Ukrainian students have been selected as recipients of the HEC Imagine program, which provides young people from countries affected by war and crises with the opportunity to study at HEC Paris, one of France’s leading business schools.
This was reported by the Embassy of Ukraine in the French Republic following the “Imagine pour la Paix” event, dedicated to supporting the program’s participants.
The event took place at UNESCO headquarters in Paris and brought together representatives from HEC Paris, the French business community, program partners and donors, diplomats, and students.
Among those attending were Jean-Noël Barro, France’s Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs—an HEC Paris alumnus—as well as Gaël Veissier, former French Ambassador to Ukraine, who currently heads the Crisis Response and Support Center at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.
HEC Imagine fellows shared their personal experiences and insights about studying in France.
The HEC Imagine program was created to support talented students whose education and career prospects have been threatened by wars and other crises. Ukrainian students were among the program’s first participants.
According to HEC Paris, the HEC Imagine Fellows project began in 2022. From the very beginning, the scholarships enabled students from Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Syria to study at HEC.
The program provides not only financial support for tuition but also facilitates the students’ integration into the academic and professional environment at HEC Paris.
The Ukrainian Embassy in France emphasized that supporting the education of Ukrainians takes on special significance amid the war and the destruction of Ukraine’s educational and scientific infrastructure.
“The reconstruction of Ukraine is not just about rebuilding buildings and infrastructure. Above all, it is an investment in people: future entrepreneurs, economists, engineers, and managers who will create jobs, attract investment, and build a modern, European Ukraine,” the Ukrainian Embassy noted.
The diplomatic mission also thanked HEC Paris for its support of Ukrainian students and the Association des étudiants ukrainiens en France for helping to organize Ukraine’s participation in the event.
HEC Paris is one of Europe’s most renowned business schools. The institution specializes in training professionals in the fields of management, finance, entrepreneurship, and business administration, and its graduates work in international companies, financial institutions, the public sector, and their own businesses.
The HEC Imagine program is part of a broader initiative that combines support for students from conflict-affected countries with a discussion on the role of business and education in rebuilding and securing peace.
Sources: Embassy of Ukraine in the French Republic, HEC Paris, UNESCO.
French actress, singer, and writer Marina Vlady died on September 24, 2026, at the age of 88. Her family informed AFP of her death. According to the actress’s children, she died at her home surrounded by her loved ones.
Marina Vlady, whose real name was Katerina Marina Vladimirovna Polyakova-Baidarova, was born on May 10, 1938, in Clichy, near Paris, to a family of immigrants from the Russian Empire. Her father, Vladimir Polyakov-Baidarov, was an opera singer, and her mother, Militsa Enwald, was a ballerina. All four daughters of the family pursued careers in the arts. The actress chose the stage name “Vlady” in honor of her father, Vladimir.
Vlady began acting in films as a child. One of her first notable roles was in André Cayatta’s film *Avant le déluge* (1954), after which the 16-year-old actress received the French Suzanne Bianchetti Award as a promising young performer.
During the same period, she starred alongside Marcello Mastroianni in Giuseppe De Santis’s film *Days of Love* (*Giorni d’amore*, 1954). Her leading role in the Franco-Swedish film *The Witch* (*La Sorcière*, 1956) brought her widespread popularity in Europe.
One of Vlada’s most famous works was the film adaptation of Madame de La Fayette’s novel *The Princess of Clèves* (*La Princesse de Clèves*, 1961), directed by Jean Delannoy. It was her portrayal of the Princess of Clèves that became one of the actress’s most recognizable roles in French cinema.
International professional recognition came in 1963. For her role in Marco Ferreri’s film *L’ape regina* (*Le Lit conjugal*), Marina Vladi received the Cannes Film Festival award for Best Actress.
