Help us keep bringing the truth to light, even when Russia turns the lights out.

Shop and support

Culture

The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

Ukrainian InstituteLearn more
The cover of “Naive My Love,” by Gunia Project, and “Pigeon and Dove” by Primachenko.
Culture

Inside Ukraine's world of naive art — and the Gunia aesthetic it inspired

by Kate Tsurkan

A cat's fur for a brush, crushed petals for paint, and an eye for beauty — as it turns out, that's all some Ukrainian artists needed to make some of the most distinctive paintings of the 20th century. "Naive My Love," a new coffee table book by French publisher Assouline in collaboration with Ukrainian fashion and design brand Gunia Project, celebrates the bold colors, imaginative motifs, and deeply personal visual language of Ukrainian naive and folk art. The book's visuals stand on their own

News Feed

Inside the legal design of America's Russia sanctions U-turn

The first Russian diesel tanker under the new deal between Russia and the United States is now heading for New York with a 40,000-metric-ton cargo, enough to cover barely two hours of American demand. The deal began with a phone call, in which Russian President Vladimir Putin seems to have persuaded his U.S. counterpart, President Donald Trump, that Russian diesel could ease the energy prices he blamed on Ukraine's strikes. And the argument appears to have landed. Within a week, Washington had

Putin (L) and Trump (R) arrive for a group photo at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan on June 28, 2019.

How Trump is pushing Ukraine away from the US

Kyiv Independent journalists Jimmy Rushton and Danylo Mokryk argue that Donald Trump’s pressure on Kyiv is backfiring — strengthening support for Volodymyr Zelensky while undermining trust in the United States.

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