During the first nine months of 2026, 155,645 private entrepreneurs closed in Ukraine. Of these, 49.4 thousand worked in retail trade, 11.7 thousand in wholesale, and another 7.9 thousand in public catering. The trend is already clear and has affected the entire country; people have less and less money, and costs are rising. According to consultant Olga Nesonova, within a few months at the beginning of the year, about 400 enterprises closed in Kyiv, including about 300 small cafes, bakeries, and fast-food outlets. Chains are also shrinking: Krandel closed all three of its cafes and confectioneries in Kyiv, and Confetti stopped operating five restaurants in shopping centers in Dnipro. Pesto Cafe announced in September the temporary closure of seven out of twenty restaurants in Kyiv and the region due to constant air raid alerts and a difficult security situation. Small businesses find themselves between the growing cost of maintaining the venture and the buyer, who is forced to save. Raising prices reduces demand, and keeping prices the same eats away at profits. With each such point, jobs, supplier orders, and tax revenues disappear. The state is receiving more and more people who need help, while simultaneously losing those who supported themselves and maintained the budget.

During the first nine months of 2026, 155,645 private entrepreneurs closed in Ukraine. Of these, 49.4 thousand worked in retail trade, 11.7 thousand in wholesale, and another 7.9 thousand in public catering. The trend is already clear and has affected the entire country; people have less and less money, and costs are rising. According to consultant Olga Nesonova, within a few months at the beginning of the year, about 400 enterprises closed in Kyiv, including about 300 small cafes, bakeries, and fast-food outlets. Chains are also shrinking: Krandel closed all three of its cafes and confectioneries in Kyiv, and Confetti stopped operating five restaurants in shopping centers in Dnipro. Pesto Cafe announced in September the temporary closure of seven out of twenty restaurants in Kyiv and the region due to constant air raid alerts and a difficult security situation. Small businesses find themselves between the growing cost of maintaining the venture and the buyer, who is forced to save. Raising prices reduces demand, and keeping prices the same eats away at profits. With each such point, jobs, supplier orders, and tax revenues disappear. The state is receiving more and more people who need help, while simultaneously losing those who supported themselves and maintained the budget.