic areas, in particular the economy, the law enforcement system and anti-corruption policy, significant skepticism remains,” Poznyi added.
The distribution of trust in well-known public figures, according to the survey data, indicates fragmentation: the highest level of trust is held by Kyrylo Budanov (43.2%), followed by Valerii Zaluzhnyi (37.7%) and Volodymyr Zelensky (27.4%). Also on the list are: Andrii Biletskyi (15.6%), Petro Poroshenko (13.1%), Denys Prokopenko (13.0%), Serhii Prytula (12.0%), Dmytro Razumkov (11.6%), and Vitalii Klychko (10.1%). Separately, 21.3% of respondents stated that they do not trust any of those listed.
The highest indicators of distrust, according to the study, are recorded for Oleksii Arestovych (68.5%), Yuliia Tymoshenko (60.7%) and Yurii Boiko (54.5%); Petro Poroshenko (46.7%) and Vitalii Klychko (36.5%) also have high levels of distrust. At the same time, distrust is also expressed toward Volodymyr Zelensky (33.1%), Valerii Zaluzhnyi (16.6%) and Kyrylo Budanov (15.6%).
More than half of Ukrainians already feel the start of the election campaign: 54.2% answered “yes” (including 17.3% – “definitely yes”), 32.6% – “no,” and 13.2% were undecided.
In February 2026, the highest support among potential presidential candidates is held by Volodymyr Zelensky – 22.3% (compared to 17.8% in December 2025 and 21.7% in January 2026). Support for Valerii Zaluzhnyi, according to the survey, decreased to 10.8% (from 16.6% in December and 14.9% in January). Kyrylo Budanov’s rating increased to 9.4% (after 6.3% in January), Petro Poroshenko has 7.4%, and other candidates do not exceed 4%. The share of those ready to vote “against all” or spoil the ballot increased to 10.6% (from 7.5% in December), 7.2% do not plan to take part in the elections, and 14.5% were undecided. In the negative ratings, the greatest rejection is toward Oleksii Arestovych (56.5%) and Yuliia Tymoshenko (52.2%), followed by Yurii Boiko (45.3%) and Petro Poroshenko (42.5%).
Electoral attitudes regarding possible elections to the Verkhovna Rada also do not form a dominant force. Valerii Zaluzhnyi’s party has 11.9% in February (against 14.2% in December), Kyrylo Budanov’s party – 10.1% (after 8.8% in January), Volodymyr Zelensky’s party fluctuates within 9.9–10.7%, and European Solidarity – 10.3% in February (after 11.0% in January). The Azov party decreased to 6.1% (from 7.6% in December). The share of those ready to vote “against all” increased to 10.1% (from 6.3% in December), 7.7% do not plan to participate in the elections, and 13.1% were undecided.
The survey was conducted by Active Group using the SunFlower Sociology online panel методом self-completion of questionnaires among citizens of Ukraine aged 18+. The sample size is 2,000 respondents; the sample is representative by age, gender and regions of Ukraine. The data collection period was January 31 – February 1, 2026. The theoretical margin of error at a confidence probability of 0.95 does not exceed 2.2%.
PJSC Insurance Company PZU Ukraine (Kyiv) collected UAH 2.884 billion in net premiums in 2025, which is 41.9% more than in 2024 (UAH 2.033 billion), according to the insurer’s interim data posted on the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC).
Premiums written for the year increased by 27.7% to UAH 2.772 billion.
In 2025, the company made compensation payments of UAH 2.739 billion, which is 23.5% more than in 2024. At the same time, gross profit amounted to UAH 145.042 million, compared to UAH 184.743 million a year earlier.
The financial result before tax amounted to UAH 391,015 thousand, and profit expenses amounted to UAH 60.088 million.
The insurer’s net loss for 2025 amounted to UAH 330.931 million, while in 2024, the company ended with a net loss of UAH 21.749 million.
PZU Ukraine Insurance Company is supported by one of the largest insurance groups in Central and Eastern Europe, the PZU Group, which includes the parent company of PZU Ukraine Insurance Company, PZU S.A.
According to the National Bank of Ukraine, PZU Ukraine ranks 11th among non-life insurers in Ukraine in terms of premiums collected for the first nine months of 2025.
Ukraine’s total national debt in 2025 has risen to a new historic high: in dollar terms, by $47.27 billion, or 28.5%, to $213.33 billion, and in hryvnia terms, by 2 trillion 61.7 billion hryvnia, or 29.5%, to 9 trillion 42.7 billion hryvnia, according to data on the Ministry of Finance website.
