Business news from Ukraine

Business news from Ukraine

Final of “Fashion PRORYV for Freedom and Peace” competition will take place in Kyiv — fashion that speaks language of freedom

February 13, 2026, 11:00
Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA), Column Hall
(Kyiv, 26 Khreshchatyk St.)

Competition organizers:
The National Industry Partnership in Ukraine’s Light Industry “Fashion Globus Ukraine” and the Italian association VITAWORLD

On February 13, 2026, the Column Hall of the Kyiv City State Administration will host the ceremonial final of the 8th All-Ukrainian Professional Skills Competition “Fashion PRORYV for Freedom and Peace” https://fashionglobusukraine.com/konkurs/ua/fashion-proryv-2026 — a large-scale event that brings together fashion, education, culture, and international partnership between Ukraine and Italy. The final in Kyiv will take place in the format of a runway show featuring collections of sportswear and adaptive clothing, as well as an awards ceremony for the winners.

The Fashion PRORYV competition, launched in 2016, has become a unique platform for cooperation among educators, manufacturers, young designers, and sewing professionals. The project, initiated by Fashion Globus Ukraine, has created an effective model of interaction between education, business, and creativity.

“Over the years of the war with the Russian Federation, we have created a platform of peacebuilding cultural diplomacy, where Ukraine speaks to the world not in the language of pity, but in the language of dignity, creativity, and culture. We have created a precedent: when a competition in the fashion industry became a narrative about humanity, strength, resilience, and hope,” says the competition’s President, Golda Vynohradska.

Over the years, the competition has been held under the patronage of the city halls of Lviv, Kharkiv, Khmelnytskyi, and Kryvyi Rih. In 2025, the project received support from the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine, and in 2026—from the City of Milan.

Fashion as cultural diplomacy

During wartime, Fashion PRORYV has taken on special significance, turning into a platform for cultural diplomacy and international dialogue. Each year, between 60 and 100 educational institutions from all regions of Ukraine take part in the competition. In 2025, the winners’ collections were presented in Paris, Oslo, Milan, and Luxembourg.

This year’s competition is dedicated to cooperation with Italy and the theme of sports. It features students from 52 Ukrainian fashion-industry educational institutions and 4 Italian universities (Venice, Salerno, Milan, Rome).

International finals in Kyiv and Milan

A ceremonial international presentation will take place on February 28, 2026, in Milan (Milan San Siro Hotel) as part of the Milano-Cortina 2026 events and Milan Fashion Week.

Such projects demonstrate Ukraine’s innovative potential, young people’s prospects, and the value of human capital.

Distinguished guests and professional jury

The event will be attended by:
• representatives of the diplomatic corps,
• Olympic champions,
• cultural and sports figures,
• leaders of the fashion industry of Ukraine and Italy.

The jury includes leading experts in fashion, education, and creative industries of Ukraine and Italy: Ivan Frolov, Katya Silchenko, Olena Holets, Taras Prytula, Kateryna Myroshnychenko, Halyna Yerko, Emilia Ametrano, Walter Togni, Elena Kalencani.

General partner of the competition: SOFTORG

Invitation

The organizers invite journalists and media representatives to share in the celebration of Fashion PRORYV—an event about courage, talent, and the power to create the future even in the most difficult times. Such projects demonstrate Ukraine’s breakthrough, prospects for youth, and above all the value of human capital!

Media accreditation

For accreditation and additional information:
+38 067 220 86 37
Goldafashion.ua@gmail.com
www.fashionglobusukraine.com

Interfax Ukraine is the official information partner of the event.

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Number of foreigners in Czech Republic exceeded 1.13 million, the vast majority from Ukraine

As of December 31, 2025, 1,131,197 foreigners were registered in the Czech Republic – 37,108 more than the previous year (+3.4%), according to data from the Ministry of the Interior and the statistical unit of the Czech Statistical Office, as cited by the information and analytical center Experts Club.

According to the Ministry of the Interior’s estimate, foreigners account for 10.38% of the country’s population (the calculation used a population figure of 10,897,178 as of September 30, 2025). This means that the “native population” (residents without foreign citizenship) amounts to about 9.766 million people (an estimate based on the difference between the figures).

The structure of legal residence at the end of 2025 included 343,876 people with temporary residence, 394,265 with permanent residence, and 393,056 registered under the temporary protection regime. The highest concentration of foreigners is recorded in Prague (32.4% of all registered foreigners) and in the Central Bohemian Region (14.5%).

