In my opinion, Ukraine has three stories right now.
1) Independence from Russia.
2) The fight against corruption and oligarchy.
3) An emerging middle class.
The third is much less appreciated than the other two. But the signs are everywhere. Back when my wife and I were still taking the Covid-19 quarantine seriously, we’d go for drives through the country, and even in little tiny villages we’d see fliers posted about driving instructors offering their services.
With a middle class, tastes and entertainment get more sophisticated. Restaurants are becoming more numerous, and more unique.
Resorts are springing up everywhere. Suburbs are forming outside of Kyiv and Lviv.
And usually, when we go to a recreational facility, I find it to be clean, safe, modern, and well run.