The Ukrainian multi-brand retail chain guide opened its first store in the capital on April 11 at the Lavina Mall shopping center and plans to open seven more locations in 2026, according to the Ukrainian Retailers Association.
Guide began its expansion on March 20, 2025, by opening its first store in the Forum Lviv shopping center in Lviv. The next location was in the Nikolsky shopping center in Kharkiv (opened on September 12, 2025). By 2026, the chain had already expanded to two locations: in Khmelnytskyi at the Lybid Plaza shopping center and in Kyiv at the Lavina Mall.
“We have already signed an agreement with Respublika Park, where the fifth guide store will operate, and we plan to open another 6–7 stores by the end of this year,” Oleksandr Silin, Director of Network Development for Marathon, guide, and Jack Wolfskin, shared with RAU.
According to him, guide follows modern trends with a focus on developing the footwear category; a key feature of the company’s product range policy is the inclusion of so-called challenger brands such as Asics, On, Merrell, and Hoka. There are also Ukrainian brands—Syndicate, Keep, and Optimus Gang.
The results of a survey conducted in March 2026 by the research firm Active Group in collaboration with the Experts Club information and analytical center indicate that Ukrainians continue to hold a high level of positive sentiment toward Switzerland, although the overall share of positive assessments has declined slightly compared to August 2025—from 71.7% to 67.8%. At the same time, negative attitudes have decreased from 3.3% to 0.7%, confirming a consistently low level of critical perception of this country.
The breakdown of responses shows a balanced positive perception: 29.6% of respondents rated their attitude as “entirely positive,” and another 38.2% as “mostly positive.” Thus, Switzerland remains in the group of countries with a predominantly positive image among Ukrainians, although the trend indicates a certain increase in the share of neutral assessments.
A neutral position was chosen by 30.1% of respondents, which is a relatively high figure and may indicate the country’s limited informational presence or a lack of direct experience of interaction. Negative assessments remain minimal: 0.7% of respondents indicated a “mostly negative” attitude, while the share of completely negative responses is virtually nonexistent. Another 1.4% of respondents were undecided.
Compared to the previous period, the key trend is not so much an increase in negativity as a shift of some positive assessments into the neutral category. This indicates a certain cooling of emotional perception, but without the formation of a negative attitude.
“Switzerland is traditionally perceived by Ukrainians as a stable and neutral country with a high level of trust. At the same time, we see that some respondents are shifting to a neutral position, which may be linked to the reduced visibility of specific actions or projects. This does not mean a deterioration of the image, but rather indicates a need for more active communication,” noted Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group.
Overall, the survey results confirm that Switzerland maintains a positive image in Ukrainian society; however, the dynamics of the ratings indicate the importance of a constant presence in the information sphere and the development of bilateral ties to sustain this level of trust.
According to a study conducted by the Experts Club information and analytical center based on data from the State Customs Service, Switzerland ranks 27th in total trade volume of goods with Ukraine, with a figure of $994.7 million. At the same time, imports of Swiss goods significantly exceed Ukrainian exports, resulting in a trade deficit of over $780 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, EXPERTS CLUB, Pozniy, SOCIOLOGY, SURVEY, SWITZERLAND, UKRAINE, URAKIN
State-owned Oschadbank will soon announce the start of the sale of the Gulliver Retail and Office Complex (ROC) at an auction on the Prozorro public procurement platform, the bank’s CEO Yuriy Katsion said at the Forbes Banker forum on Thursday.
“We will soon announce the start of the sale of this complex at an auction on the Prozorro platform,” Katsion said.
The bank managed to seize the collateralized property and take it onto its balance sheet despite significant resistance and pressure from the former owner, who had long failed to fulfill his obligations.
Katsion emphasized that the Gulliver case is of historical significance for the investment climate and changes in banks’ lending approaches, as it demonstrated that the institution for protecting creditors’ rights works, and this allows the bank to adopt a more flexible approach to securing credit operations.
Despite numerous obstacles and attempts to block the complex, Oschadbank managed to fully restore its operations: as of February 1, the facility is operating normally, and nearly all tenants have returned to their usual activities.
As reported, on July 26, 2025, a decision was made to register state ownership of the Gulliver shopping center under a consortium comprising Oschadbank (80% – lead) and Ukreximbank (20%). This property served as collateral for the loan obligations.
The foreclosure proceedings were initiated by the two state-owned banks due to the failure of Tri O LLC—the debtor and owner of the complex—to fulfill its obligations under the loan agreement.
Following the meeting of Oschadbank’s Emergency Commission on October 30, a decision was made to recognize the situation that had arisen—including due to the refusal of Tri O LLC employees to transfer control of the Gulliver shopping mall’s critical engineering systems—as dangerous to human life and the operation of the complex.
On December 1, 2025, Oschadbank’s Emergency Commission decided to begin the phased reopening of the Gulliver complex following the resolution, in certain parts of the building, of the circumstances that led to the emergency.
Since the beginning of this year, the Zaporizhzhia Metallurgical Plant “Zaporizhstal” has shipped 28,000 tons of rolled steel to Metinvest’s pipe plant in Romania—Metinvest Tubular Iași—which joined the group at the end of 2025.
