Ukrainians’ attitudes toward Hungary have improved significantly compared to March 2026, but negative views still outnumber positive ones. In August, 22.9% of respondents viewed the country positively, 35.6% negatively, and another 37.4% took a neutral stance. This is evidenced by the results of the third wave of a survey conducted by Active Group and Experts Club, according to the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center. Experts.news
According to the results of the August survey, 6.3% of Ukrainians view Hungary entirely positively, while 16.6% view it mostly positively. A neutral attitude was expressed by 37.4% of respondents. At the same time, 28.8% view the country mostly negatively, 6.8% view it entirely negatively, and another 4.1% were undecided.
The balance of positive and negative assessments in August stands at minus 12.7 percentage points. Based on this indicator, Hungary remains among the countries with a negative balance of public opinion; however, the trend over the past five months has shifted significantly in a positive direction. In the survey’s overall ranking, China had a lower balance in August at minus 25.4 percentage points, and India at minus 14.3 percentage points
In March 2026, the situation was noticeably more negative. At that time, 4.9% of respondents viewed Hungary entirely positively, and 13.8% viewed it mostly positively—meaning that positive assessments totaled 18.6%. A total of 52.2% of respondents viewed the country negatively: 34.3% viewed it mostly negatively and 17.9% viewed it entirely negatively. 27.3% held a neutral position.
Thus, between March and August, the share of positive assessments increased by 4.3 percentage points—from 18.6% to 22.9%—while negative assessments fell by 16.6 percentage points—from 52.2% to 35.6%. At the same time, the share of neutral responses rose by 10.1 percentage points—to 37.4%.
The shift in the balance is even more pronounced: in March, it stood at minus 33.6 percentage points, and in August, at minus 12.7 percentage points. Thus, the gap between positive and negative assessments narrowed by 20.9 percentage points. At the same time, a significant portion of the former negative sentiment did not directly shift to positive assessments—it was the group of respondents with a neutral attitude that increased significantly.
Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research company Active Group, commenting on previous waves of the survey, drew attention to the connection between public assessments and international politics as well as perceptions of support for Ukraine.
“This survey confirms the general trend in public sentiment in Ukraine, which has intensified since the start of the full-scale war. Ukrainians clearly associate the support received primarily from European Union countries and the United Kingdom with a positive attitude toward them,” Pozniy noted. Speaking specifically about Hungary, he emphasized: “These results are not surprising—the official rhetoric from Budapest and Bratislava often diverges from Ukraine’s interests and is viewed as pro-Russian, which inevitably influences public opinion.”
The new wave shows a significant softening in assessments of Hungary compared to March. At the same time, it is still too early to speak of a predominantly positive perception: negative responses remain about one and a half times more common than positive ones, and respondents with a neutral attitude now constitute the largest single group.
The survey was conducted in August 2026 using an online self-administered questionnaire via the SunFlowerSociology panel among 800 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older. The sample is representative by age, gender, and region; the maximum theoretical margin of error for indicators at the 50% confidence level is ±3.5 percentage points.
ACTIVE GROUP, EUROPE, EXPERTS CLUB, HUNGARY, international relations, Pozniy, PUBLIC OPINION, SOCIOLOGY, UKRAINE
Italy continues to enjoy one of the highest levels of positive perception among Ukrainians: in August 2026, 70.1% of respondents viewed the country positively, while only 2.9% viewed it negatively. Compared to March, the overall share of positive assessments remained virtually unchanged; however, within this group, there was an increase in the number of respondents with an unequivocally positive attitude. This is evidenced by the results of a study conducted by Active Group and Experts Club, according to the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
According to the results of the August survey, 24.3% of Ukrainians have a completely positive attitude toward Italy, and 45.8% have a mostly positive attitude. Twenty-five percent of respondents hold a neutral position. Two point seven percent view the country mostly negatively, only 0.2% completely negatively, and another 2% were undecided.
The balance of positive and negative assessments stands at plus 67.2 percentage points. Based on this indicator, Italy ranks among the countries with the highest level of positive attitudes among Ukrainians and holds a high position among the nations of Western and Southern Europe.
In March 2026, the total share of positive assessments of Italy stood at 70.2%. At that time, 19.3% of respondents described their attitude as entirely positive, and 50.8% as mostly positive. 28.9% had a neutral attitude toward the country, while only about 0.5% had a negative one.
Thus, the overall level of positive attitudes has remained virtually unchanged over the past five months—at around 70%. At the same time, the share of entirely positive assessments rose by approximately 5 percentage points—from 19.3% to 24.3%—while the share of mostly positive assessments fell by roughly the same 5 percentage points. This indicates a certain increase in the intensity of positive perceptions among a segment of respondents.
At the same time, the share of neutral assessments fell from 28.9% to 25%, while negative assessments rose to 2.9%. As a result, the balance of positive and negative attitudes declined from approximately plus 69.7 percentage points in March to plus 67.2 percentage points in August, though it remains very high.
“The consistently high level of positive attitudes among Ukrainians toward Italy is important not only in terms of public sentiment but also in the context of economic ties between the two countries. Italy remains one of Ukraine’s key trading partners in Europe, and a positive perception of the country creates a favorable backdrop for the development of business contacts, investments, tourism, and humanitarian cooperation. It is particularly telling that the share of unequivocally positive assessments is growing, even though the overall level of favorability has remained very high for quite some time,” noted Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center.
Italy also carries significant economic weight for Ukraine. In the first half of 2026, it ranked third among individual countries in terms of the volume of Ukrainian goods exports—approximately $1.28 billion. The high level of public favor is thus combined with significant trade and economic ties.
