Bogdana Layuk, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Culture, believes that literary awards are one of the most effective ways to influence readers’ tastes, but Ukraine currently lacks them.
“In fact, this is the case in every country. And today, romance and dark fantasy are at the top of the charts everywhere: that’s the spirit of the times. People are trying to escape reality and enter another, imaginary world, such as the one offered by fantasy literature… I think it’s worth considering how bestseller lists are formed and who can influence them: how market players affect this and how the state can influence it. One way to exert such influence is, for example, through prestigious literary awards. “We all follow the Booker Prize, which is one of the most prestigious awards in the English-speaking world,” said Layuk in an exclusive interview with the “Interfax-Ukraine” news agency, responding to a question about the reading preferences of Ukrainians.
She noted that when a book makes it onto the longlist and then the shortlist—for example, for the Booker Prize—and ultimately wins, it has a massive impact on sales.
“And that’s what we call the ‘high shelf.’ “I think we should consider how the reading infrastructure is formed and how we can influence it—both as the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and as bookstores, publishers, cultural centers, and cities. And literary awards are one of the most effective ways to influence the formation of such best-seller lists,” the deputy minister added.
When asked whether there are enough literary awards in Ukraine, Lajuk stated that, in her opinion, there is currently a shortage of such awards in Ukraine.
“In fact, there are a great many literary awards in Ukraine. But the question is how they influence the discourse, whether they affect sales, and whether they bring the author recognition, fame, and money. In my opinion, Ukraine currently lacks such awards. And when we look at the experience of European Union countries, we see that there are state and non-state awards, national awards, as well as regional and city awards,” the deputy minister noted.
As an example, she cited the “Angelus” Prize in Wrocław for literature from Central and Eastern Europe, which has been awarded at various times to Ukrainian authors: Yuriy Andrukhovych, Oksana Zabuzhko, Serhiy Zhadan, and Kateryna Babkina.
“Awards serve very different functions in literature. But a literary award should give the author a chance to pause and reflect on what he or she wants to write next. Because truly outstanding novels don’t just happen by chance. They don’t come about when a writer pens them at 3 a.m. during the first five free minutes of the day. An outstanding book requires space. And we must—both as a country and as a cultural community—create that space so that Ukrainian writers can write new, outstanding books,” Lajuk believes.
As previously reported, Ukraine has the following literary awards, among others: the Taras Shevchenko National Prize of Ukraine, the BBC Book of the Year, “Coronation of the Word,” the Yuri Shevelov Prize, the Lesya Ukrainka Prize, the Pavlo Tychyna Prize, the Maksym Rylsky Prize, and several others.
11-year-old Ukrainian Roman Oleksiv, who survived a Russian missile strike on Vinnytsia in 2022, received the international Cinema for Peace Honorary Dove award during the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), Roman and his father Yaroslav announced on Facebook.
“This award is not just about Roman. It is about all Ukrainian children who grow up to the sound of sirens,” said the boy’s father.
Roman received the award at the Cinema for Peace charity event for the documentary film Children in the Fire by director Yevgeny Afineevsky, which tells his story. The event takes place annually during the Berlinale and is dedicated to global conflicts and humanitarian crises.
Roman suffered severe injuries during a Russian missile strike on Vinnytsia, which killed his mother. The boy underwent dozens of operations and lengthy rehabilitation, but managed to return to his studies, creative work, and public activities, becoming a symbol of the resilience of Ukrainian children.
Roman has previously spoken at the European Parliament and received awards in Ukraine for his courage and strength of spirit.
Insurance company Arsenal Insurance (Kyiv) collected UAH 5.06 billion in insurance premiums in 2025, which is 60% more than in 2024, according to the insurer’s website.
It is also noted that last year, the company’s strategic focus was on comprehensive insurance, in which it is one of the top two players in the Ukrainian market. In total, for 2025, the volume of CASCO premiums amounted to UAH 2.78 billion, which is 40% more than in 2024. Arsenal Insurance’s share of the CASCO market is approaching 20%.
According to the report, the company’s MTPL indicators have grown significantly over the past year. In 2025, Arsenal Insurance issued 50% more policies than in 2024, and MTPL premiums amounted to UAH 1.25 billion.
Premiums for voluntary medical insurance increased by 32% to UAH 459 million. The company’s medical service has over 200 corporate clients and approximately 45,000 insured individuals.
In addition, cargo insurance premiums for 2025 increased by 26% to UAH 229 million, and property insurance premiums increased by 22% to UAH 211 million.
The total amount of last year’s payments increased by 41% and approached UAH 2 billion. CASCO payments amounted to UAH 1.26 billion (+34% compared to 2024), MTPL payments amounted to UAH 298 million (+78%), and medical insurance payments amounted to UAH 241 million (+39%). More than 16,000 payments were made for CASCO, and more than 8,000 for MTPL.
The company reports that in 2025, it made payments for military risks in the amount of more than UAH 26 million. In particular, for damage to a solar power plant and several business centers.
At the end of the year, Arsenal Insurance’s net financial result amounted to UAH 354 million, almost three times more than in 2024.
The company emphasizes that in September 2025, it received full membership status in the Motor Transport Insurance Bureau of Ukraine, which allowed it to start selling Green Card international motor insurance policies.
