Interviewed by Global Voices, writer and journalist Viktoria Belim-Frolova describes a Ukrainian economy shaken by the war, in which some small businesses manage to hold on. For more than two years, she has lived and worked in the east of the country and in communities on the front line. The overall picture remains bleak: according to a study funded by the UNDP and cited by Global Voices, 83% of Ukrainian small businesses have been severely affected by the conflict.
For the journalist, the picture is not limited to losses. "War can destroy a business very quickly, but at the same time it creates a constant need to adapt," she said.
The last manicure in Mykolaivka
To show what a small business means in wartime, Viktoria Belim-Frolova describes Anastasia, 18, whom she met in Mykolaivka, a town near Kramatorsk. Self-taught through online videos, the young woman ended up being the only person still offering manicures in her community. Some clients came from neighbouring towns, travelling along roads within range of drones. The journalist presents this as an example of the social role that even a very small business can play: when it closes, residents also lose a place for meeting, routine and normality.
Artisans, for their part, are betting on the Internet. According to her, online selling allows them to reach buyers in Warsaw, Brussels, London or New York, while the local clientele has become poorer or disappeared. The obstacles remain heavy: disrupted deliveries, power outages, travel, rising costs and psychological exhaustion.
More women at the helm
Several indicators reported by Global Voices point to a feminisation of entrepreneurship. The New Voice of Ukraine reports that in the first quarter of 2026, nearly 60% of newly registered sole proprietors were women, compared with about 49% at the start of the conflict. Global Voices adds that in 2025, 12,757 newly founded companies were headed by a woman, or 34% of these start-ups, and that data from March 2026 put the share of registered companies run by women at nearly 32%.
Global Voices links this trend to population displacement, lost income and spouses joining the army, but above all to the need for flexible work that can be reconciled with family life.
A reshaped economy
In the East, Viktoria Belim-Frolova says she has witnessed the commercial decline of entire towns: shops and restaurants closing, businesses moving to the west or abroad, and an exodus of skilled people. By contrast, she points to the growth of the defence industry and the resilience of the IT sector. In her view, the country is experiencing less a simple decline than a restructuring imposed by the war.
Surviving, without romanticising
The journalist points out that, for poor households, the war narrows the options: postponed medical care, cheaper food, and sometimes the impossibility of leaving a dangerous place. Women often combine looking after the home, children and elderly parents with the search for an income, and a small business can then mean independence and survival. She warns, however, against the temptation to turn this resourcefulness into an uplifting story: people, she insists, are exhausted.
Sources
- Global Voices en Français (CC BY 3.0)