In the 1960s and 1970s, the actress worked with a number of leading European directors. She appeared in Orson Welles’ *Chimes at Midnight* (1965), Jean-Luc Godard’s *Two or Three Things I Know About Her* (1967), Bertrand Tavernier’s *Que la fête commence* (1975), and Jacques Ruffio’s drama *Sept morts sur ordonnance* (1975). According to various estimates, Vlady appeared in more than 80 feature films during her career, and when television work is included, her on-screen legacy was even greater.
A special place in Marina Vlady’s biography is occupied by her relationship with the poet, actor, and singer-songwriter Vladimir Vysotsky. They met in Moscow in 1967 and married in 1970. Their marriage lasted until Vysotsky’s death in July 1980.
Because Vladi lived primarily in France and Vysotsky in the USSR, they spent a significant portion of their married life apart. The actress regularly visited him in the Soviet Union.
After Vysotsky’s death, Vladi did a great deal to preserve his memory. In 1987, she published an autobiographical book titled *Vladimir, or The Interrupted Flight*, dedicated to their relationship, their life together, and the poet’s final years. The book was later adapted for the stage.
Vladi was involved in more than just film. She acted in theater, performed as a singer—including recording songs with her sisters—and was also actively engaged in literary pursuits. In total, she wrote 13 books—novels, memoirs, and autobiographical works. In 2005, her memoir *24 Images Second* was published.
Marina Vlady remains one of the most prominent figures in French and European cinema of the second half of the 20th century, having combined popular cinema, art-house films, theater, music, and literature throughout her career.
French diplomat Gaël Vésier, who served as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the French Republic to Ukraine from 2023 to 2026, has been awarded an international prize in the field of diplomacy as part of the 30th anniversary nationwide “Person of the Year 2025” program.
Gaël Vésier was born in 1972. He graduated from ESSEC Business School and Sciences Po, the Paris Institute of Political Studies, and also holds a degree in history. He began his diplomatic career at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1997.
Throughout his career, Vésier has served twice at the Permanent Mission of France to the European Union in Brussels, where, among other roles, he served as spokesperson and headed the press office. He also worked at the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations in New York and held a number of positions at the headquarters of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
From 2004 to 2005, Vésier served as a technical advisor in the office of French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and was responsible for relations with EU countries, the Balkans, and Eastern Europe. From 2017 to 2019, he headed the offices of the ministers and state secretaries for European affairs Marielle de Sarnez, Nathalie Loiseau, and Amélie de Montchalin.
Prior to his appointment to Kyiv, Vésière served as France’s ambassador to Croatia from 2019 to 2023. On August 20, 2023, he officially took office as France’s ambassador to Ukraine.
His diplomatic mission in Ukraine concluded in July 2026. During a farewell meeting, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga highlighted Vesier’s contribution to strengthening the Ukrainian-French strategic partnership, deepening political dialogue, defense cooperation, and coordination between the two countries on the international stage.
Effective July 17, 2026, Vesier was appointed director of the Crisis Response and Support Center at the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. The corresponding decree by French President Emmanuel Macron was signed on July 9.
Brice Rocfay has become the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Ukraine; on July 30, 2026, he presented his credentials to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Gaël Vésier is a recipient of French state honors, including the National Order of Merit. Throughout his diplomatic career, he has specialized primarily in European politics, international security, and France’s relations with Central and Eastern European countries.
Open4business – information partner
The Kyiv Oblast State Administration has delivered five more passenger buses to Bucha as part of aid from its French partners—the Île-de-France region—according to the administration’s press service.
“Four buses had previously been added to the community’s fleet, and now five more have been added. The vehicles are adapted for people with disabilities and parents with strollers. The barrier-free design makes the buses more comfortable for all passengers,” the statement on the Telegram channel reads.
It is emphasized that this is an important step toward strengthening the local transportation system, as people’s daily mobility directly affects their quality of life.
In total, as part of the partnership with the Île-de-France region, Kyiv Oblast has already received 60 buses, which are being transferred to local communities.
