From questions about Syrskyi to Iryna Farion: Ukraine's top Google searches of 2024

Espreso will tell you about the most popular Google queries among Ukrainians in 2024.

The world's most popular search engine, Google, traditionally summarized the year's results for each country, dividing its data into five categories: Most Popular Queries, Person with the Greatest Rise in Interest, What is?, Purchase of the Year, and Film.

Top 10 most popular queries of the year in Ukraine

This year's most popular queries included famous names, as well as cultural and sporting events. The leader was a query related to electricity.

1 – Power outage schedule:

The leading query speaks volumes about the state of life in Ukraine this year, where living according to power outage schedules became the norm due to Russian attacks on the energy infrastructure.

2 – Euro 2024:

The European Football Championship traditionally captures the attention of fans, as reflected in the high frequency of this query, especially since the Ukrainian national team also participated.

3 – Syrskyi:  

The unexpected replacement of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief, Valerii Zaluzhnyi, in February this year spurred interest in his successor, General Oleksandr Syrskyi.

4 – 2024 Olympic Games: 

The Summer Olympics in Paris attracted global attention, including in Ukraine. Ukrainian Olympians ranked 22nd overall, earning 3 gold, 5 silver, and 4 bronze medals.

5 – Easter 2024:

Easter, being a movable feast without a fixed date, generates frequent searches every year as people look up when it will be celebrated.

6 – Usyk:

Ukraine's heavyweight boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk defeated British boxer Tyson Fury twice this year, earning tens of millions in prize money and worldwide admiration.

7 – Iryna Farion:

The planned murder of linguist and public figure Professor Iryna Farion shocked the entire country. Society remains interested in the trial of the suspected perpetrator.

8 – Sudzha:

The unexpected Ukrainian military offensive in Russia's Kursk region in August this year highlighted the illusion of Kremlin’s "red lines." The capture of Sudzha became one of the most significant achievements of this year’s military campaign.

9 – 20 Days in Mariupol:

At the beginning of the year, the documentary film about Russia's siege of Mariupol in February-March 2022 gained global recognition by winning an Oscar, prompting a surge in interest in the film.

10 – Eurovision 2024:  

In Ukraine, the Eurovision Song Contest annually garners significant interest, with Ukrainian performers traditionally achieving high rankings. This year, Ukraine secured third place.

Top 10 people with the greatest rise in interest

Photo: The Ukrainian Armed Forces' General Staff

At the top of this list is the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, whose appointment and activities sparked significant public interest. In second place is boxer Oleksandr Usyk, who continues to capture attention with his achievements in the ring. Donald Trump, the former U.S. president, secured third place, as he is set to return to the White House on January 20. Many Ukrainians associate him with hopes for a possible peace in the war with Russia.

The fourth position unexpectedly went to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The remaining spots from fifth to tenth were taken by Kamala Harris, Mike Tyson, Mykola Tyshchenko, Pavel Durov, Klavdiia Petrivna, and Sonia Moroziuk.

Top 10 searches for the question of What is...?

Ukrainians actively searched for explanations of various terms and abbreviations that influenced and continue to impact their lives.

After a series of scandals and allegations of corruption and the selling of disability certifications, including the case involving the head of the Khmelnytskyi Medical-Social Expert Commission (MSEK), Tetyana Krupa, the term MSEK (Medical-Social Expert Commission) took first place.

The second spot was taken by an abbreviation related to the war – REB (Radio-Electronic Warfare).

The third position is connected to Donbas – terikons (man-made mounds of waste rock extracted during underground coal mining).

Other searches included explanations for: power outage schedules, CNAP (Center for Administrative Services), OK-7 certificate, KAB, busification, quadrobearers, and chinazes (which means a favorable outcome).

Top 10 most common searches in the purchases category

In the field of purchases, the greatest interest was sparked by:

EcoFlow: Portable charging stations, reflecting a consistent demand for alternative energy sources amidst the dynamic conditions of power outages.  

Fan: The need for cooling during increasingly prolonged heatwaves.  

Charging station: Searches for batteries again highlight issues with electricity supply.  

Additionally, the purchases category also included searches for: inverters, iPhone 16, Dubai chocolate (made with pistachio paste and kataifi dough), squish lamps (a stress-relief toy), 100-amp gel batteries, solar panels, and tubing (inflatable tubes for water or snow activities).  

Top 10 films by Ukrainian search queries  

Ukrainian documentary 20 Days in Mariupol won the Oscar 2024 in the United States, Photo: www.reutersconnect.com

Among cinematic queries, the leaders were:  

20 Days in Mariupol: The Oscar-winning Ukrainian documentary highlighting the events in Mariupol.  

Inside Out 2: The sequel to the popular animated film.  

Dune 2: The sequel to the science fiction epic, eagerly awaited by fans of the genre.  

Other films and cartoons searched by Ukrainians included: Saltburn, The Substance, Venom 3, Love You Hate You, Terrifier 3, The Wild Robot, and the Ukrainian film The Konotop Witch.