Finland is allocating EUR5 million to support Ukraine’s energy sector and is also donating ten locomotives to assist the country’s railway infrastructure, Prime Minister Petteri Orpo announced.
“Due to Russian attacks on Ukraine’s railway infrastructure, we… are transferring 10 locomotives to Ukraine. We hope they will help keep your society moving while Russia tries to bring it to a halt. We are allocating EUR5 million to the Ukraine Energy Support Fund. This fund complements Finland’s existing support for energy resilience, providing assistance where and when it is needed,” Orpo said at a press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv, according to an Interfax-Ukraine correspondent.
He also announced that Finland will provide Ukraine with mobile heating containers in December, capable of heating medium-sized hospitals or apartment buildings.
Orpo added that Finland is preparing additional support totaling EUR3 million as part of Ukraine’s recovery program and will continue to provide significant support in the form of defense equipment.
“This year, we have provided Ukraine with five defense aid packages totaling over half a billion euros. We are currently preparing 36 packages, and we are doing so in close cooperation with the Ukrainian military. And we intend to make a decision by the end of this year,” he emphasized.
Sweden, Finland, and Estonia plan to lay a telecommunications cable between the three countries along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, the Estonian broadcaster ERR reported on Wednesday.
“The project developer and owner of the future infrastructure is GlobalConnect AB, a telecommunications company registered in Sweden. The same company is organizing the surveys necessary for project preparation,” the report states.
The cable will run along the seabed from the Swedish island of Gotland to the Estonian islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, then connect to the Estonian mainland, and finally continue along the seabed to Helsinki.
“In Estonia, the project involves both submarine and terrestrial fiber-optic communication cables,” Tinu Nirk, head of the Communications Markets Department at the Ministry of Justice and Digital Technologies, told ERR. The total length of the terrestrial cable route in Estonia is expected to be 250 km; undersea connections to Finland,
Sweden, and the major islands will add another 300 km.
Construction of the cable will cost approximately EUR40 million, of which EUR15.7 million will be provided by the European Union’s Cohesion Fund.
Currently, there are two communication lines between Estonia and Sweden, and six between Estonia and Finland. However, various cables and pipes have been damaged at sea on multiple occasions in recent years, so a new alternative connection is needed, Nirk stated.
According to him, demand for data transmission is constantly growing, and the new connection will increase data transmission capacity across networks in the Baltic Sea region.
Preparations for the project began in 2025. Cable laying is scheduled for this year and next, and the connection is set to become operational in 2027.
ESTONIA, FINLAND, INFRASTRUCTURE, SWEDEN, telecommunications
According to Experts Club, Ukrainians’ attitudes toward the United Kingdom, the Scandinavian countries, and the Baltic states remain predominantly positive: in August 2026, the share of positive assessments for the countries included in the study ranged from 66.9% to 72.6%. At the same time, the balance between positive and negative attitudes toward all countries in this group has declined slightly compared to the previous survey wave in March 2026. This is evidenced by the results of a study conducted by Active Group and the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center, reports the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
The United Kingdom received the highest share of positive assessments in the group—72.6%. 18.6% of respondents had a neutral attitude toward it, 7% had a negative attitude, and another 1.8% were undecided. The balance of positive and negative assessments stands at 65.6 percentage points, compared to 68.8 percentage points in March 2026 and 70.3 percentage points in August 2025.
Seventy-two percent of Ukrainians view Norway positively, while only 2.7% view it negatively, resulting in a balance of 69.3 percentage points. In March, this balance stood at 70.8 percentage points, and in August of last year, at 76.4 percentage points. Sweden has 71.4% positive and only 0.8% negative assessments—its balance stands at 70.6 percentage points and is the highest among the countries presented on the slide. Overall, the study records approximately 67–73% positive ratings for the countries of Northwestern Europe and the Baltic states.
