Passenger traffic across the Ukrainian border in the first week after New Year’s, from January 3 to 9, jumped by about 27% to 598,000, according to data from the State Border Service.
According to them, the number of border crossings for departure increased to 258,000 (for comparison, data for January 7 is not included due to the lack of statistics from the State Border Service for December 30) from 223,000 a week earlier, while the increase in entries was even more significant – to 271,000 from 184,000.
The number of vehicles that passed through checkpoints this week also increased to 95,000 from 77,000 a week earlier, and the flow of vehicles with humanitarian cargo – to 342 from 268.
According to the State Border Service, as of 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, most of the cars and buses waiting to leave Ukraine at the Krakivets checkpoint were 45 and 8, respectively. The queue at the Ustyluh checkpoint consisted of 25 cars, at the Uhryniv checkpoint – 15 cars, and at the Shehyni checkpoint – 12 buses.
Twenty-five cars and seven buses were waiting to cross the border with Slovakia at the Uzhhorod checkpoint, and five cars were waiting at the Maly Berezny checkpoint.
At the border with Hungary, there was only a small queue of five cars at the Tisa checkpoint, while unusually long queues were recorded at the Porubne and Dyakove checkpoints on the border with Romania – 50 and 35 cars, respectively, as well as at the Mamalyga checkpoint on the border with Moldova – 35 cars.
The total number of border crossings this week is equal to last year’s figures. At that time, 302,000 people left Ukraine and 292,000 entered, while this week the figures were 295,000 and 303,000, respectively, although the flow of cars was higher last year – 117,000 versus 109,000, which is probably due to weather conditions.
Last year, a 16.9% increase in passenger traffic was recorded during this week, but the following week saw a 13.3% decrease.
As reported, from May 10, 2022, the outflow of refugees from Ukraine, which began with the start of the war, was replaced by an influx that lasted until September 23, 2022, and amounted to 409,000 people. However, since the end of September, possibly influenced by news of mobilization in Russia and “pseudo-referendums” in the occupied territories, followed by massive shelling of energy infrastructure, the number of those leaving exceeded the number of those entering. In total, from the end of September 2022 to the first anniversary of the full-scale war, it reached 223,000 people.
In the second year of the full-scale war, the number of border crossings to leave Ukraine, according to the State Border Service, exceeded the number of crossings to enter by 25,000, in the third year by 187,000, and since the beginning of the fourth year by 195,000.
As noted in early March 2023 by Serhiy Sobolev, who was then Deputy Minister of Economy, the return of every 100,000 Ukrainians home results in a 0.5% increase in GDP.
In its July inflation report, the National Bank worsened its migration forecast: while in April it expected a net inflow of 0.2 million people to Ukraine in 2026, it now forecasts a net outflow of 0.2 million, which corresponds to the estimate of the net outflow this year. “Net return will only begin in 2027 (about 0.1 million people, compared to 0.5 million in the previous forecast),” the NBU added and confirmed this forecast at the end of October. In absolute terms, the National Bank estimates the number of migrants currently remaining abroad at about 5.8 million.
According to updated UNHCR data, the number of Ukrainian refugees in Europe as of December 11, 2025, was estimated at 5.311 million (as of November 14 – 5.331 million), and globally at 5.860 million (5.850 million).
In Ukraine itself, according to the latest UN data for July this year, there are 3.340 million internally displaced persons (IDPs), compared to 3.757 million in April.
The number of Ukrainians planning Christmas and New Year shopping has increased over the year from 65% to 75%, despite the fourth year of full-scale war, according to Deloitte Ukraine’s “Holiday Shopping 2025” survey, provided by the company’s press service.
“This year, we see that preparations for the holidays are becoming more thoughtful and forward-looking: Ukrainians are planning their purchases earlier, approaching spending more cautiously, and more often choosing things that have personal significance for them and their loved ones. For 51% of respondents, the process of preparing gifts remains a pleasant ritual rather than a source of stress. Such familiar concerns help us today to support ourselves and those around us,” notes Alexander Yampolsky, head of retail and wholesale distribution at Deloitte Ukraine.
However, according to the survey results, more and more Ukrainians are also choosing to celebrate at home—68% compared to 54% in 2024. More and more Ukrainians are starting their holiday shopping early: 18% before December, while the main shopping period is December 1-24 (62%).
For the fourth year in a row, Ukrainians are not increasing their spending: 46% are willing to spend no more than a quarter of their monthly income on shopping, and 54% plan to spend between UAH 1,000 and UAH 5,000, with holiday purchases focused on family (88%) and friends (40%). At the same time, young people are more likely to deviate from the traditional scenario: 49% buy gifts for themselves.