A new wave of the survey shows that this positive image has generally been maintained: about seven out of ten Ukrainians continue to view Italy positively, and the share of unequivocally positive responses has even increased.
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; the maximum theoretical margin of error is ±3.5 percentage points.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, FOREIGN TRADE, international relations, ITALY, PUBLIC OPINION, SOCIOLOGY, UKRAINE, URAKIN
European Union countries remain the largest destination for Ukrainian rolled metal products: in January–September 2026, the EU accounted for 82.2% of Ukraine’s exports of metallurgical products.
According to data from the State Customs Service of Ukraine, another 9.2% of shipments went to other European countries, and 6.7% went to CIS countries.
In total, Ukrainian steel mills exported approximately 2.277 million metric tons of rolled steel over the nine-month period, which accounted for 61.1% of the country’s total production.
At the same time, the geography of Ukrainian imports differs significantly from the structure of exports.
The largest source of steel product shipments to Ukraine was other European countries outside the EU, which accounted for 48.8% of imports.
Asian countries ranked second with a 26.6% share, while the EU-27 ranked third with 17%.
In total, Ukraine imported 1.276 million metric tons of rolled metal products from January through September.
Source: “Ukrmetallurgprom,” State Customs Service of Ukraine.
In Kyiv region, the production and warehouse facilities of KSM Protec, a manufacturer of lubricants under the PROTEC brand, were completely destroyed as a result of two consecutive Russian drone attacks on October 10 and 11.
The company itself confirmed the information on its official website. The company reported that the strikes resulted in the destruction of production premises, technological equipment and infrastructure, after which production operations were completely halted.
“This is not simply the loss of production premises, technological equipment and infrastructure. Behind the enterprise were years of work, significant investments, a professional team, accumulated experience and technological processes that ensured the production of Ukrainian products,” the company stated.
KSM Protec specialized in the production of lubricants, motor oils and automotive chemicals. The company manufactured products under the PROTEC, KSM, KSM Lubes, Temol, Enrol, S Power and Oil Doctor brands, and also produced goods under customers’ trademarks.
The enterprise is located in Klavdiievo-Tarasove, Bucha district, Kyiv region. According to public registers, KSM Protec LLC was registered in 2011.
The company has not yet disclosed an estimate of the damage, a possible timeline for restoring production or information about injured employees.
Source: official website of KSM Protec
According to Experts Club, Ukrainians’ attitudes toward Algeria in August 2026 remain predominantly neutral—65.8% of respondents hold this view. At the same time, compared to March, the share of positive assessments has increased significantly—to 14.3%, while negative assessments have risen to 12.2%, reports the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
According to the results of the August survey, 3.1% of Ukrainians have a completely positive attitude toward Algeria, while 11.2% have a mostly positive attitude. 65.8% of respondents chose a neutral response. 10.2% expressed a mostly negative attitude, 2% a completely negative one, and another 7.8% were undecided.
Based on rounded figures, the balance between positive and negative assessments stands at approximately plus 2.1 percentage points. Thus, positive assessments only slightly outweigh negative ones, and the main characteristic of perceptions of Algeria remains the high proportion of neutral responses.
In March 2026, public opinion was even less defined. At that time, 74.1% of respondents had a neutral attitude toward Algeria. The overall positive rating in the survey was 9.3%, the negative rating was 9.1%, and 7.5% of respondents were undecided.
Thus, over the course of five months, the share of positive assessments increased by approximately 5 percentage points—to 14.3%—while the share of negative assessments rose by 3.1 percentage points, to 12.2%. The most notable change was the decline in the neutral segment—by 8.3 percentage points, from 74.1% to 65.8%. At the same time, the balance of attitudes rose from approximately plus 0.2 percentage points to plus 2.1 percentage points.
This trend indicates the gradual formation of a more defined attitude toward Algeria: some respondents who previously held a neutral position have shifted to either the positive or negative segments. At the same time, nearly two-thirds of Ukrainians still do not express a clear emotional assessment of the country.
Algeria is one of Ukraine’s trading partners with which it maintains a significant trade surplus. In the first half of 2026, Ukrainian exports to Algeria totaled approximately $388.6 million, imports amounted to $79.3 million, and the trade surplus was about $309.2 million. Agricultural products form the bulk of Ukrainian exports to this market.
Maksym Urakin, founder of the Experts Club information and analytical center and a candidate of economic sciences, has previously drawn attention to the gap between the general public’s limited awareness of Algeria and the actual economic interaction between the two countries.
“Despite relatively weak public interest, Ukraine and Algeria have a significant level of trade interaction. In 2025, bilateral trade exceeded $401 million,” Urakin noted.
He also emphasized that the significant surplus of Ukrainian exports over imports creates an economic foundation for the further development of bilateral relations.
The latest wave of the study shows that public perception of Algeria is gradually becoming more defined, but so far lags significantly behind the country’s actual economic role. Despite a trade surplus favorable to Ukraine, nearly 66% of respondents continue to view Algeria neutrally.
The previous survey was conducted in March 2026 among 800 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older using self-administered online questionnaires on the SunFlowerSociology panel. The sample was representative by age, gender, and region; the maximum theoretical margin of error for indicators at the 50% confidence level was ±3.5 percentage points.
ACTIVE GROUP, ALGERIA, EXPERTS CLUB, FOREIGN TRADE, international relations, NORTH AFRICA, PUBLIC OPINION, SOCIOLOGY, UKRAINE
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.
