Culture

Looking for the 10 best Ukraine-related books of 2025? We’ve got you

by Kate TsurkanDecember 7, 2025

The year 2025 brought us more books about and from Ukraine that carry an inescapable heaviness, with war present on almost every page. Lives once shaped by literary ambitions continue to be cut short on the battlefield or under bombardment. Yet, thanks to the devotion of translators, publishers, and a growing audience of readers who refuse to look away, these voices keep traveling outward. They insist on being heard. From the first days of the full-scale invasion, one imperative has remained co

2 Ukrainian films shortlisted for 98th Academy Awards nominations

by Kate TsurkanDecember 17, 2025

FIDE allows Russian, Belarusian youth chess players to compete under national flags

by Martin FornusekDecember 15, 2025

In the middle of war, Ukraine's top university reimagines Russian Studies

by Kate TsurkanDecember 8, 2025

A Russian opposition figure tries — and fails — to mythologize Zelensky

by Kate TsurkanDecember 3, 2025

Ukraine's parliament strips Russian from 'protected minority language' list

by Kate TsurkanDecember 3, 2025

Alla Horska’s life and death in Ukraine’s struggle against Russian annihilation

by Kate TsurkanNovember 28, 2025

An exhibition dedicated to poet Vasyl Stus (1938-1985), in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Nov. 13, 2025.

The Soviets tried to silence Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus. A new exhibition honors his legacy

by Kate TsurkanNovember 26, 2025

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Thursday, December 18

05:13 AM

Ukrainian drones reportedly strike oil tanker in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, local officials claim

Ukrainian drones reportedly struck an oil tanker in the Port of Rostov overnight on Dec. 18, local officials in Russia's Rostov Oblast reported.

04:28 AM

Drone production, air defense sustainment — Germany backs Ukraine with $1.4 billion in defense agreements

Kyiv has signed several new defense agreements with Berlin totaling 1.2 billion euros ($1.4 billion), Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on Dec. 17, a day after the Ramstein-format meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG).

02:19 PM

Russian guided bomb attack hits apartment buildings in Zaporizhzhia, injuring at least 32

Russia attacked the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia with KAB bombs the morning of Dec. 17, injuring at least 26 people, including a child, Governor Ivan Fedorov said.

Thursday, December 18

12:41 AM

US, Russia set to hold talks in Miami this weekend, Politico reports

U.S. and Russian officials are set to meet in Miami this weekend to discuss efforts to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, Politico reported on Dec. 17, citing two unnamed sources.

11:38 PM

US Senate passes defense spending bill allocating $400 million annually in military aid to Ukraine through 2027

The U.S. Senate on Dec. 17 approved a $900 billion defense spending bill that includes $800 million in military assistance for Ukraine, following the House of Representatives’ passage of the legislation last week.

11:14 PM

Lukashenko trades prisoners for sanctions relief — and keeps the upper hand

As dust settles from a historic deal that saw Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko free 123 political prisoners in exchange for a partial U.S. sanctions relief, the main question remains unanswered — what now? Trump’s newly appointed special envoy, John Coale, arrived in Minsk on Dec. 12 and secured the biggest prisoner release so far, with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ales Bialiatski and leading opposition figures Viktar Babaryka and Maria Kalesnikava walking free the following day. The inc

About Culture

Our reporting on literature, films, art, and traditions from Ukraine and the latest news on culture in Eastern Europe.

Ukrainian culture

Ukrainian culture has survived centuries of Russian attempts to appropriate Ukrainian art, silence Ukrainian artists, and erase the Ukrainian language. Modern Ukrainian writers, filmmakers, and musicians — some of whom are serving on the front lines — continue to develop Ukrainian culture and fight for Ukraine’s future.

June 12, 2025‘I feel like I lost 3 years’ — Ukrainian author turned soldier Artem Chapeye on culture during war

June 11, 2025'Ukrainians have been stripped of illusion of control' — Filmmaker Kateryna Gornostai on Russia's war, cinema and reclaiming the narrative

March 26, 2025Explainer: Some Ukrainians speak Russian language — it doesn’t make them Russian

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Russia's strong currency puzzles economists, signals economic woes

Since early December, the Russian ruble has continued to strengthen against global currencies: on Dec. 7, it reached a value of only 76 rubles for one U.S. dollar, a figure unseen since May 2023. It soon dropped to 79 rubles per U.S. dollar, an exchange rate close to one seen on the eve of Russia's full-scale war. Ruble's strength came despite increasing sanction pressure by the Trump administration, which began targeting Russian oil giants Lukoil and Rosneft in October. The measures, which f

War

Editors' Picks

‘No need to hold referendums’ — Amid US pressure, Ukrainians reject territorial concessions

Culture

Looking for the 10 best Ukraine-related books of 2025? We’ve got you

2 Ukrainian films shortlisted for 98th Academy Awards nominations

FIDE allows Russian, Belarusian youth chess players to compete under national flags

In the middle of war, Ukraine's top university reimagines Russian Studies

A Russian opposition figure tries — and fails — to mythologize Zelensky

Ukraine's parliament strips Russian from 'protected minority language' list

Alla Horska’s life and death in Ukraine’s struggle against Russian annihilation

The Soviets tried to silence Ukrainian poet Vasyl Stus. A new exhibition honors his legacy

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'They refuse to give in,' Angelina Jolie says on her Kherson, Mykolaiv visit

Returning home, photographer Yelena Yemchuk finds beauty in a country at war

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Russian authorities detain 18 year-old singer additional 13 days for 'petty hooliganism'

NewsLetters

News Feed

Ukrainian drones reportedly strike oil tanker in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, local officials claim

Drone production, air defense sustainment — Germany backs Ukraine with $1.4 billion in defense agreements

Russian guided bomb attack hits apartment buildings in Zaporizhzhia, injuring at least 32

US, Russia set to hold talks in Miami this weekend, Politico reports

US Senate passes defense spending bill allocating $400 million annually in military aid to Ukraine through 2027

Lukashenko trades prisoners for sanctions relief — and keeps the upper hand

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Russia's strong currency puzzles economists, signals economic woes

Wave of Ukrainian drones targets Moscow in reported overnight strike

Ukraine war latest: Encircled Russian troops in Kupiansk resupplied with flags, not food, official says

Hunted relentlessly by Russian drones, 2 Ukrainian soldiers survive 165 days on the front line

This is the momentum for Europe to act: seize Russian assets

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‘No need to hold referendums’ — Amid US pressure, Ukrainians reject territorial concessions

Few politicians are interested in Anti-Corruption Court's effective work, court's head says

'It’s a second front line' — The Ukrainian power plant workers battling to make repairs under Russian attacks

India’s short-sighted embrace of Russia will endanger its own national security