According to Experts Club, nearly half of Ukrainians—49.7%—had a positive view of Greece in August 2026, while only 3.9% of respondents expressed a negative view. At the same time, 44.2% of those surveyed held a neutral position. Compared to March, positive assessments have declined slightly, but the overall balance of attitudes remains distinctly positive, reports the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
According to the results of the August survey, 15.1% of Ukrainians have a completely positive attitude toward Greece, and 34.6% have a mostly positive attitude. 44.2% of respondents have a neutral attitude. 3.3% view the country mostly negatively, 0.6% completely negatively, and another 2.2% were undecided.
The balance between positive and negative assessments stands at plus 45.8 percentage points. Thus, positive attitudes toward Greece outnumber negative ones by nearly 13 to 1; however, a large proportion of neutral responses remains a distinctive feature of public perception of the country.
In March 2026, 52.7% of respondents had a positive attitude toward Greece: 16.8% were completely positive and 35.9% were mostly positive. A neutral stance was held by 43.1% of those surveyed, while negative assessments accounted for about 2.6%.
Thus, over the course of five months, the share of positive assessments decreased by 3 percentage points—from 52.7% to 49.7%. Negative attitudes increased by approximately 1.3 percentage points—to 3.9%—while neutral attitudes rose by 1.1 percentage points. The balance between positive and negative attitudes, respectively, narrowed from approximately plus 50.1 to plus 45.8 percentage points.
Despite this trend, there has been no sharp shift in attitudes toward Greece. More than nine out of ten respondents view the country positively or neutrally, while the share of unequivocally negative responses remains negligible.
Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research firm Active Group, commented on the results of the previous wave, drawing attention specifically to the significant proportion of neutral assessments regarding Greece.
“The results regarding Greece show that Ukrainians do not form strong opinions where interaction is less intense. In such cases, we see a combination of a moderately positive attitude with a large proportion of neutral responses. This means that the country’s image is still in the process of forming,” Pozniy noted.
The new wave of the survey generally confirms this pattern: the neutral group not only remains very large but has also increased slightly. At the same time, negative attitudes account for less than 4% of respondents, suggesting that Ukrainian society continues to hold a predominantly positive-neutral perception of Greece.
The survey was conducted in August 2026 using self-administered online questionnaires in the SunFlowerSociology panel among 800 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older. In the previous survey wave in March, 800 respondents were also surveyed; the sample was representative by age, gender, and region, with a maximum theoretical margin of error of ±3.5 percentage points for indicators at the 50% confidence level.
ACTIVE GROUP, EXPERTS CLUB, GREECE, international relations, PUBLIC OPINION, SOCIOLOGY, SOUTHERN EUROPE, UKRAINE
The increase in yields was the main factor behind the rise in the gross harvest of major agricultural crops in Ukraine in 2026.
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, the average yield of grains and legumes as of October 13 reached 49.1 centners per hectare, compared to 43.5 centners per hectare a year earlier.
The most notable positive trends among major crops were observed in sunflowers, wheat, rapeseed, and barley.
Sunflower yields rose by 17.7%—to 21.6 centners per hectare, compared to 18.4 centners per hectare a year earlier. While the harvested area decreased by 12.1%, the gross harvest still increased by 3.4%—to 7.44 million metric tons.
Wheat yields rose by 13.2% to 51.1 ts/ha, which led to a 14.8% increase in the gross harvest to 26.15 million metric tons.
As for rapeseed, the yield rose by 12.4%—to 29.2 centners per hectare—and the gross harvest increased by 17.1%, to 3.88 million metric tons.
Barley yielded an average of 44.3 centners per hectare, compared to 39.7 centners per hectare last year, meaning the yield increased by 11.8%. The gross harvest increased by 22.3% to 6.55 million metric tons.
Peas also showed positive trends: the yield increased by 12.3%, and the gross harvest by 25.1%.
The situation is different for soybeans and sugar beets. Soybean yields fell by 4.5% to 21.9 centners per hectare, while sugar beet yields also declined by approximately 4.5% to about 500 centners per hectare.
Thus, in 2026, the growth in gross yield for a number of key crops will be driven primarily not by an expansion of cultivated areas, but by increased production efficiency per hectare.
Source: Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.