Ukrainians most often do their holiday shopping in large and medium-sized supermarket chains (43%), with online stores consistently ranking second (27%) and cosmetics stores (21%) remaining popular due to the demand for gifts “for themselves and their loved ones.”
The most popular tools for choosing gifts are wish lists (46%), price comparison services (54%), and online reviews (50%). Recommendations from influencers play a much smaller role, with only 9-10% of respondents relying on them. And only 10% of respondents believe that the presence of an AI assistant on retailers’ online platforms would make it easier to select holiday gifts.
It is emphasized that shoppers are most upset by the lack of available products (27%), excessive advertising (22%), and inconvenient search filters (14%).
At the same time, 64% of Ukrainians plan to allocate part of their holiday budget to charity, and 8 out of 10 primarily support Ukrainian defenders on the front lines.
“The holiday habits of Ukrainians reflect not only consumer trends, but also deeper internal changes. The way people give gifts, celebrate, and seek joy is now an important part of their emotional stability. Even during the war, Ukrainians remain a community that helps, shares, and creates a festive atmosphere for each other,” Yampolsky concluded.
The study was conducted using a multi-stage stratified sample representing the population of Ukraine by gender, age, size of settlement, and type of employment. Data was collected through an online survey using a quota sample that corresponds to the socio-demographic profile of the Ukrainian population. In total, more than 1,000 respondents took part in the survey.
JSC “Ukrzaliznytsia” announces the appointment of seven additional passenger trains on the eve of the New Year, six of which in the Carpathian direction.
Train number 191/192 Kiev-Lviv on December 30. At 7:44 departure from Kiev, at 15:28 arrival in Lviv. Return trip on the same day: at 8:06 departure from Lviv, at 15:38 arrival in Kyiv.
Train #229/230 Kiev-Uzhgorod via Vinnitsa, Khmelnitsky, Ternopol, Lviv, Slavske, Mukachevo. December 29 at 20:03 departure from Kiev, December 30 at 13:23 arrival in Uzhgorod. Return trip: December 30 at 22:21 departure from Uzhgorod, December 31 at 13:40 arrival in Kiev.
Train #238/237 Odessa-Uzhgorod via Zhmerinka, Khmelnitsky, Ternopol, Lviv, Slavske, Mukachevo. December 29 at 17:00 departure from Odessa, December 30 at 12:02 arrival in Uzhgorod. Return trip: December 30 at 17:00 departure from Uzhgorod, December 31 at 11:06 arrival in Odessa.
Train № 216/215 Zaporizhzhya – Ivano-Frankivsk. December 28 and 30 at 13:05 departure from Zaporizhzhya, at 4:58-5:50 passage through Lviv and at 8:13 arrival in Ivano-Frankivsk. Return flights: December 29 and 31 at 15:42 departure from Ivano-Frankivsk, at 18:35-19:10 travel through Lviv and at 12:05 arrival to Zaporizhzhia.
№255/256 Kyiv-Chernivtsi via Ivano-Frankivsk and Kolomyia. Departure from Kiev on December 28, 29 and 30, arrival the next day at 5:50 in Chernivtsi. Return flights: December 29, 30 and January 1 at 17:38 departure from Chernivtsi, next day at 9:22 arrival to Kyiv.
№ 211/212 Kharkiv-Lviv. December 29 at 13:43 departure from Kharkiv, December 30 at 8:27 arrival in Lviv. Return trip: at 17:50 from Lviv arriving in Kharkiv at 12:13.
#176/175 Kyiv-Kryvyi Rih via Myronivka, Shevchenko station, Alexandria on December 30. At 6:19 departure from Kiev, at 15:07 arrival in Krivoy Rog. Return trip on the same day: 8:09 departure from Kryvyi Rih, 16:26 arrival in Kiev.
Happy New Year and Merry Christmas to our readers!
Happy winter holidays and good luck throughout the coming year.
May this year be better than the previous one, make dreams come true and succeed in future endeavors.
Let not only on these holidays, but also throughout the coming year, close and dear people will be near.
I wish you peace, confidence and happiness!
Thank you for staying with us
Editor Maksim Urakin
Among Ukrainians, the most popular New Year gifts are a romantic trip, a car, accessories and money, according to the results of a study conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on December 3 through December 11, 2021.
According to the opinion poll, if in the previous pre-COVID-19 years Ukrainians were very mercantile (money was in first place by a large margin), now, the first place is taken by a romantic trip (18% of respondents) and a car and accessories to it (12%). The next three gifts that Ukrainians would like to receive are money (10%), a mobile phone and other electronic devices (9%), as well as household appliances (7%).
Less than 5% of respondents want to receive all other gifts.
