Section
Understanding Society
The institutions, economy and social trends behind the news.
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Generation, Transmission, Distribution, Retail: How Electricity Reaches Homes in Ukraine
Electricity in Ukraine reaches households through four kinds of companies: generation, transmission, distribution, and retail. The 2017 Law on the Electricity Market established this division, and trading on the new wholesale market began on July 1, 2019. This article sets out the roles of the state-owned Ukrenergo, the regional distribution companies, the retail suppliers that contract with households, and the regulator that sets tariffs.
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4.32 Hryvnias per Kilowatt-Hour: Ukraine’s Household Electricity Price and Its Outage Schedules
The price Ukrainian households pay for electricity is not set by the market but by a Cabinet decision, and has stood at 4.32 hryvnias per kilowatt-hour since June 2024. This article sets out how state-owned power companies cover the gap, how the price has changed since 2021, the difference between hourly outage schedules and emergency outages, and where households find out the schedule.
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How Far Can You Study in Hungarian? Six Years of Debate over Article 7 of the Education Act
Under the 2017 Education Act, Hungarian-language schools in Zakarpattia Oblast were required to shift instruction to Ukrainian from grade 5 onward, prompting strong objections from the Hungarian government. A 2020 law set specific ratios, and a December 2023 amendment substantially widened the scope for studying in Hungarian and other official EU languages.
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47,000 in the Census, Up to 400,000 in Estimates: Ukraine’s Roma and the National Strategy
The 2001 census counted 47,587 Roma living in Ukraine, but the government's own strategy states that the actual number could be 200,000 to 400,000. This article traces what the strategy and action plan adopted in 2021, running to 2030, identify as challenges and what they decide — from people without identity documents to schooling, housing, and teaching the Romani language.
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Ukrainian Statehood Day Was Set on the Feast of St. Volodymyr
Ukraine's “Statehood Day” holiday was created by a 2021 presidential decree, made a public holiday by a 2022 law, and moved from July 28 to July 15 by a 2023 law. Drawing on presidential decrees and the explanatory notes attached to the bills, this article traces why it was set to coincide with the day marking the baptism of Kyivan Rus, and why it was moved 13 days earlier. It also covers how the day is treated as of September 2026.
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How a 1932 Dam Drowned the Rapids and Turned the Dnipro into a Staircase
From Kyiv upstream to Kakhovka downstream, the Dnipro River was lined with six hydroelectric dams and reservoirs, one after another. The first dam, which started operating at Zaporizhzhia in 1932, submerged the river's rapids underwater. Drawing on encyclopedia entries and materials from the state hydropower company, this article sets out when and how large the six dams and reservoirs were built, the rapids that were lost, and the damage since 2022.
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The River Herodotus Called “Borysthenes”: The Dnipro
The Dnipro River, which flows through Kyiv, was called “Borysthenes” by Herodotus in the fifth century BCE, “Danapris” in fourth-century Latin, and “Ozi” and other names in Turkic languages. This article traces one river's names in chronological order and looks at how the Japanese “Doniepuru” and English “Dnieper” have changed over time.
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Ukraine’s Last Census Was in 2001: The Plan Moved Five Times, Then Was Cancelled
The last time a census was held in Ukraine was December 5, 2001. Under Cabinet decisions, the planned date for the next one moved from 2011 to 2012, 2013, 2016, 2020, and 2023, and in October 2023 the plan itself was cancelled. This article lays out a timeline of censuses since 1897 and the text of the law providing that none will be held while martial law is in force.
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The Czechs Who Came to Volhynia: From 65,000 to 5,917
After serfdom was abolished in the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th century, Czech farmers built villages in Volhynia, in northwestern Ukraine. From about 65,000 Ukrainian Czechs at the start of the 20th century, the 2001 census counted 5,917. This article traces the migration and the shifting population figures, and the departures of 1947 and the 1990s, drawing on two encyclopedias and Czech statistical and parliamentary records.
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Born in 1918 Under a Hetman’s Law: Ukraine’s Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine began with a law signed on November 14, 1918, by Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi. Thirteen days later, at its first general meeting, the geologist Volodymyr Vernadsky was elected president. The Academy's name has changed four times, and as of March 2026 it encompasses 159 research institutions. This article lays out how the founding date is counted, a timeline of names and presidents, and staff numbers.