71.2% of respondents view Finland positively, 25.4% neutrally, and 2% negatively. The balance stands at 69.2 percentage points, down from 75.1 percentage points in March. Lithuania is viewed positively by 69.9% of respondents and negatively by 3.9%; the balance fell from 71.8 percentage points in March to 66 percentage points in August.
A positive attitude toward Latvia was expressed by 68.3% of respondents, a neutral one by 26.6%, and a negative one by 3.9%. Its balance stands at 64.4 percentage points, compared to 69 percentage points in March. For Denmark, the corresponding figures are 66.9% positive, 28.8% neutral, and 1.8% negative assessments, with a balance of 65.1 percentage points, compared to 68.7 percentage points in the previous survey wave.
Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center, deputy director of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, and candidate of economic sciences, emphasized the importance of constant communication between foreign partners and Ukrainian society.
“The first recommendation is to regularly showcase concrete achievements and concrete actions. Second, be open to questions and inquiries from the media and the public,” Urakin noted. According to him, the results of sociological surveys can be used to strengthen bilateral relations, particularly trade relations.
Alexander Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group, also drew attention to the need to combine public perceptions of countries with the development of practical economic cooperation.
“We should do more than just raise general awareness. We need to expand cooperation with countries where we can maintain a positive balance,” Pozniy noted. He also emphasized the role of business associations and government agencies in developing bilateral economic ties.
Overall, the results show that Northern and Northwestern Europe, along with the Baltic states, continue to enjoy a high level of positive perception among Ukrainians. At the same time, the decline in the balance compared to March 2026 indicates that even regarding countries with traditionally high ratings, public opinion is not static. In the overall ranking, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Lithuania, and the United Kingdom were among the top ten countries with the highest net sentiment.
The survey was conducted in August 2026 using self-administered online questionnaires via the SunFlowerSociology panel. It included 800 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older. The sample is representative by age, gender, and region; the stated maximum theoretical margin of error is ±3.5 percentage points. This is the third wave of the study, following surveys conducted in August 2025 and March 2026.
ACTIVE GROUP, DENMARK, EXPERTS CLUB, FINLAND, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, NORWAY, SOCIOLOGY, SWEDEN, UKRAINE, UNITED KINGDOM
Canada ranked first among countries with the highest net positive sentiment among Ukrainians—in August 2026, this figure stood at 73.8 percentage points. The top ten also included mainly countries from Northern and Western Europe, according to the results of the third wave of the study “Ukrainians’ Attitudes Toward Countries Around the World,” conducted by Active Group in collaboration with Experts Club, reports the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
Sweden took second place in terms of the balance of trust and distrust with a score of 70.6 percentage points, while the Netherlands came in third with 69.7 percentage points. Finland and Norway each scored 69.3 points, France scored 69.1 points, Italy scored 67.1 points, and Lithuania scored 65.9 points. Rounding out the top ten are Switzerland and the United Kingdom, which both scored 65.6 percentage points.
The sentiment score is calculated as the difference between the proportion of positive and negative ratings. Specifically, 76.3% of respondents view Canada positively, 2.5% negatively, and 19.2% neutrally. Thus, Canada’s high score is due not only to a significant proportion of favorable ratings but also to a minimal level of negative sentiment.
The survey results show that the top ten countries with the most favorable balance of attitudes consist almost entirely of countries in Northern and Western Europe, along with Canada. At the same time, the level of public favor does not always directly correspond to the scale of Ukraine’s trade and economic ties with a specific country. For example, China was Ukraine’s largest trading partner in the first half of 2026, yet it received the lowest balance of positive and negative assessments—minus 25.4 percentage points.
Maksym Urakin, founder of Experts Club, deputy director of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, and candidate of economic sciences, emphasized that studies of public perception should be considered alongside actual foreign trade indicators.
“That is why it is very important for us to analyze our main partners. We must be open to questions and inquiries from the media and the public,” Urakin noted. According to him, the results of sociological surveys can be used to assess international relations and their further development.
Alexander Pozniy, Director of Active Group, drew attention to the need to combine the creation of a positive image of countries with the practical development of bilateral economic ties.
