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Culture

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

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

by Kate Tsurkan

While the Soviet authorities promoted their vision of ideological "universalism" — a homogenized identity that suppressed national cultures — dissenting voices were silenced through arrests, intimidation, and even murder. Yet amid this repression, courageous figures refused to surrender their cultural identity. Among them was the poet Vasyl Stus (1938-1985), one of the era's greatest Ukrainian dissidents. The new exhibition "As Long As We're Here, Everything Will Be Fine" at Kyiv's Mystetskyi

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Ukraine war latest: Unmanned Systems Forces blow up $60m worth of Russian air defense systems in 3 days

Hello, this is Kateryna Hodunova reporting from Kyiv on day 1,374 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story: Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces took out $60 million worth of Russian air defense systems over the course of three days, it claimed in a social media post on Nov. 28. "The Buk-M1, Buk-M2, and Tor-M2 air defense systems were hit. The total cost of these weapons is estimated at $60 million," it said. "These complexes are key elements of the enemy's air defense syst

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

Editor's Note: This story was originally published in The Kyiv Independent's first-ever print edition, titled "The Power Within." You can order a copy in our e-store. Carrying a portrait of Ukrainian artist Alla Horska at her funeral, poet Vasyl Stus, who would himself perish in a Russian labor camp 15 years later, did not shy away from calling her death a murder. On that mournful day, when it fell to Stus to speak, he delivered a poem written in Horska’s memory. Its stark opening line — “Toda

Czech foundation drops Flamingo missile donation amid Ukraine corruption probes

The Czech foundation Gift for Putin will no longer buy Flamingo cruise missiles from Ukrainian weapons maker Fire Point due to connections to a recent corruption scandal, local media reported. "We collected the money very quickly, but serious doubts arose that it would not go to the product for which the collection was made. So we did not go to them and now we are looking for a suitable alternative," Dalibor Dědek told Idnes, as reported on Nov. 28. The decision apparently came after Dědek rece

Who is Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s closest ally?

Editor's note: Andriy Yermak submitted his resignation following searches by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) at his premises, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Nov. 28. President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has consolidated an unprecedented level of power within Ukraine's government — wielding influence across parliament, the Cabinet, and key state institutions. Despite his dominance, however, Yermak has remained a controversial figure, often viewed w

How Ukrainian helicopter pilots hunt down Russian drones

As Russia bombards Ukraine with Shahed drones almost every night, the 12th Army Aviation Brigade takes to the skies in decades-old helicopters to intercept them. The Kyiv Independent’s Kollen Post joined the pilots to understand how they fly, maneuver, and shoot down drones in darkness — and what keeps them going.

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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