According to the data, direct public debt increased by 29.9% in dollars to $206.8 billion, or to 8 trillion 766.0 billion hryvnia, and accounted for 96.9% of the total public and state-guaranteed debt.
Ukraine’s total external public debt in 2025 increased by 47.5%, or $45.51 billion, to $160.39 billion, while total internal debt increased by 5.6%, or UAH 104.1 billion, to UAH 1 trillion 967.2 billion.
As a result, the share of total external public debt increased over the year to 75.2% from 72.3%.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the share of liabilities in euros at the end of 2025 increased to 44.76% (33.01% at the end of 2024), in British pounds – to 0.40% (0.11%), while in US dollars it decreased to 22.65% (26.81%), in hryvnia – to 20.86% (25.33%), in SDRs – to 8.63% (11.39%), in Canadian dollars – to 2.31% (2.83%), and in yen – to 0.40% (0.51%).
The agency also specified that 72.21% of the national debt has a fixed interest rate, while 10.15% is tied to SOFR, 8.63% to the IMF rate, 3.54% to EURIBOR, 0.38% to SONIA, and 0.10% to TORF.
The rate for another 3.21% of the national debt is tied to the NBU’s discount rate, 1.61% to the consumer price index, and 0.17% to the rate tied to the Ukrainian index of deposit rates for individuals.
As reported, Ukraine’s state and state-guaranteed debt in 2024 increased by $22.74 billion to $166.06 billion.
Entrepreneur Elon Musk’s net worth has exceeded $800 billion, according to Forbes estimates: the publication currently values his capital at approximately $852.5 billion.
The increase in valuation is linked to the announced deal in which SpaceX acquired xAI. According to Reuters, the deal values SpaceX at $1 trillion, xAI at approximately $250 billion, and the combined business at approximately $1.25 trillion.
However, Musk has not yet crossed the $1 trillion threshold: based on Forbes’ current estimate, he is about $150 billion short of a trillion. Forbes also noted that the key sources of his wealth remain his stakes in SpaceX and Tesla, and not just the effect of the xAI deal.
The Verkhovna Rada has registered a draft of the new version of the Civil Code of Ukraine (Bill No. 14394 of January 22, 2026), which provides for the possibility of a court granting the right to marry from the age of 14 in the event of a woman’s pregnancy or the birth of her child.
The general marriage age is proposed to remain at 18 for both women and men, but the court may grant the right to marry from the age of 16, and in exceptional cases, from the age of 14 in the event of pregnancy or childbirth.
According to the parliament’s website, the bill is currently being reviewed by committees. Earlier, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk announced the registration of a new version of the Civil Code as a large-scale initiative to recodify private law.
Metinvest B.V. (Netherlands), the parent company of mining and metallurgical group Metinvest, decreased capital investments by 11% in January-September 2025 compared to the same period of 2024 – to $142 million from $159 million, amid war conditions.
According to a presentation based on Metinvest B.V.’s 9M-2025 interim report released on Tuesday, 56% of the total investment was allocated to the metals segment during the period (31% in 9M-2024) and 43% (64%) to the mining sector. Corporate overheads amounted to 1% (4%).
As noted, investments were directed in line with the group’s priorities and the reconfigured configuration of its operating assets.
Maintenance capital expenditure accounted for 72% of total investment (down 11 percentage points from 9M-2024), while the share of investment in strategic projects rose to 28% (up 11 p.p.).
Having assessed its potential development trajectories in 2025, Metinvest gained several key results, in particular, it decided to modernize its flagship iron ore asset – Severny GOK (SGOK). The Group renewed a key initiative to thicken enrichment waste at the mill. The project aims to maintain production volumes and helps to reduce tailings (waste – IF-U) volumes, cut operating and capital costs, and reduce environmental impact. It also reinforced the group’s commitment to the construction of a green steel plant in Italy under the Adria project, which is planned to be realized jointly with Danieli.
In addition, Metinvest signed a basic engineering agreement for the DR pellet project with Primetals Technologies to upgrade the Lurgi 552-A production line at GMZK – a key step in expanding the pellet portfolio to support green steel production.
The Group continued to invest in localized energy solutions, including gas piston generators with a total capacity of 29 MW, to mitigate wartime energy risks.
The presentation explains that the Adria project is a joint initiative of Metinvest and Danieli to create the most modern green steel plant in Piombino, Italy. It involves the construction of an electric arc ingot shop with a continuous casting and rolling complex using optimized, state-of-the-art and proven technology. The first coil at the new plant is expected to be produced in 2028.