So, as for the desired gifts for men and women, apart from money (which both men and women like equally), there is expected to be a significant difference between them. Some 14% of men and 10% of women would like to get cars or accessories for them, 8.3% of women and 4.5% of men would like to get household appliances (men also actively participate in cooking and cleaning). Some 20% of women and 17% of men would like to go on a romantic trip. 6% of women and 3% of men would like to get eau de toilette, perfumery, and cosmetics.
In addition, according to the results of the study, if we consider the change in wishes from 2014 to 2021, then in addition to a significant increase in the desire to travel, there is a growing need for mobile phones and other electronic devices (from 3% in 2014 to 9% in 2021), as well as for tablets and PCs.
Asked about the desired gift, the respondents were able also to add their own wish if it was not on the list. More often than not, there was something that was impossible to give – peace and health. But there were also more realistic wishes. These were congratulations from children or grandchildren or that they come to visit.
Some respondents answered that they would like to receive a book, a balalaika, a large chocolate bar, a two-cylinder moped, a set of paints for painting, a kiss from his wife, “so that all those who are testing the waters in Ukraine go to the demonic father behind the road-edge,” a sable fur coat as a gift, and “to take away his woman for six months.”
The number of those wishing to have a pet also increased from 0.8% to 1.8%.
The survey was conducted by Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing (CATI) on the basis of a random sample of mobile telephone numbers (with random generation of telephone numbers and subsequent statistical weighting) among 2,000 respondents living in all regions of Ukraine (except for the Autonomous Republic of Crimea). In Luhansk and Donetsk regions, the survey was conducted only in the territory controlled by the Ukrainian authorities.
The sample is representative of the adult population (age 18 and older) in Ukraine. The sample does not include territories temporarily not controlled by the Ukrainian authorities – the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
The statistical error of the sample (with a probability of 0.95 and taking into account the design effect of 1.1) does not exceed: 2.4% for indicators close to 50%, 2.1% for indicators close to 25%, 1.5% – for indicators close to 10%, 1.1% – for indicators close to 5%.
The forest SPA resort GRAND ADMIRAL RESORT & SPA invites you to plan the celebration of New Year 2022 in advance. An eventual program has been prepared for the guests of the club: an impressive entertainer who will joke to make you laugh; amazing vocals and world hits from a cover band, so that you dance heartily; author’s menu from the chef to make incredibly tasty dishes for you!
Entertainment
December 31. New Year’s magic
14:00 – 19:00 Daytime animation for children, Admiral Kids Club
21:00 – 22:00 Welcome aperitif accompanied by live music. SPA hotel hall
From 21:00 Children’s New Year’s program with buffet table and a cake, Admiral Kids Club
From 22:00 New Year’s Eve with a charismatic entertainer, world hits from the Franky Jazz group and a festive menu from the chef. Mozart panoramic restaurant
January 1. Relax day
9:00 – 10:00 Breakfast for young guests, Fusion hall
11:00 – 14:00 Festive brunch with a sparkling wine outside. Atmosphere: folk music and songs from the folk group. Arbors of the “Pearl Town”
11:00 – 17:00 Daytime fairy tale animation for children at Admiral Kids Club
19:00 – 22:00 Cozy evening with live music at the Mozart restaurant
The cost of the New Year’s package, depending on the category of rooms, is from UAH 27,800, accommodation for 2 days is included, check-in on December 31, check-out on January 2; New Year’s menu and a program for two persons.
What to do in the Club in winter
1 Visit Ukraine’s best Wellness & SPA according to the World Luxury SPA Awards. It offers six bath houses and saunas, an outdoor Jacuzzi, a warm indoor pool, contrasting hot tubs and a spacious relaxation area with a Wellness bar. We recommend special offers with an integrated approach: a SPA day, a SPA tour and relaxing duet rituals in a double suite.
2 Free your body from the heavy ballast of stressful experiences, sleepless nights, possibly prolonged holidays, excesses in food and alcoholic drinks. Improve your health and make a full check-up of the body in the comfortable conditions of the Medical SPA, by completing a medical program for detoxification, anti-age or weight loss.
3 Spend a cozy evening in the Mozart panoramic restaurant with signature cuisine from the chef and a rich wine list. Live music creates the atmosphere every Saturday.
4 To unite with the family, friends or business partners: the club area of 23 hectares, a forest trail with original installations, signs for interactive recreation and the sculpture park “Away from the Hustle and Bustle” from world famous Ukrainian sculptors are at our guests’ service.
5 Give children an interesting weekend: every weekend there is an animation program in the Club for young guests and special offers for school holidays.
Grand Admiral Resort & SPA
116 Varshavska Street
Irpin (15 km from Kyiv)
+380 (44) 393 33 57 (hotel reception)
+380 (44) 393 33 60 (SPA reception)
admiralclub.com.ua
facebook.com/admiralclub.com.ua
