OSAKA, Japan—A place where the most important things cannot be bought.
That is the concept Ukraine chose for its pavilion at the 2025 World Expo in Osaka, a six-month fair where more than 130 nations are showcasing their vision of the future to millions of visitors. The exposition, which began April 13, is scheduled to close Monday.
The pavilion is structured to resemble a store, and visitors are outfitted with scanners that outline the cost of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Visitors to Ukraine’s pavilion can scan 18 unique objects that show how Ukrainians survive and continue the growth of the next generation during the Russo-Ukrainian War. Each object tells a story of the perseverance Ukrainians have to fight for their democratic values during wartime.
“Our history—the history of our culture and our existence—is not just the backyard of this conflict. It is a long story of our struggle. A long story of our dignity,” says Prof. Nataliia Kryvda, chair of the Supervisory Board at the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation.
As soon as you walk by the pavilion, the room’s bright mustard yellow and cerulean blue colors and objects capture your attention. But nothing prepares you for the swift change in energy after scanning your first object.
Scanning the first item, it first shows the name and a 3D display of the object. The first impression is so unassuming because it feels like you just caught something like a Pokémon.
What quickly follows is a short video showing how this object ties to the survival of the Ukrainian people during the war.
The different values these objects hold are the values the Ukrainians live by – freedom, dignity and resilience.
Exploring the pavilion, you can feel the seriousness of everyone around you. Every person is so fixated on learning more about what story each object tells. A click followed by silence, each story hitting deeper than the last.
The story that stood out to me was seeing how teachers and students are forced to use metro stations as classrooms. Even during a time of war, Ukrainians are pushing to educate the next generation. It makes you think how we take the ability to pursue an education without fearing for our lives every day for granted.
Most of the other countries’ pavilions focused on highlighting the achievements or the history of their country, promoting only the positive when we know that is not the only side.
Ukraine showed the reality of the current state of the world.
Bigger, more powerful countries are trying to force smaller ones to submit to them, resulting in the suffering of adults and children who just want to be safe, healthy and live their lives.
Behind the dehumanizing statistics you see online, people who want to survive are living through that reality.
Although Ukraine’s pavilion is located in a Commons building—Expo buildings consisting of multiple pavilions for smaller countries—it was easily one of the most memorable pavilions of the whole Expo.
Want to follow along the journey of Ukraine’s pavilion? Follow its page @expo2025.ukraine on Instagram.
The Ukranian pavilion is a store where nothing is for sale because the most important things cannot be bought. Ukraine and the values of its people are Not for Sale.
