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Culture

The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

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Luke Harding's 'Betrayal' charts the collapse of the rules-based order — and who is to blame
Culture

Luke Harding's 'Betrayal' charts the collapse of the rules-based order — and who is to blame

by Kate Tsurkan

Luke Harding's “Betrayal: Trump, Putin and the New Age of Conquest" begins with a turning point in the full-scale war most people probably haven't spent enough time coming to terms with: North Korean soldiers getting ready to join the biggest land war in Europe since 1945. "Soon they would be stumbling through alien woods and fields, sent by one dictator to help out another. It was a sign of a world turned upside down. The rules-based international order — the post-1945 understanding that state

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Europe is learning the wrong lesson from Russia's drone war

European governments are preparing for a form of confrontation that their current investments do not fully match. While Russian-linked sabotage usually uses drones, logistics networks, criminal intermediaries, and deniable proxies against European cities, official policies and national strategies remain focused on detecting and intercepting each incident as it arises. This approach treats only the instrument of attack, leaving the vulnerability it exploits mainly overlooked. That vulnerabilit

A sign reading "No drone zone" at Brussels Airport in Zaventem, Belgium, on Nov. 5, 2025.

The price of doing business in Russia

When Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, most global businesses rushed for the exit. Swiss food and drink firm Nestlé was not among them. The company hunkered down, a decision it framed as ensuring local people's "right to food." It made little difference to the Kremlin. On Sept. 17, the Russian government placed Nestlé Russia under temporary external administration, a move that could lead to the company's ultimate confiscation or nationalization. Nestlé now says it is "assess

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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