During the year, corporate spaces in Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Chernivtsi, Rivne, Lutsk, and Kropyvnytskyi were renovated. In total, Arsenal Insurance has offices in 29 cities in Ukraine.
“Over the past 20 years, we have achieved many heights, the most important of which is leadership in CASCO. But our ambitions are not limited to profits and rankings. Now our goal is to become a lovemark in the insurance industry,” says Serhii Avdeev, majority shareholder and CEO of Arsenal Insurance.
Metinvest Group has won the UN Global Compact Partnership for Sustainability Award 2025 in Ukraine in the “Reconstruction of Ukraine” category for creating the first underground steel hospital on the front line.
According to the company’s press release, the Partnership for Sustainability Award is the most prestigious award in the fields of corporate sustainability and ESG (environment, social responsibility, and governance). The annual award recognizes the best partnership projects implemented by business, government, and society. These projects are aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goals, protecting the environment, overcoming social and economic challenges, and promoting peace. Since 2018, the award has brought together more than 600 cases of successful partnerships that have become examples of sustainable leadership.
This year, 150 applications from 22 countries were submitted to the competition, of which 93 projects were selected for the final. They were evaluated by an independent international jury, which included experts from Harvard University, the London School of Economics, the World Economic Forum, the Basel Institute on Governance, and other influential international institutions.
Winners were selected in seven categories. The “Reconstruction of Ukraine” category covered support for Ukraine’s defenders, humanitarian aid to the civilian population, demining and evacuation, human rights protection, and reconstruction projects.
Metinvest created Ukraine’s first underground medical stabilization point on the front line in coordination with the Skhid Medical Forces. The steel hospital is submerged to a depth of 6 meters and equipped with communications, electronic warfare systems, alternative power sources, and security measures. Inside, there is a laboratory, surgical equipment, oxygen concentrators, a ventilator, defibrillators, and more. In terms of staffing, it corresponds to Role/Echelon 2 field hospitals according to NATO standards.
“This hospital has already saved about 4,000 lives of servicemen performing combat missions 8-10 km from the contact line. Recently, one of these units was directly hit by three aerial bombs. Thanks to the hospital, it was possible to save people. Thank God, the entire unit survived,“ said Roman Kuziv, commander of the Medical Forces ”East” group.
The hospital receives up to 100 wounded per day.
“Underground hospitals are our know-how, created on the basis of steel bunkers – ‘hideouts’. When it comes to saving the lives of defenders, every minute is crucial. That is why the location of stabilization points near the front line and their concealment from the enemy allow medics to work safely and provide timely assistance. This Ukrainian engineering invention has already proven its effectiveness and attracted the interest of one of the world’s leading armies,” said Metinvest’s Chief Operating Officer Oleksandr Myronenko.
The UN Global Compact in Ukraine is the official representative of the world’s largest community of responsible businesses that shapes ESG culture. The initiative brings together more than 25,000 participants in 167 countries around the world. The Ukrainian network includes nearly 150 companies from various sectors of the economy. Metinvest Group joined the UN Global Compact in 2010.
In January-September 2025, Euroins Ukraine (Kyiv) collected UAH 635.1 million in net premiums, which is 71.1% more than in the same period of 2024.
According to the company’s interim report posted on the information disclosure system of the National Securities and Stock Market Commission (NSSMC), its gross premiums for this period amounted to UAH 1.043 billion (more than 2.2 times). UAH 201.8 million was transferred to reinsurance (more than 2.4 times).
During the period, the company paid out UAH 204.9 million, which is 16.7% more than during the same period a year ago. At the same time, administrative expenses amounted to UAH 53.037 million, which is 49.2% higher than in January-September 2024.
The financial result from operating activities of IC Euroins Ukraine for nine months amounted to UAH 64.5 million, net profit – UAH 55.8 million, while a year earlier the loss amounted to UAH 10.060 million and UAH 24.439 million, respectively.
Euroins Ukraine is a universal non-life insurer that has been operating in the Ukrainian market since 1992. The company has 75 representative offices throughout the country and is licensed to provide insurance in 16 classes. It is actively involved in the segments of auto insurance, medical insurance, property insurance, liability insurance, and cargo insurance for private and corporate clients.
Euroins Ukraine Insurance Company is a member of the Motor (Transport) Insurance Bureau of Ukraine, the League of Insurance Organizations of Ukraine (LIOU), and the European Business Association (EBA).
Mstislav Chernov’s “20 Days in Mariupol” won in the Best Feature Documentary category of the Academy Awards, according to the Associated Press.
At the awards ceremony, Mstislav Chernov took the stage to collect his award.
“Movies shape memories, and memories shape history,” Chernov said.
The Associated Press and PBS “Frontline” team that produced the documentary received a standing ovation from the audience. This is the first Oscar for both Ukraine and the Associated Press.
“20 Days in Mariupol” chronicles the first weeks of fighting in Mariupol in the Donetsk region during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Director and photographer Mstislav Chernov, photographer Eugene Maloletka and producer and journalist Vasilisa Stepanenko worked on the movie. They were the last journalists to cover the beginning of Russia’s destruction of Mariupol, for which all three won the Pulitzer Prize.
The movie became the highest-grossing documentary in Ukraine last year, collecting 500 thousand UAH only for the first weekend of distribution.
As reported, the documentary “20 Days in Mariupol” won the BAFTA award of the British Academy.
