The Ukrainian documentary project “The Summit of Freedom,” which focuses on rehabilitation and the return to a full life after severe war-related injuries, has received a number of awards and has been selected to participate in international film festivals.
According to the project team, the film has already been named an Award Winner, Official Selection, and Semi-Finalist at festivals in various countries and cities around the world.
“Every festival award means a new independent jury, a new audience, and yet another confirmation that this story resonates across borders,” the project’s creators noted.
The film’s team emphasizes that its main themes are freedom, resilience, courage, and human dignity.
The documentary film “The Summit of Freedom” was released in 2026. The film was directed and produced by Maria Springis, founder of the London-based production company Dreams Into Reality Production. In her filmography, the project is listed as a 2026 documentary.
One of the film’s confirmed international selections was the Los Angeles Film and Documentary Awards, where “The Summit of Freedom” was included in the Official Selection.
The project tells the story of Ukrainian veteran Stepan Korobkin, who lost his arm as a result of a war injury and underwent 32 surgeries, after which he climbed Kilimanjaro alongside Ukrainian mountaineer Tetiana Yalovchak. The expedition became part of a documentary exploring physical and psychological recovery from a severe injury.
According to the filmmakers, the film tells not only the story of climbing Africa’s highest peak but also of a person’s return to an active life, overcoming the consequences of an injury, and finding a new purpose.
Tetyana Yalovchak previously reported that the film “The Summit of Freedom” has already received more than two dozen international nominations.
The film’s team notes that its festival tour is ongoing, and new screenings and results will be announced later.
Tetyana Yalovchak is a Ukrainian mountaineer, volunteer, and Ukrainian record-holder—the first Ukrainian woman to complete the “Seven Summits” program, which involves climbing the highest peaks on every continent, including Everest.
DOCUMENTARY FILM, film festival, The Summit of Freedom, UKRAINE, ветеран
As of September 21, Ukraine had exported 4.662 million metric tons of grains and legumes since the start of the 2026/27 marketing year (MY, July 2026 – June 2027), had exported 4.662 million metric tons of grains and legumes as of September 21, which is 22% less than the 5.979 million metric tons recorded as of September 24, 2025, according to the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.
At the same time, corn exports rose by 103.4%—to 1.841 million metric tons, compared to 905,000 metric tons as of September 24, 2025.
Wheat exports since the start of the 2026/27 marketing year totaled 2.337 million metric tons, a 43.9% decrease compared to 4.168 million metric tons as of September 24, 2025. Barley exports totaled 420,000 metric tons, down 46.9% from last year’s figure of 791,000 metric tons.
Wheat flour exports since the start of the 2026/27 marketing year totaled 6,800 metric tons, down 48.9% from 13,300 metric tons as of September 24, 2025. Exports of other types of flour remained at 0.6 thousand metric tons. Overall, flour exports fell by 46.8%—to 7.4 thousand metric tons, compared to 13.9 thousand metric tons as of September 24, 2025.
According to Serbian Economist, 815,916 tourists visited the Budva Riviera in Montenegro from January through August 2026, a 17% increase compared to the same period last year, with Ukrainians remaining one of the most prominent groups of foreign visitors to the resort.
This was reported by Milan Tičić, director of the Budva Tourism Organization, in an interview with the Montenegrin publication Vijesti, published on September 18. According to him, tourists from 205 countries visited Budva over the course of eight months.
Serbia and Russia remain the resort’s largest traditional markets. The number of tourists from Serbia has increased by approximately 19% since the beginning of the year, while the flow of Russian tourists has grown by as much as 34%.
Some Western European markets are growing even faster in 2026. The number of visitors from Poland increased by 83%, from Italy by 59%, from the Netherlands by 51%, from Spain by 46%, from the United Kingdom by 25%, and from Germany and France by approximately 15%. Thus, the geography of foreign tourism in Budva is gradually diversifying, although Serbian and Russian tourists still hold the leading positions.