“We should focus on developing more than just general awareness. We need to expand cooperation with countries where we can achieve a positive balance,” Pozniy noted. According to him, both government agencies and business associations should be involved in this process.
The survey was conducted in August 2026 using self-administered online questionnaires via the SunFlowerSociology panel. A total of 800 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older were surveyed. According to the organizers, the sample is representative in terms of age, gender, and region; the maximum theoretical statistical margin of error at a 95% confidence level is 3.5%. This is the third wave of the survey, following surveys conducted in August 2025 and March 2026.
ACTIVE GROUP, CANADA, EXPERTS CLUB, FINLAND, international relations, NORWAY, SOCIOLOGY, SWEDEN, THE NETHERLANDS, UKRAINE, URAKIN
Finnish industrial company REKA Group is beginning the implementation of the REKA NOVO investment project in Novoselytsia, Chernivtsi region, with a total investment volume of €5 million, the Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration reported.
The new enterprise will specialize in the production of silicone hoses for European manufacturers of trucks, special-purpose vehicles, and companies in the shipbuilding industry.
Thus, this is an export-oriented production facility being created by a foreign investor directly in Ukraine and integrated into European industrial chains.
REKA Group representatives Markku Rentto and Mika Kärkkäinen announced the start of the project during a meeting with the leadership of the Chernivtsi region and the Novoselytsia community.
According to the published data, the project has been named REKA NOVO. The total volume of capital investment will amount to €5 million. The first stage of the enterprise is expected to be launched in early 2027.
The products of the new plant will be oriented primarily toward the European market. This makes it possible to view the project not only as a direct foreign investment in Ukrainian industry, but also as a further integration of Ukrainian production sites into the supply chains of European mechanical engineering.
According to specialized investment resources, international manufacturers of heavy machinery, including Volvo and John Deere, are named among the potential consumers of the products. However, the official statement of the Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration does not identify specific customers, so the conclusion of direct contracts with these companies has not yet been publicly confirmed.
For the Chernivtsi region, the project is of particular interest against the background of the comparatively small accumulated volume of foreign direct investment. According to the Regional Military Administration, more than 400 enterprises with foreign capital operate in the region, while the total volume of attracted foreign direct investment amounts to about $19 million.
Against this background, REKA Group’s €5 million investment is a notable new industrial project for the region.
The location of the production facility in Novoselytsia also gives the investor a logistical advantage: the city is located not far from the border with Romania, which facilitates the integration of the enterprise into European production and transport chains.
The project is also indicative of a broader trend toward relocating individual production operations closer to the EU market. Ukraine’s western regions, thanks to their geographical proximity to the European Union, relatively developed industrial base, and access to the Ukrainian workforce, are gradually becoming one of the main locations for new export-oriented production facilities.
Official source: Chernivtsi Regional Military Administration — REKA NOVO investment project.
The Finnish company Happy Nordic Living Oy plans to implement two projects in the Kyiv region—to build a factory for the production of prefabricated wooden structures and to create a pilot residential complex for residents of the region who have been affected by Russian attacks, as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs), according to a Wednesday report on the website of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration.
Natalia Gavatyuk, Deputy Head of the Kyiv Regional State Administration, held a meeting with Timo Mikkonen, CEO of Happy Nordic Living Oy, and his team, during which the parties discussed the prospects for implementing the investment project and the next steps for its launch.
According to the report, the plant is expected to create approximately 400 jobs: “Currently, sites in the region’s industrial parks are being considered for the production facility. This approach will allow for the necessary infrastructure to be prepared more quickly and for the project to move forward.”
At the same time, the company is considering the possibility of creating a pilot housing complex in the Kyiv region for residents of the region who have been affected by Russian attacks, as well as internally displaced persons (IDPs).
During the meeting, the parties agreed on mechanisms for further trilateral cooperation between the Kyiv Regional State Administration, Happy Nordic Living Oy, and consulting partner UVT GROUP to prepare a roadmap for the project.
