Culture

The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

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

by Kate TsurkanOctober 5, 2026

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

Ukrainian actor Serhii Strelnikov enlists in Unmanned Systems Forces

by Kate TsurkanOctober 8, 2026

Ukrainian Chess Federation blasts presidential aide after accepting FIDE position alongside a Russian, urges SBU probe

by Yevgeniya DoludaSeptember 28, 2026

Kyiv Independent recommends 5 translated Ukrainian books to look out for in late 2026 and early 2027

by Kate TsurkanSeptember 24, 2026

A man walks past a closed bar at the Bessarabskyi Market in Kyiv, Ukraine on Oct. 6, 2026.

Food court flop? Kyiv’s historic market empties after million-dollar makeover

by Alessandra HayOctober 9, 2026

20-year-old sentenced to life in prison for murder of Ukrainian language advocate, ex-lawmaker Iryna Farion

by Kate TsurkanOctober 1, 2026

Kanye West's sold-out Russia concerts cancelled, organizers confirm

by Rebecka PiederOctober 1, 2026

Ukraine's Culture Ministry announces major fundraising initiative to help publishers struggling after Russian attacks

by Kate TsurkanSeptember 21, 2026

NewsLetters

News Feed

Friday, October 9

06:51 AM

Ukraine confirms strikes on Russian cruise missile fuel plant, missile facilities

Ukraine's military launched an attack on Russia's Tver Oblast overnight on Oct. 9, reportedly targeting a Russian factory that manufactures fuel components for Kh-55 and Kh-101 cruise missiles, Russian Telegram media channels reported.

11:52 PM

'We were being arrested like terrorists' - Ukrainian journalist says his detention in Austria was brutal

The acclaimed journalist was reportedly on an editorial assignment in Vienna with his colleague Yaroslav Bondarenko when he was detained by Austrian authorities.

04:14 PM

EU represented by von der Leyen's right-hand at Ukraine peace talks, sources say

Two EU officials confirmed that Bjoern Seibert would be representing the European Commission at those talks, alongside the National Security Advisers of the E3 countries: France, Germany, and the U.K.

03:22 PM

Russia forcibly removes 25 Ukrainian civilians, including children, from occupied Kharkiv Oblast, ombudsman says

"Russia calls this an 'evacuation.' But when people are taken away against their will, intimidated, and left with no choice, it is not a rescue. It is coercion," Dmytro Lubinets said.

01:47 PM

Founder of Rybar, Russian war propaganda channel, detained in Montenegro

Mikhail Zvinchuk, his wife Valeria Zvinchuk, and three other associates were detained in an operation by Montenegrin police and security service on the morning of Oct. 9, local media reported.

02:08 PM

Exclusive: Putin puts a price on Trump's Ukraine energy truce — Kyiv fears the cost

Russia has demanded sanctions relief from the U.S. as part of talks over a possible energy ceasefire with Ukraine, while also seeking to link the initiative to a ceasefire in the Black Sea, U.S. and Ukrainian officials familiar with the talks told the Kyiv Independent. The demands come as Russia intensifies attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with one senior Ukrainian defense official saying Moscow is trying to inflict as much damage as possible to gain leverage before potential negotia

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.

June 12, 2025‘I feel like I lost 3 years’ — Ukrainian author turned soldier Artem Chapeye on culture during war

June 11, 2025'Ukrainians have been stripped of illusion of control' — Filmmaker Kateryna Gornostai on Russia's war, cinema and reclaiming the narrative

March 26, 2025Explainer: Some Ukrainians speak Russian language — it doesn’t make them Russian

Editors' Picks

Exclusive: Putin puts a price on Trump's Ukraine energy truce — Kyiv fears the cost

Culture

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

Ukrainian actor Serhii Strelnikov enlists in Unmanned Systems Forces

Ukrainian Chess Federation blasts presidential aide after accepting FIDE position alongside a Russian, urges SBU probe

Kyiv Independent recommends 5 translated Ukrainian books to look out for in late 2026 and early 2027

Food court flop? Kyiv’s historic market empties after million-dollar makeover

20-year-old sentenced to life in prison for murder of Ukrainian language advocate, ex-lawmaker Iryna Farion

Kanye West's sold-out Russia concerts cancelled, organizers confirm

Ukraine's Culture Ministry announces major fundraising initiative to help publishers struggling after Russian attacks

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NewsLetters

News Feed

Ukraine confirms strikes on Russian cruise missile fuel plant, missile facilities

'We were being arrested like terrorists' - Ukrainian journalist says his detention in Austria was brutal

EU represented by von der Leyen's right-hand at Ukraine peace talks, sources say

Russia forcibly removes 25 Ukrainian civilians, including children, from occupied Kharkiv Oblast, ombudsman says

Founder of Rybar, Russian war propaganda channel, detained in Montenegro

Exclusive: Putin puts a price on Trump's Ukraine energy truce — Kyiv fears the cost

About Culture

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He fled Maduro's Venezuela. Now he leads Ukraine's South American battalion.

Russia slams Ukraine with missiles, drones on Putin's 74th birthday, at least 30 dead including 5 children

Zelensky sends delegation to meet Trump envoys as he hints at secret US-Russia economic talks

Armed individuals from Belarus threaten Latvian soldiers at border, followed by another breach

Polish SIM cards found in Russian drones downed in Poland

Editors' Picks

Exclusive: Putin puts a price on Trump's Ukraine energy truce — Kyiv fears the cost

In Kyiv district battered by Russian strikes, a protest to save trees turns ugly

He fled Maduro's Venezuela. Now he leads Ukraine's South American battalion.

Trump's Ukraine-Russia peace gambit begins to unravel. Again