The Public Union UkrSadVinProm has begun recruiting Ukrainian companies to participate in the international food industry exhibition SIAL Paris 2026, which will take place on 17–21 October at the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition centre in France.
Ukrainian producers of food products and beverages, fruit, vegetables, berries, nuts, processed products, and other representatives of the agri-food sector are invited to participate.
According to the association, participation in SIAL Paris gives Ukrainian companies an opportunity to present their products to international importers, distributors, and retail chains, hold negotiations on future contracts, and expand the geography of their exports.
A separate area of work for the Ukrainian delegation will be familiarisation with global food industry trends, including new product and packaging formats, changes in consumer preferences, and technological innovations.
UkrSadVinProm notes that companies that participated in SIAL Paris together with the association in previous years gained new business contacts, expanded the geography of their exports, and established international partnerships.
The official organiser of SIAL Paris confirms that the exhibition in 2026 will be held from 17 to 21 October. Around 295,000 professionals from 205 countries are expected to participate. The organisers also report around 5,000 key buyers with a combined purchasing power of more than EUR60 billion. Following the previous exhibition in 2024, 88% of exhibitors reported concluding contracts with partners from countries that were new to them.
Participation in such exhibitions remains one of the channels for Ukrainian food products to enter new markets, especially for companies planning to work not only with local importers but also with international retail chains, the HoReCa sector, and major distributors.
To obtain information about the participation terms, UkrSadVinProm invites companies to contact it at info@ukrsadvinprom.com.
The Public Union UkrSadVinProm is the Association of Horticulturists, Grape Growers and Winemakers of Ukraine. According to the organisation, it brings together around 200 producers of fruit, berries, nuts, and grapes, processing and winemaking enterprises, as well as scientific institutions. The association works to develop exports, introduce modern production, storage, and transportation technologies, and implement the GlobalG.A.P., ISO, and HACCP international standards. Products made by members of the association are exported to various markets around the world.
SIAL Paris is held once every two years and is one of the largest international B2B exhibitions in the food industry. Its participants include food and beverage producers, importers, distributors, retail chains, HoReCa representatives, buyers, technology companies, and start-ups. The 2026 exhibition will take place at Paris Nord Villepinte and will be open only to a professional audience.
On July 7, the Paris Court of Appeals reduced the sentence of Marine Le Pen, leader of France’s National Rally, in a case involving the misuse of European Parliament funds, effectively paving the way for her to run in the 2027 French presidential election.
The court upheld the guilty verdict in the case involving the misuse of EU funds but reduced the ban on holding elected office from five years to 45 months, 30 of which are suspended. The remaining 15 months are considered to have already been served, so Le Pen regains the right to run for office.
The court also sentenced her to three years in prison, two of which are suspended, and one year to be served under house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor. Additionally, according to Le Monde, she was fined 100,000 euros.
Following the court’s decision, Le Pen stated that she would run in the 2027 presidential election and appeal the verdict to the French Court of Cassation. According to Reuters and AP, the appeal could suspend the portion of the sentence involving electronic monitoring, allowing her to campaign without immediate restrictions of this kind.
The case concerns the use of European Parliament funds between 2004 and 2016. Investigators alleged that money intended to pay for the work of European Parliament members’ assistants was used to fund party staff in France. Le Pen denies any wrongdoing and calls the case politically motivated.
The initial verdict, handed down in March 2025, threatened her participation in the presidential campaign, as the five-year ban on holding elected office effectively excluded her from the race. The National Rally had considered nominating Jordan Bardella as a contingency plan, but following the appeals court’s decision, Le Pen remains the party’s lead candidate.
The French presidential election is scheduled for 2027. Incumbent President Emmanuel Macron will not be able to run for another term, so the campaign is already being viewed as one of the most wide-open in recent years. Le Pen’s participation ensures that the National Rally retains its status as one of the key players in the upcoming race.
Image