Ukrainians are also among the key tourist groups. According to data from the Budva Tourism Organization, during the peak season on August 7, 2026, Ukrainian citizens were among the top ten largest groups of guests in group accommodations, alongside tourists from Serbia, Russia, Israel, the United Kingdom, Germany, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Poland.
In the private sector, Ukrainians’ presence is even stronger. In early August, they were the fourth-largest group after tourists from Serbia, Russia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In hotels and group accommodations, Ukrainians also consistently ranked among Budva’s top ten source markets.
By the end of August, the pattern remained similar. Among the most numerous guests at hotels and other collective accommodations, the Tourism Organization listed tourists from Serbia, Russia, Israel, the United Kingdom, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Turkey, and China.
The importance of the Ukrainian market is also confirmed by Montenegro’s national statistics. According to MONSTAT, in 2025, Ukrainians accounted for 4.3% of all overnight stays by foreign tourists in the country, tying with tourists from Turkey in this regard. The largest shares of overnight stays were accounted for by visitors from Serbia (23.4%), Russia (16.4%), Bosnia and Herzegovina (8.1%), and Germany (4.6%).
In the segment of private apartments and other private accommodations, the share of Ukrainians was even higher—4.7% of all overnight stays by foreign visitors. Serbian tourists accounted for 25.6%, Russian tourists—22.1%, citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina—9.4%, and Turkish tourists—4.9%. At the same time, 94.8% of all overnight stays in Montenegro’s private sector occurred specifically at seaside resorts.
In 2025, a total of 2.729 million tourists visited Montenegro, accounting for 15.367 million overnight stays. Foreign visitors accounted for 95.8% of all overnight stays, and coastal resorts accounted for 92.6%, underscoring the critical importance of Budva and other coastal cities to the country’s tourism economy.
The growth in tourist traffic is already having an impact on Budva’s revenues. From January through August 2026, revenue from the tourist tax collected by the city’s tourism organization reached a record 2.477 million euros, which is 6% more than the previous year. In July, revenue increased by 16%, and in August, by 13%.
Budva remains one of Montenegro’s main tourist centers and is particularly popular among citizens of Serbia, Russia, Ukraine, and countries in Central and Western Europe. At the same time, the rapid growth in tourist arrivals from Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom indicates a gradual reduction in the resort’s dependence on a few traditional markets.
In January–August 2026, Ukraine produced 4.1 million metric tons of raw milk, which is 13% less than in the same period of 2025, according to the Association of Milk Producers (AMP), citing preliminary data from the State Statistics Service.
In January–August, agricultural enterprises accounted for 54% of raw milk production, while private farms accounted for 46%.
In August, private households produced 268,000 metric tons of raw milk, which is 5.2% less than in July and 28% less than in August 2025. From January through August, their production fell by 27% to 1.89 million metric tons.
In August, industrial enterprises produced 275,700 metric tons of raw milk, which is 1.9% less than in July but 2.8% more than in August 2025. In January–August, milk production on commercial dairy farms increased by 5%, to 2.21 million metric tons.
The industrial sector is increasing raw milk production compared to the same period last year, particularly due to growth in the western regions.
“The Rivne region is showing the highest growth rates in raw milk production. Improved efficiency in dairy cattle farming has contributed to increased milk yields in the Chernihiv region. Among the leaders in terms of milk yield growth are the western regions of Lviv, Ternopil, and Ivano-Frankivsk, as well as Chernihiv and Zhytomyr. Meanwhile, the Poltava region remains the leader in raw milk production,” the report states.
In January–August, approximately 55% of the raw milk produced by agricultural enterprises came from five regions: Poltava—318,700 metric tons, Cherkasy—267,800 metric tons, Khmelnytskyi—210,900 metric tons, Chernihiv—208,200 metric tons, and Vinnytsia—199,300 metric tons.
The AVM forecasts an increase in prices for dairy products due to rising transportation costs for delivering them to retail chains as a result of Russian shelling and the lengthening of logistics routes. This could lead to a decline in consumer demand and a decrease in the production of fresh dairy products.