According to Experts Club, the United Kingdom continues to enjoy one of the highest levels of positive perception among Ukrainians: in August 2026, 72.6% of respondents viewed the country positively, while 7.1% viewed it negatively. Compared to March, the share of positive assessments has decreased slightly, but the overall attitude remains consistently favorable, reports the Experts Club Information and Analytical Center.
According to the results of the August survey, 35.6% of Ukrainians have a completely positive view of the United Kingdom, and 37% have a mostly positive view. 18.6% of respondents hold a neutral position. 5.1% view the country mostly negatively, 2% view it entirely negatively, and another 1.8% were undecided.
Based on the rounded figures in the table, the balance between positive and negative assessments stands at approximately plus 65.5 percentage points. Thus, positive attitudes outweigh negative ones by more than ten times, and the United Kingdom remains among the countries with the highest level of public favor among Ukrainians.
In March 2026, the overall share of positive assessments of the United Kingdom stood at 74.6%. At that time, 40.3% of respondents described their attitude as entirely positive, while another 34.3% described it as mostly positive. A neutral response was chosen by 18.2% of those surveyed, and negative assessments accounted for about 5.8%.
Thus, over the course of five months, the share of positive responses decreased by approximately 2 percentage points—from 74.6% to 72.6%—while negative responses increased by approximately 1.3 percentage points. The share of neutral responses remained virtually unchanged—18.2% in March versus 18.6% in August.
At the same time, a noticeable shift has occurred in the structure of the positive segment. The share of entirely positive assessments fell from 40.3% to 35.6%, while the share of mostly positive assessments rose from 34.3% to 37%. This suggests a certain softening in the intensity of positive attitudes rather than a fundamental change.
Oleksandr Pozniy, director of the research firm Active Group, had previously linked the high ratings for the United Kingdom to the nature of its relationship with Ukraine.
“Support from London during the war—both political and military—was highly valued by Ukrainian society. The United Kingdom is perceived as a reliable ally,” Pozniy noted.
At the same time, commenting on the trends in subsequent waves of the survey, he emphasized that the ratings for certain countries had deteriorated somewhat compared to the previous survey.
The current results confirm that a high level of positive attitude toward the United Kingdom remains, although it has weakened somewhat compared to March. At the same time, the country remains in the top group of nations in terms of the balance of positive and negative assessments by Ukrainians.
The survey was conducted in August 2026 using self-administered online questionnaires in the SunFlowerSociology panel among 800 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older. In the previous survey wave in March, 800 respondents were also surveyed; the sample was representative by age, gender, and region, with a maximum theoretical margin of error of ±3.5 percentage points for indicators at the 50% confidence level.
ACTIVE GROUP, EUROPE, EXPERTS CLUB, international relations, PUBLIC OPINION, SOCIOLOGY, UKRAINE, UNITED KINGDOM
As of October 13, 2026, Ukrainian farmers had harvested approximately 13.9 million metric tons of oilseeds, which is 2.1% more than on the same date last year.
Sunflowers and rapeseed accounted for the bulk of the harvest, while the soybean harvest remains below last year’s level so far.
Sunflower harvests totaled 7.44 million metric tons from 3.44 million hectares, or 66% of the projected area. Despite a 12.1% reduction in the harvested area, the gross harvest was 3.4% higher than last year’s thanks to an increase in yield to 21.6 centners per hectare, up from 18.4 centners per hectare.
Rapeseed production totaled 3.88 million metric tons from 1.33 million hectares. This is 17.1% more than last year. The average yield is 29.2 centners per hectare, compared to 26 centners per hectare.
Soybeans yielded 2.56 million metric tons from 1.17 million hectares, or 73% of the projected area. Compared to last year, the gross harvest is 16.9% lower, and the yield decreased to 21.9 centners per hectare, down from 22.9 centners per hectare.
Among late-season crops, the corn harvest has accelerated sharply. Over the past week, the gross harvest increased from 1.6 million to 3.49 million metric tons. A total of 589,400 hectares, or 13% of the projected area, has been threshed, with an average yield of 59.1 centners per hectare.
Although less corn had been harvested by mid-October than a year ago, its yield is already 7.8% higher than last year’s.
