Culture

The Hidden Canon: Ukraine's Literary Iconoclasts

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

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Artist Zhanna Kadyrova (R) and curator Leonid Marushchak pose with the "Origami Deer" sculpture in Prague on March 12, 2026.
Culture

When security guarantees fail: Ukraine's message at the Venice Biennale

by Valeria Radkevych

The 61st Venice Biennale is now underway, with the world's premier international art event having been in the spotlight not for its showings, but for its controversy and internal strife. On April 30, just days before the opening of the festival, the jury collectively resigned in protest over Russia and Israel's planned presence in the event, declaring that with a "responsibility toward the historical role of the Biennale," they could not judge art from countries whose leaders are charged with c

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Ukraine war latest: Ukrainian drones strike Russian gas facility over 1,500 kilometers from border, Zelensky says

Key developments on May 12: * Ukrainian drones strike Russian gas facility over 1,500 kilometers from border, Zelensky says * Ukraine strikes Russian targets in occupied Donetsk Oblast after renewed attacks, military says * New Russia sanctions feature individuals exposed in Kyiv Independent documentary * Russian attacks kill 4 civilians, injure 27 after Victory Day ceasefire ends Ukrainian drones attacked a gas industry facility in Russia's Orenburg Oblast on May 12, targeting a site more

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.

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Who is winning? Since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the information space around the war has been obsessed with this deceptively simple question, and the constant new iterations of answers to it. In the hands of those fighting the narrative war, from officials on both sides, online cheerleaders, armchair generals, and a certain world leader who likes to talk about who has the cards, the answers differ radically, but all are delivered with consistent venom, emotion, and

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