Culture

The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

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

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

by Kate Tsurkan

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

News Feed

Southern Europe lays siege to newest EU sanctions package

The EU is hoping to pass its 21st sanctions package at a July 13 meeting of foreign ministers, just in time for summer, but a spate of objections by largely southern countries threatens to deprive the European Commission's original proposal of most of its punch. In its original proposal, outlined by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on June 9, the 21st sanctions package was set to break new ground with measures targeting cryptocurrency, Russian fisheries, and entry bans on anyone who se

Ukraine strikes Russia's Saky air base in occupied Crimea for second time in a week, SBU says

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) said on July 3 it had struck two Russian military air bases in occupied Crimea overnight, damaging or destroying at least seven military aircraft in its second reported attack on the Saky air base within a week. According to the SBU, Ukrainian drones struck seven hangars at the Saky air base where Russia stores Su-30SM, Su-30, and Su-24 fighter and bomber aircraft. The agency said the strike destroyed or damaged at least seven aircraft. The SBU also reported hi

‘We created a unique system for the defense sector:’ Full interview with Ukraine's central bank governor

For four years, Ukraine’s central bank has faced full scale-invasion, bouts of inflation, and the relentless task of keeping Ukraine’s financial system afloat through it all. But under Governor Andrii Pyshnyi’s tenure, which started in late 2022, the bank has also overseen the monumental rise of Ukraine’s mil-tech sector, progress towards privatization Ukraine’s massive state-owned banks, and — slowly but surely — alignment with EU regulation, which the bank aims to complete by the end of 2027.

Andriy Pyshnyi, Ukraine Central Bank Governor in Kyiv, Ukraine, in a photograph posted on 4 June 4, 2026.

How European machinery helped build Russia's deadly missiles

Customs records obtained by the Kyiv Independent reveal that specialized metalworking equipment manufactured in Germany, Italy, Spain, and other EU countries continued reaching Russian metallurgical plants during the war through a Turkish intermediary.

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.
News Feed