Award-winning director Andrey Zvyagintsev labeled 'foreign agent' by Kremlin
Zvyagintsev, one of Russia's most famous contemporary film directors, has lived in exile since 2022. His latest film "Minotaur" has been praised as an anti-war film.
Team
Kate Tsurkan
Culture ReporterKate Tsurkan is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent who writes mostly about culture-related topics. Her newsletter Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan, which focuses specifically on Ukrainian culture, is published weekly by the Kyiv Independent and is partially supported by a generous grant from the Nadia Sophie Seiler Fund. Kate co-translated Oleh Sentsov’s “Diary of a Hunger Striker,” Myroslav Laiuk’s “Bakhmut,” Andriy Lyubka’s “War from the Rear,” and Khrystia Vengryniuk’s “Long Eyes,” among other books. Some of her previous writing and translations have appeared in the New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Harpers, the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere. She is the co-founder of Apofenie Magazine and, in addition to Ukrainian and Russian, also knows French.
Articles
How a dissident poet became Ukraine’s moral compass
Editor's Note: This story is part of the "Hidden Canon" – a special series celebrating Ukrainian classic literature and aiming to bring it to a wider international audience. The series is supported by the Ukrainian Institute.
One Christmas Eve night, in a prison camp in the Russian republic of Mordovia, Ukrainian female political prisoners braved the cold to gather near the barbed wire that separated them from the men to sing carols.
They gathered there for the poet Vasyl Stus, who had been g
Ukraine picks documentary on women surviving Russian sexual violence for its Oscars submission
"Despite the extraordinary complexity of its subject matter, ("Traces") employs a delicate and compelling cinematic language that does not alienate the viewer, but instead allows them to draw closer to the protagonists, hear them, and empathize with them," the Ukrainian Oscar Committee said.
40% of Ukrainians ready to relocate if conditions deteriorate 'significantly' this winter, poll reveals
According to Gradus polling, safety is the main factor that would prompt Ukrainians to relocate. However, only one in five respondents said they would consider going abroad – the rest would look for temporary relocation within Ukraine.
Can this $77 million state initiative bolster Ukraine's cultural sphere?
With Ukraine's cultural heritage threatened by Russia's all-out war of annihilation, Kyiv is ramping up its efforts to support Ukrainian artists at the state level.
"Tysiachovesna," or "1,000 Springs," is a project originally proposed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in the fall of 2025 to use Hr 4 billion ($76.7 million) of the state budget to support the creation of 1,000 hours of Ukrainian-language content.
The Culture Ministry formally launched the initiative earlier this spring, encouragin
'Our friendship is very strong' — Zelensky arrives in Chisinau for Moldova's Independence Day
"Just days ago, the President of Moldova was with us in Ukraine on our Independence Day. Today, Ukraine stands with Moldova on its Independence Day. Friends should stand shoulder to shoulder," Zelensky said.
Inside the 'Pavilion of (Dis)sense,' a fight against Russia's weaponization of culture
In the lead-up to the Venice Art Biennale, posters for imagined cultural events began appearing throughout the city, each one carrying the disclaimer: "Canceled because the artist was killed by Russia."
Conceived by exiled Russian artist Katia Margolis and curated by the Network Associazioni per Ucraina, the "Invisible Pavilion" was one of the most subtle yet striking protests against Russia's return to the Venice Art Biennale.
Now featured in the "Pavilion of (Dis)sense" — an exhibition curat
Former Pussy Riot member escapes Russia after 3 years of forced work for FSB
"They began recruiting me, threatening me in every possible way, humiliating me, saying some very unpleasant things, threatening to kill my family, and telling me that I would never in my life be able to prove who killed my mother," Rita Flores said.
Kremlin labels independent news outlet Mediazona 'foreign agent' — for 2nd time
Pyotr Verzilov, a co-founder of the publication, told the Kyiv Independent that the designation only "adds power to the incredible reporting that the Mediazona team is doing."
Former Trump envoy Keith Kellogg visits Odesa amid Russia's ongoing port strikes
According to the Infrastructure Ministry, the U.S. delegation led by Kellogg was shown the damage from Russian attacks on port infrastructure and briefed on measures being taken to maintain operations.
Update: Court sets $670,000 bail for ex-lawmaker in major corruption case
Mykytas is a suspect in a large-scale money laundering and corporate raiding case unveiled by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) earlier this week.
Ukraine praises end to Hungary's 'gold convoy' investigation, calls for more accountability
Hungarian authorities seized two bank vehicles in March traveling from Austria to Ukraine that were transporting a shipment of cash and gold worth about $82 million, claiming they were investigating a money laundering scheme.
20th-century military leader Yevhen Konovalets reburied in Kyiv
"Along with him, Ukraine has brought back a part of itself: its memory, its Ukrainian experience, and our national history — the history of all those who, at different times, lived and fought for Ukraine, for our independence, and for our sovereign state," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Ukraine condemns inclusion of controversial Russian film in upcoming Venice Film Festival
"At a time when Russia continues its war of aggression against Ukraine, systematically destroying our cities, cultural heritage and national identity, granting one of the world’s most prestigious cultural platforms to a project connected to the Russian state and its networks of influence sends an extremely troubling signal," the Foreign Ministry said.
Ukraine repatriates remains of 20th-century military leader Yevhen Konovalets with state honors
As the founder of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), Konovalets devoted his life to the cause of Ukraine's independence. He was assassinated by an undercover Soviet agent in 1938.
