Ukraine has unveiled its Not For Sale pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Crowds of visitors have queued to enter the Ukrainian "shop where nothing is for sale". Instead of products, its shelves display items symbolising Russia's war against Ukraine.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda. Zhyttia (Life)

Details: One of the key exhibits is a replica of an antique marble lion sculpture stolen by Russian forces from the Kherson Local History Museum in 2022.

On the opening day, 13 April, the Ukrainian pavilion attracted 5,000 visitors. The crowd was so large that traffic controllers had to be deployed inside the space.

Veronika Seleha , head of the creative agency Bickerstaff.345, told Ukrainska Pravda. Culture that visitors walked through the pavilion with scanners. Each of the 18 exhibits features a barcode linking to a video explaining the cost Ukrainians are currently paying.

A replica of a lion was produced on a 3D printer in Ivano-Frankivsk

Photo courtesy of the Ukrainian pavilion

"The Lion contains a short video revealing Russian crimes against culture, mass abductions and the planned appropriation of Ukrainian cultural objects. However, we also show the active cultural life of people during the war. Despite everything," Veronika explained.

"Each artefact represents Ukrainian values: freedom, resilience and dignity.

An antique marble sculpture of a lion from the 5th century BC was stolen by the Russians from the Kherson Local History Museum

"This year, many country pavilions represented culture or carefully wove the cultural aspect into the pavilions. Ireland, France, China, Portugal, Chile. Art Regenerates Life is the theme of the Italy Pavilion. And these are just the examples I've seen.

Our project is about the values we practice. Actions over declarations. The shape is a shop where you can't buy anything as values are not for sale," says Seleha.

Ukraine's Ministry of Economy oversaw the national pavilion this year, supporting the creative agency's concept to showcase Ukrainian values. The exhibits were 3D-printed in the city of Ivano-Frankivsk in Ukraine's west, with the paint flown to Japan, where the items were finished in blue.

"Naturally, we couldn't miss the opportunity to showcase Ukrainian businesses, so we developed the Values driven economy zone for them. These are artefacts of war from six (different) Ukrainian businesses that remain leaders in their fields or export to the world despite the extreme circumstances," Veronika said.

In a separate area, visitors could view artefacts representing Ukrainian businesses: helmets worn by employees of DTEK, the largest private energy company in Ukraine, who are working to restore electricity; a siren produced by Ajax, a Ukrainian security systems company, damaged by a gunshot; a flask of oil from Ukrnafta, Ukraine’s oil and natural gas extraction company; and other symbolic items from Ukrainian businesses.

The exhibition in Osaka will run for six months and Ukraine's First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko expects it to attract millions of visitors.

"Every hour, up to 1,500 people visit our pavilion, and over six months, the organisers estimate that 23 million will see it. This is a strategic opportunity to present our values and resilience to the world. We’re showing that even under the harshest conditions, Ukrainians continue to fight, innovate and grow," said Svyrydenko.

The pavilion’s opening was attended by the Honorary Consul of Ukraine in Japan, representatives of Japan’s Ministry of Economy and other guests who welcomed Ukraine’s participation in the exhibition.

About the World Expo 2025

EXPO 2025 in Osaka officially opened on Sunday 13 April under the central theme Designing Future Society for Our Lives.

More than 160 countries and organisations are taking part in the exhibition, showcasing their innovative achievements. Japan has provided Ukraine with free space to participate. The exhibition will run until 13 October 2025.

The World Expo is a symbol of industrialisation and an open platform for presenting technological and scientific progress.

The first Expo was held at the Crystal Palace in London in 1851 under the title Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations. It was the first international forum to reflect on the results of the Industrial Revolution. Interest in the exhibition was so high that over one million people visited it during its six-month run.

Since then, World Expos have been held every few years in major industrial cities around the globe.

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