When the Soviet Union collapsed and Ukraine became an independent state, the opportunity to create a new economic reality for its citizens was missed by the government and policymakers. The delayed reorientation toward a market-based energy policy resulted in decades of corruption and dependence on Russia.

The IMF agreed a $5 billion standby arrangement with Ukraine in June 2020 and an initial tranche of $2.1 billion was rapidly disbursed.

The privatisation process was suspended a year ago over the COVID-19 pandemic and officials said earlier this year that they hoped selloffs could raise as much as $430 million.

Without strong efforts both bottom-up and top-down to preserve love for literature, the domestic book market may continue to suffer.