According to the Serbian business media outlet Parametar, Serbia has seen a noticeable increase in the influx of Ukrainian citizens since April 2026. According to data cited by Radosh Džurović, director of the Center for the Protection and Assistance of Asylum Seekers, in an interview with RTS, approximately 70,000 people from Ukraine had entered Serbia by September. These figures reflect entry and exit statistics, not the number of people currently in the country.
According to Džurović, a significant change is that an increasing number of Ukrainians are not using Serbia merely as a transit country but are staying, renting housing, and seeking employment and educational opportunities. Most live in the private sector and do not use state-run accommodation centers.
Among those arriving, he said, are many people from the Kharkiv and Odesa regions, as well as from central Ukraine.
At the same time, official statistics on temporary protection are significantly lower than the total number of entries. Back in March 2026, the Center for the Protection and Assistance of Asylum Seekers reported that 1,253 Ukrainian citizens officially had temporary protection in Serbia. From the start of the full-scale war through January 2026, more than 744,000 Ukrainians entered Serbia, but most continued on their way.
This indicates that the current trend differs from previous years: some Ukrainian citizens are beginning to view Serbia not only as a transit route but also as a place for longer-term residence.
Džurović warns that if the situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate, Serbia may face a new surge in arrivals and the need to expand its capacity to accommodate them.
According to Experts Club, Italy and Spain have the highest levels of positive attitudes among Ukrainians among the Southern European countries included in the study—70.1% and 65.2%, respectively. At the same time, a significant portion of respondents hold a neutral stance toward Greece and Slovenia, while attitudes toward Serbia remain the most mixed. This is evidenced by 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.
Italy has the best result in the regional group: 70.1% of respondents view it positively, 25% neutrally, 2.9% negatively, and another 2% were undecided. The balance of positive and negative assessments stands at 67.2 percentage points. In March 2026, it was slightly higher—69.7 percentage points—but compared to August 2025, when the figure stood at 55 percentage points, attitudes remain significantly more favorable.
Spain is viewed positively by 65.2% of respondents, neutrally by 31.3%, and negatively by only 1.6%. The balance stands at 63.6 percentage points, compared to 62.7 percentage points in March and 52 percentage points in August of last year. Thus, among the Southern European countries surveyed, Spain is the one showing consistent growth in the balance compared to previous waves.
49.7% of Ukrainians view Greece positively, 44.2% neutrally, and 3.9% negatively. The balance of positive and negative assessments stands at 45.8 percentage points, compared to 50.1 percentage points in March 2026 and 44.7 percentage points in August 2025. This indicates a relatively stable perception of the country, with positive and neutral assessments predominating.
Regarding Slovenia, 40.3% of respondents expressed a positive attitude, while nearly half—49.9%—took a neutral stance. 6.7% view the country negatively, and the balance stands at 33.6 percentage points, the same as in March 2026.
The most contrasting results in the group were recorded for Serbia. 22.7% of Ukrainians view it positively, 20.4% negatively, and the majority, 53.4%, hold a neutral position. The balance stands at plus 2.3 percentage points. At the same time, the trend has improved compared to August 2025, when the indicator was negative—minus 12.3 percentage points.
Maksym Urakin, founder of Experts Club, deputy director of the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, and candidate of economic sciences, emphasized the need for foreign partners to communicate more actively with Ukrainian society.
“The first recommendation is to regularly showcase concrete achievements and specific actions. The second is to be open to questions and inquiries from the media and the public,” Urakin noted.
According to him, sociological data can help diplomatic missions and businesses assess public perception and build bilateral relations more effectively.
Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research firm Active Group, highlighted the need to combine public awareness with the development of practical economic cooperation.
“We need to do more than just raise general awareness. First and foremost, business associations, the Ministry of Economy, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs need to take action,” Pozniy noted.
According to him, the most promising areas are those where Ukraine can deepen bilateral ties and increase exports.
In a broader context, the study shows that Ukrainians’ attitudes toward most Southern European countries remain positive or neutral. Italy and Spain score particularly high, while public opinions regarding Serbia are significantly more polarized, although the balance has improved over the past year.
The survey was conducted in August 2026 using self-administered online questionnaires in the SunFlowerSociology panel among 800 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older. The sample is representative by age, gender, and region, and the stated maximum theoretical margin of error for indicators at the 50% confidence level is ±3.5 percentage points. This is the third wave of the study, following surveys conducted in August 2025 and March 2026.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, GREECE, ITALY, SERBIA, SLOVENIA, SOCIOLOGY, SOUTHERN EUROPE, SPAIN, UKRAINE
According to the Serbian business media outlet Parametar, Serbia has put up for sale, through the Belgrade Stock Exchange, a 6.35% stake in Termovent SC Livnica čelika, based in Bačka Topola.
The company specializes in the production of steel castings, including those made of carbon, stainless, heat-resistant, and wear-resistant steel. The foundry has been in operation since the 1960s and has been part of Termovent SC since 2003.
The company supplies its products to both domestic and international markets. The Termovent Group also manufactures industrial valves and is a certified supplier to the Paks Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary.