According to information released by the company on Thursday, April marks four months since Metinvest Tubular IAȘI became part of the group. During this time, the plant has been successfully integrating into the company’s production and management processes, increasing volumes and strengthening cooperation with other assets.
It is noted that Zaporizhstal plays a key role in this process: today, the plant fully meets the Romanian facility’s demand for hot-rolled coils.
“Since the beginning of 2026, Zaporizhstal’s steelmakers have already shipped over 28,000 tons of structural steel products to Iași. These products serve as the basis for the manufacture of round, profile, and rectangular welded pipes that meet European standards and are used in construction, energy, and geothermal engineering,” the press release states.
It is further noted that the synergy among Metinvest Group companies allows not only to strengthen positions in the European market but also to ensure stable utilization of Ukrainian production capacities.
“Zaporizhstal” is one of Ukraine’s largest industrial enterprises, whose products are in high demand among consumers both in the domestic market and in many countries around the world.
Zaporizhstal is a joint venture of the Metinvest Group, whose main shareholders are PJSC System Capital Management (71.24%) and Smart Steel Limited (23.76%). Metinvest Holding LLC is the management company of the Metinvest Group.
According to Serbian Economist, Ukraine has resumed negotiations with Serbia on establishing a free trade area, as the current level of trade between the two countries remains relatively low. Ukrainian Ambassador to Serbia Oleksandr Litvinenko stated this in an interview with Interfax-Ukraine. According to him, a free trade zone could revitalize bilateral economic ties and, at the same time, fit naturally into the European integration of both countries. Among the promising sectors, the diplomat cited mechanical engineering, particularly agricultural machinery.
For the Serbian Economist, what matters in this story is not only the political signal but also the plain arithmetic. According to official data from the Statistical Office of Serbia, in 2025, Serbian exports to Ukraine amounted to €179.6 million, imports from Ukraine to €212.2 million, and total trade turnover reached approximately €391.8 million. At the same time, Ukraine’s share of Serbian exports and imports remains at only about 0.5%, which indeed confirms the thesis that the scale of trade is still limited.
The current range of trade between the countries still appears rather narrow and largely consists of raw materials. According to data from the Ukrainian Embassy in Serbia, the main items of Ukrainian exports to Serbia are iron ore and ferrous metals, wood and wood products, as well as plastics and polymer materials. More detailed product statistics show that among the largest Ukrainian shipments to Serbia were iron ore worth $61.6 million, hot-rolled iron products worth $11.9 million, and semi-finished iron products worth $8.92 million.
From the Serbian side, exports to Ukraine currently consist mainly of fertilizers, plastics and polymer materials, electrical machinery, ferrous metals, soap, and rubber.
If we look at the potential impact of the FTA in practical terms, the most logical outcome appears to be an expansion of trade in those niches where one side can offer the other either cheaper or scarcer goods. For Ukraine, in addition to the metallurgical and raw material products already being exported to Serbia, these could include agricultural machinery, certain types of metal products, wood processing, value-added food products, and niche consumer goods.
For Serbia, the most potentially attractive goods on the Ukrainian market in the event of an FTA could be fertilizers, polymers, electrical equipment, pharmaceuticals, rubber products, tires, and auto parts. In other words, an FTA could theoretically shift trade from a narrow exchange of raw materials toward a greater number of processed goods on both sides.
A separate sensitive issue is Serbia’s status in the WTO. Serbia is still not a member of the World Trade Organization. The latest European Commission report on Serbia explicitly states that the process has stalled primarily due to the lack of a WTO-compliant law on GMOs and due to unfinished market access negotiations with a small number of WTO members. Belgrade has not concluded some of the bilateral negotiations required for WTO accession, and older Serbian documents listed Ukraine, Brazil, Russia, and the United States among the problematic partners.
https://t.me/relocationrs/2646
According to the Interfax-Ukraine Culture project, the 15th anniversary ceremony of the YUNA-2026 National Music Award took place on April 15 at the Ukraine National Palace of Arts, during which the winners were announced, reports a journalist from the “Culture” department of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency.
“Fifteen years is not enough. We plan to continue at least until the ‘golden’ anniversary—50 years. It’s expensive, and we’re actually losing money, but we’re supporting Ukrainian music,” said the award’s founder, Mohammad Zahur, in an exclusive comment to the agency.
According to him, the award focuses exclusively on Ukrainian music released after 2014, and especially after 2022, having completely abandoned Russian-language content.
“We focus only on Ukrainian music. There used to be Russian-language music as well, but we’ve moved away from that,” he added.
Jamala opened the ceremony. The Armed Forces of Ukraine Ensemble also performed on stage with a medley of the year’s hits, and Tina Karol presented a special performance. Additionally, there was a premiere—Anna Trincher performed her new track “Your Mom.”
The event was interrupted by an air raid alert that lasted 1 hour and 33 minutes, prompting the audience and participants to evacuate the venue in accordance with safety protocols.
Among the winners were Artem Pivovarov, ADAM & Sasha Norova, Alena Omargalieva, The Maneken, Jerry Heil, MONATIK, TVORCHI, Ziferblat, and others.
The YUNA Award was established in 2011 and annually recognizes the achievements of Ukrainian artists and representatives of the music industry.
https://interfax.com.ua/news/culture/1159581.html