As of September 22, Ukrainian farmers had threshed 7 million hectares, or 61% of the projected area, according to the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.
The gross harvest of grains and legumes totaled 32.95 million metric tons, with an average yield of 47 ts/ha.
Wheat harvests totaled 25.31 million metric tons from 5.11 million hectares at an average yield of 49.5 centners per hectare, while barley harvests totaled 6.39 million metric tons from 1.48 million hectares at a yield of 43.3 centners per hectare. The harvest of these crops is complete.
Peas were harvested at 812,200 metric tons from an area of 301,900 hectares, with an average yield of 26.9 centners per hectare; millet—62,200 metric tons from 26,900 hectares, with a yield of 23.2 centners per hectare; buckwheat—37,100 metric tons from 26,600 hectares at a yield of 13.9 centners per hectare, and corn—339,800 metric tons from 67,900 hectares at a yield of 50 centners per hectare.
Farmers in the southern and central regions harvested the largest volumes of grain. In the Odesa region, 4.83 million metric tons of grain were harvested from an area of 1.19 million hectares; in the Dnipropetrovsk region, 2.72 million metric tons from 663,300 hectares; and in the Kirovohrad region, 2.43 million metric tons from 561,000 hectares.
The highest average grain yields were recorded in farms in the Khmelnytskyi region (70.6 centners per hectare), the Sumy region (60.6 centners per hectare), and the Kyiv region (55.8 centners per hectare).
More than 6 million metric tons of oilseeds were harvested from approximately 2.4 million hectares. In particular, the rapeseed harvest has been completed, with 3.857 million metric tons harvested from 1.33 million hectares at a yield of 29 centners per hectare.
Sunflower seeds totaled 1.5 million metric tons from 756,200 hectares—or 14% of the projected area—at a yield of 19.8 centners per hectare.
Soybeans totaled 655,400 metric tons from 327,600 hectares—or 21% of the projected area—at a yield of 20 centners per hectare.
Farmers have also begun harvesting sugar beets. 19.3 thousand metric tons have been harvested from an area of 0.45 thousand hectares, with an average yield of 428.9 centners per hectare.
Ukrainian universities are joining the European Researchers’ Night initiative, which will take place on September 25 this year. Specifically, Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic National University will host “Science Night 2026” on that day, while Lviv Polytechnic is coordinating a separate European Researchers’ Night 2026–2027 project as part of the Horizon Europe program.
According to Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic, “Science Night 2026” will take place on September 25 on the university campus and will be aimed primarily at schoolchildren, prospective students, and young people. The program includes interactive experiments, scientific demonstrations, a children’s science conference, and international events featuring foreign partners. The event will be held with due consideration for the security situation; the university notes that shelters are available.
A separate international conference as part of “Science Night” is also scheduled for September 25. Researchers from European universities are expected to participate.
In addition, for the first time at this level, Ukraine is represented by a separate project in the European Researchers’ Night program. Lviv Polytechnic has become the coordinator of the international project STEM for Science, Technology, Awareness & Researchers (STEM4STAR), selected for funding under the
European Researchers’ Night and Researchers at Schools 2026–2027 program of Horizon Europe.
According to the university, 241 applications from various European countries were submitted to the competition, and funding was recommended for 49 projects. STEM4STAR received the highest scores from experts across all criteria. The project involves organizing science festivals, European Researchers’ Night events, demonstrations of modern technologies, geospatial games, mapping challenges, mapathons, STEM programs, and startup competitions in Lviv. Some sessions will also take place in schools and colleges across Western Ukraine.
European Researchers’ Night is a pan-European initiative funded by the EU through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. In 2026, the main event will take place on September 25. According to the European Research Council, over 1 million participants are expected across approximately 40 countries. Universities and research institutions will host open labs, experiments, science shows, discussions, exhibitions, and interactive events for the general public.