The sugar beet harvest is lagging behind. 1.58 million metric tons have been harvested from 31,600 hectares, or 19% of the projected area. A year earlier, by the same date, 4.72 million metric tons had been harvested from 90,000 hectares.
The buckwheat and millet harvests are nearing completion. Buckwheat has been threshed on 91% of the area, with 55,600 metric tons harvested. Millet has been harvested on 88% of the area, with a gross yield of 81,300 metric tons.
Source: Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine, data as of October 13, 2026.
In 2026, Gas Distribution Networks of Ukraine LLC connected 140 distributed generation facilities, with plans to connect another 86 by the end of the year, according to Lyudmila Kinder, the company’s chairwoman.
“Distributed gas generation is currently one of the areas where demand for grid connection is growing particularly rapidly. This year, 140 such facilities have already been completed, and another 86 are scheduled for completion. Each project involves an assessment of the grid’s capacity, design, construction, connection, and gas commissioning,” she wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.
Kinder also noted that connecting businesses to the grid should be a “straightforward process,” which is what “Gazmereti” is currently working on.
“If a company has several facilities in different regions, it should not have to coordinate separately with each branch every time. We need to see the entire project portfolio and agree in advance on technical requirements, the workflow, and the order of implementation,” Kinder said, outlining her vision for building effective cooperation with businesses.
As previously reported, according to First Deputy Prime Minister for Energy Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine already has 1.8 GW of distributed gas-fired generation in operation.
On October 26, Kyiv will host the 12th Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF). More than 500 participants are expected—owners and executives of Ukrainian and international companies, government officials, investors, diplomats, and experts. The main theme of this year’s forum is “People. Business. Economy. What’s Next?”. Discussions will focus on how business and the economy can weather the new conditions, adapt, and return to growth.
In the fifth year of full-scale war, pressure on the Ukrainian economy is intensifying. Manufacturing, the energy sector, ports, railways, logistics centers, and other business-critical infrastructure are under attack. According to estimates by the Ministry of Economy, direct losses from destruction could reach about $10 billion annually, and combined with the blockade of seaports, they have already cost Ukraine about 1.5 percentage points of GDP in 2026. According to the World Bank’s October forecast, Ukraine’s economic growth will slow to 1.2% in 2026 and reach 1.5% in 2027 if active hostilities continue. In previous forecasts for 2027, the bank projected 4% growth, assuming hostilities would end by the end of 2026.
“While the discussion used to center on Ukraine’s recovery, the focus has now shifted to ensuring the economy’s resilience right now. Businesses need solutions that will help them protect their assets, maintain production, and continue investing even amid the war,” notes Vasyl Khmelnytskyi, initiator of the Kyiv International Economic Forum (KIEF) and founder of the UFuture holding company.
The KIEF 2026 program features 12 panel discussions. The discussions will center on the physical protection of businesses, operations during air raid alerts, decentralized logistics and energy supply, communication resilience, insurance against war risks, compensation for lost assets, access to financing, and maintaining macroeconomic stability. Other key topics include adapting the state’s industrial development strategy and energy policy to new conditions, the state’s economic priorities, international cooperation, and European integration in the face of new challenges. Special attention will be given to the experiences of frontline cities and the solutions already in place there.
Speakers at the forum include:
The Ukrainian economy already has experience adapting quickly during a crisis. In 2022, following the destruction of the Kremenchuk Oil Refinery and a fuel shortage, the country restructured its fuel logistics, and thousands of businesses relocated from frontline regions to the interior of the country. Following the blockade of traditional maritime routes in 2023, the Ukrainian maritime corridor became operational, and after last year’s large-scale attacks on the power grid, businesses and the government began actively developing distributed generation.
“Today, any discussion about the future must begin with finding practical solutions that businesses, the government, and international partners can adopt right now to maintain stability and return the economy to growth. That is exactly what this year’s KIEF is all about,” says KIEF CEO Yuriy Pivovarov.
Title partners of the forum: UFuture, Mastercard, AEQUO, PrivatBank, Kyivstar
Forum partners: Sense Bank, NEQSOL Holding, PUMB, DTEK, Ajax Systems, Uklon, TERWIN, Eclectic Talents Group, BALEX, CEO Club Ukraine.
Interfax-Ukraine and Open4Business are the forum’s media partners.
