Culture

The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

A pair of soldiers stand back-to-back as they hold their rifles in an undated photo.

Ukraine's wartime action thriller 'Killhouse' reaches global audience on Netflix

by Kate TsurkanJune 25, 2026

Ukraine's new action film "Killhouse" is set to reach a global audience, hitting the Netflix streaming platform on June 26 in Ukraine, with international distribution planned for autumn. Few scenes hit as hard in "Killhouse" as when Ukrainian soldiers decide to launch a high-risk mission to rescue a near-death civilian from the gray zone, a territory sandwiched between Ukrainian and Russian lines. In the film, the Russian commander watching them from his position assumes that the civilian bein

'Beat every single Russian' — Ukrainian semifinalist at Wimbledon condemns IOC ruling on Russia

by Abbey FenbertJuly 9, 2026

Pantheon of Ukrainian heroes to be built at Kyiv's Pechersk Lavra

by Chris PowersJuly 4, 2026

Russia's overnight attack destroys around 800,000 Ukrainian books

by Kate TsurkanJuly 2, 2026

Fire rise from the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra following a Russian missile strike on June 15, 2026.

How one questionable photo fueled confusion over Russia's attack on Kyiv Lavra

by Linda HouraniJuly 7, 2026

Behind the lies of the latest guest on Tucker Carlson's podcast — a criminal Russian arms dealer

by Kate TsurkanJune 30, 2026

How Ukrainian and Belarusian entrepreneurs have set new standards in Warsaw’s café scene

by Noémie NaudinJune 29, 2026

Zelensky proposes Cossack leader monument instead of toppled Lenin statue in Kyiv

by Tania MyronyshenaJune 28, 2026

NewsLetters

News Feed

Friday, July 10

05:48 PM

Ukraine's Supreme Court upholds Zelensky's sanctions against rival Poroshenko

Under Zelensky, sanctions have increasingly been imposed on Ukrainian citizens. Legal experts describe the practice as highly questionable and warn that it is used to punish government critics and political opponents.

07:43 PM

Concerns mount as Zelensky turns sanctions into tool for punishing critics, former allies

Editor's note: Ukraine’s Supreme Court on July 10 rejected ex-President Petro Poroshenko’s lawsuit seeking to overturn his successor Volodymyr Zelensky’s sanctions against him. Read about this here. When President Volodymyr Zelensky slapped sanctions on ex-lawmaker Boryslav Bereza on July 7, many were left wondering what, if anything, linked him to Russia or posed a threat to Ukraine's national security. Bereza has never publicly expressed any sympathies for Russia and has been a pro-Western p

President Volodymyr Zelensky in Berlin, Germany, on April 14, 2026.

05:28 PM

Russia issues veiled threats over Dutch PM's Kyiv Independent interview

"Such statements... are not only taken note of, but also factored into military and political planning," the Russian embassy in the Netherlands said after Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten voiced support for Ukrainian strikes into Russian territory.

03:34 PM

Next step for Ukraine's EU membership talks unlocks on July 14

The next step unlocks a to-do list of reforms to align Ukraine and Moldova's foreign policies with EU norms.

04:04 PM

French billionaire Xavier Niel, owner of Ukraine's Lifecell, becomes Vodafone's largest shareholder

Xavier Niel, the French billionaire and owner of Ukraine’s third-largest telecom operator, has become the largest shareholder of the Vodafone Group after buying a 16.2% stake in the company, Niel’s investment vehicle Vega announced on July 10.

10:50 AM

Russia restates its maximalist war goals, despite Trump's renewed peace push

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would pursue the goals laid out in June 2024, which included Ukraine's full withdrawal from the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.

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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Business

Raid on leading drone company fuels fears of crackdown on Ukraine's defense tech sector

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv over 12 hours after the searches began, Oleksii Babenko, a young star in Ukraine's drone industry, said that Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigations had carried out 70 searches, including at Vyriy Industries facilities, contractors' premises, and the homes of his own family members.

Politics

Editors' Picks

'We've been naive and lazy for way too long' — Dutch PM calls out Europe in exclusive interview

Culture

Ukraine's wartime action thriller 'Killhouse' reaches global audience on Netflix

'Beat every single Russian' — Ukrainian semifinalist at Wimbledon condemns IOC ruling on Russia

Pantheon of Ukrainian heroes to be built at Kyiv's Pechersk Lavra

Russia's overnight attack destroys around 800,000 Ukrainian books

How one questionable photo fueled confusion over Russia's attack on Kyiv Lavra

Behind the lies of the latest guest on Tucker Carlson's podcast — a criminal Russian arms dealer

How Ukrainian and Belarusian entrepreneurs have set new standards in Warsaw’s café scene

Zelensky proposes Cossack leader monument instead of toppled Lenin statue in Kyiv

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Burning tradition — How Mykhail Semenko ignited a new path forward for Ukrainian poetry

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‘Still looking for my place’ — Ukrainian author Kateryna Zarembo on joining the military

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NewsLetters

News Feed

Ukraine's Supreme Court upholds Zelensky's sanctions against rival Poroshenko

Concerns mount as Zelensky turns sanctions into tool for punishing critics, former allies

Russia issues veiled threats over Dutch PM's Kyiv Independent interview

Next step for Ukraine's EU membership talks unlocks on July 14

French billionaire Xavier Niel, owner of Ukraine's Lifecell, becomes Vodafone's largest shareholder

Russia restates its maximalist war goals, despite Trump's renewed peace push

About Culture

Read more

Most Popular

Raid on leading drone company fuels fears of crackdown on Ukraine's defense tech sector

'Make them yourself': Trump gives Zelensky green light to produce Patriot missiles

'Beat every single Russian' — Ukrainian semifinalist at Wimbledon condemns IOC ruling on Russia

Ukrainian drones hammer Russia's Saratov Oil Refinery, Tatarstan petrochemical plant, Zelensky confirms

'Moscow will fall' — Another 9 Russian shadow fleet tankers hit in Azov Sea, Ukraine's 'Madyar' says

Editors' Picks

'We've been naive and lazy for way too long' — Dutch PM calls out Europe in exclusive interview

NATO summit — Trump rages at allies but hands Ukraine a win

As Ukrainian drone strikes cripple Russia’s fuel supply, Moscow faces 'one crisis after another'

Exclusive: Ukraine shipping giant is sinking amid allegations of mismanagement and corruption risks