Ranking: Top 10 nationalities among foreigners in the Czech Republic (31.12.2025)

Rank Country Number of people
1 Ukraine 612,953
2 Slovakia 125,280
3 Vietnam 69,685
4 Russia 37,524
5 Romania 21,287
6 Poland 17,631
7 Bulgaria 17,562
8 Mongolia 14,908
9 Philippines 14,530
10 Hungary 12,111

 

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Ukraine to open 10 export centers in European countries by 2026

Ukraine will open ten export centers in European countries by the end of the current 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

“Today we are opening export centers. There will already be ten export centers in Europe in 2026. These are the Baltic countries, and the countries of Northern Europe. In 2026 there will be ten representative offices,” Zelensky said while communicating with teachers and students of the Kiev Aviation Institute on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the birth of aircraft designer Oleh Antonov.

 

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U.S. discusses a peace agreement on Ukraine by March – Reuters

The United States and Ukraine discussed during talks an “ambitious goal” of agreeing on a draft peace agreement with Russia by March 2026, although the timeline could shift due to the lack of agreements on key issues, Reuters reported, citing sources familiar with the course of the consultations.

According to the agency, the framework under discussion envisages putting a possible agreement to a nationwide referendum in Ukraine and holding nationwide elections on the same day. Two Reuters sources said May was discussed as a benchmark, however several interlocutors called such a schedule “fantastic.”

Reuters separately points to practical and legal constraints: holding nationwide elections in Ukraine is prohibited during martial law, and election organizers previously assessed that preparing a vote under current conditions would require about six months and legislative changes. In addition, Kyiv, according to the agency’s sources, insists that a ceasefire regime is needed for the campaign in order to ensure the integrity of the vote.

In parallel, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the United States would like to find a solution to end the war “by summer,” and Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha told Reuters that Kyiv seeks to speed up the negotiation process, calling the U.S. role key to reaching a final agreement.

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Logistical constraints shift EU corn imports away from Ukraine

Logistical constraints related to the war are leading to a redistribution of corn imports to the European Union in favor of alternative suppliers, with Ukraine’s share in the 2025/26 season declining significantly, according to a review by S&P Global Commodity Insights (Platts).
According to S&P Global Market Intelligence Global Trade Analytics Suite (GTAS), corn imports to the EU in the 2024/25 marketing year amounted to 18.79 million tons, compared to 19.83 million tons in 2023/24, and GTAS forecasts an increase in imports to 21 million tons in 2025/26.
S&P notes that, on average over five years, Ukraine remained the dominant supplier of corn to the EU, supplying about 9.7 million tons per year (53.5% of imports), but in the 2025/26 marketing year (July-June), the structure of supplies changed: Brazil’s share grew to 40%, the US’s share rose to 28.3%, while Ukraine’s share fell to 22.4%.
Market participants reported delays in receiving contracted Ukrainian corn, which led buyers to switch more actively to Brazil and the US. Market participants cited the EU-Mercosur trade agenda as an additional factor in choosing the origin of products.
Spain, the Netherlands, and Italy remain among the largest corn importers in the EU. According to the European Commission, Spain imported 7.2 million tons in 2024/25 MY (7.6 million tons in 2023/24), the Netherlands imported 3.3 million tons (2.6 million tons), and Italy imported 2.8 million tons (2.1 million tons).
At the same time, Spain, as a price-sensitive market, has recently switched to more competitively priced American corn, while Ukrainian corn was relatively expensive amid high demand from Turkey, the review says.
Platts price benchmarks for February 3: feed corn ex-works Tarragona (Spain) – €213/t with loading between February 3 and March 5, Ukrainian corn – $223/t FOB POC (Odessa-Pivdenny-Chernomorsk ports) with loading between March 3 and 17, Brazilian corn – $210.81/t FOB Santos with loading in August.

 

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Leader of Servant of People party estimated cost of holding elections in Ukraine at UAH 6 bln

The leader of the Servant of the People party, First Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Oleksandr Kornienko, estimates the cost of holding elections in Ukraine at UAH 6 billion.

“There are no complicated calculations here, since 90% of these costs are the salaries of commission members. Since the last elections, the 2019 parliamentary elections, the minimum wage and average salary have increased by several thousand hryvnia, and some indicators have doubled. Therefore, if elections previously cost UAH 2.5-3 billion, then simply multiplying that figure by two, the current cost would be UAH 6 billion,” Kornienko said in an interview with the Azerbaijani news agency Report.

He also noted a number of issues related to compensation for commission members abroad. “How can this be implemented? If, for example, we follow our regulations, some of these people will be there, and some may be on business trips. These are all additional expenses. So, these issues remain unresolved,” said the first deputy speaker.

According to Kornienko, partner countries “understand that they will finance these elections.”

“We are negotiating with them,” he said.

At the same time, the party leader said that he would not like to discuss the issue of election participants, since “there are more pressing problems in the country right now, such as the energy crisis.”

“Unfortunately, the aggressor country has deprived us of both democracy and the opportunity to hold elections on time… Let’s see how events unfold, including political ones. Now we need to do everything we can to at least be able to hold these elections,” Kornienko concluded.

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