Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on Ukraine's international trade

The COVID-19 pandemic is definitely an economic shock that has largely affected all of the countries. Using the developing country such as Ukraine as an example, this bachelor thesis highlights the changes in the country's international trade as a result of this economic turmoil. The thesis also examines the changes in the commodity structure of exports and imports, the reasons that led to this along with the pandemic, the country's current starting position and its related trade prospects, major trading partners and economic linkages. The research question of the thesis focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected Ukraine's foreign trade compared to the war in Donbas. As a result, the paper focuses on assessing which of the economic shocks was more severe for the country and how it subsequently affected international trade. Secondary objectives of the thesis include, among others, a comparison of the effectiveness of government measures taken to counter the negative effects of the pandemic in two post-Soviet countries - Ukraine and Belarus. Through this comparison, it is possible to answer the question of whether these measures were necessary to implement considering the limitations on international trade. The thesis concludes with a summary of all the impacts on Ukraine's international trade in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of research methods, for the purposes of this thesis, primarily relevant data is collected to conduct an analysis of country's development over time and an analogy comparing two economic shocks. The comparison method is also used for a more detailed examination of this topic.