According to data for 2025, the foundry’s revenue exceeded 1 billion dinars, net profit amounted to approximately 7.8 million dinars, and the number of employees was 168.
The sale of the state’s stake effectively continues the consolidation of ownership in this already privatized industrial asset.
According to Serbian Economist, the Kosovo Parliament has elected economist and academic Justina Široka Pula as the new president. Eighty-one members of the 120-seat parliament voted for her candidacy, allowing the procedure to be completed in the first round and avoiding early parliamentary elections.
The vote took place late in the evening on October 6, effectively in the final minutes before the constitutional deadline. Had a president not been elected, parliament would have been dissolved, and Kosovo would have had to hold new early elections.
Shiroka Pula emerged as a compromise candidate supported by Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s ruling “Self-Determination” movement and the opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo. Prior to her election, she headed the Kosovo Academy of Sciences and Arts and had previously served as Minister of Economy.
Immediately before the presidential vote, parliament also approved legislative changes limiting the powers of the Special Chambers for Kosovo in The Hague, which hear cases involving war crimes committed by former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army. This issue was part of a political compromise between the major parties.
The President of Kosovo has primarily ceremonial powers but plays a prominent role in foreign policy and serves as commander-in-chief. Shira Pula became the third woman to hold this office, following Atifete Jahjagi and Vjosa Osmani.
Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, which was declared in 2008, and continues to regard Kosovo and Metohija as its autonomous province. Kosovo’s independence is also not recognized by a number of major powers, including Russia and China, which are permanent members of the UN Security Council. It is also not recognized by India, Brazil, and a number of European countries, including Spain. Ukraine has not established diplomatic relations with Kosovo and does not recognize its independence.
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According to the Serbian business media outlet Parametar, the Ukrainian chain of frozen prepared foods stores, Multi Cook, has launched operations in Serbia. The first store opened in Belgrade at Dunavska 2.
The chain’s founder, Volodymyr Matviychuk, announced the entry into the Serbian market.
“Serbia is our newest country on the Multi Cook map. Today, Multi Cook is much more than just a franchise. It is a global Ukrainian product,” the entrepreneur wrote.
The Multi Cook product line features frozen, home-style semi-prepared foods: varenyky, pelmeni, pancakes, syrniki, cutlets, stuffed cabbage rolls, and other ready-to-cook dishes.
Multi Cook was launched in 2022 and is linked to the history of the well-known Ukrainian chain “Galya Baluvana.” It was founded in Lutsk in 2018. Later, the co-owners began developing international projects independently: Matviychuk focused on Multi Cook, while Alla and Oleksandr Teliga focused on the Wesoła Pani brand.
In 2025, Matviychuk announced his departure from the “Galya Baluvana” brand and the further development of his own brands: Multi Cook, GABAR, and MultiBar.
Currently, Multi Cook has over 270 stores in Europe, the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and other countries. Some locations operate under the MultiBar brand—in this format, customers can not only purchase products but also order ready-to-eat meals.
According to The Serbian Economist, Kosovo is heading toward a new political crisis: if the parliament fails to elect a president by October 6, the Assembly will be dissolved, and the region will once again hold early parliamentary elections—the fourth in less than two years.
This time, the presidential crisis is directly linked to the trial of former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in The Hague. According to a ruling by the Constitutional Court, the deadline for electing a new president expires on October 6. If the vote fails, parliament will be dissolved, and new elections must be held within 45 days—that is, no later than November 15.
Over the past 18 months, voters in Kosovo have already cast ballots three times in parliamentary elections—on February 9, 2025, December 28, 2025, and June 7, 2026.
The situation seems almost paradoxical: it was only on September 13 that Parliament finally approved Albin Kurti’s new government following the June elections. Sixty-two out of 120 lawmakers voted in favor of the government. But they have not yet managed to resolve another key issue—the election of a president.
In September, the Kosovo Special Chambers in The Hague handed down first-instance verdicts against four former leaders of the Kosovo Election Commission—Hashim Thaçi, Kadri Veseli, Redžep Selimi, and Jakup Krasniqi.
Following this, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), of which Thaçi is a co-founder, demanded changes to the law governing the Special Chambers.
In particular, the PDK is seeking to limit the court’s jurisdiction to investigating the crimes listed in Dick Marty’s report, as well as to introduce international oversight of its activities. It was precisely after the Hague verdict that the party sharply stepped up this initiative.
For Kurti, this is an extremely difficult situation: there is practically no time left before October 6.
The Serbian publication “Blic” calls what is happening a “dangerous game.” Analysts interviewed by the publication believe that the DPK is attempting both to change the rules governing the Hague Tribunal and to shift political responsibility for any potential new elections onto Kurti’s “Self-Determination” movement.
Belgrade does not recognize Kosovo’s independence, declared in 2008, and considers the territory to be part of Serbia.
Moreover, non-recognition of Kosovo is by no means solely a Serbian position. Kosovo’s independence remains unrecognized by Russia and China—two permanent members of the UN Security Council—which is one of the obstacles to Kosovo’s admission to the UN.
Kosovo is also not recognized by Spain, Ukraine, India, and other countries.
