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Who does Crimea really belong to?
Russia's war against Ukraine began in Crimea. In February 2014, as the pro-Russian regime in Kyiv was killing protesters on the barricades of the EuroMaidan Revolution, thousands of Russian troops without insignia began occupying strategic locations and military bases in the Crimean Peninsula. Within a month, Russia had illegally annexed
Why Ukrainian writers refuse to share stages with Russian authors at festivals
Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, many Ukrainian writers have refused to participate in any cultural events that featured Russian writers. Despite thousands of civilian casualties, billions of dollars in infrastructure damage, and countless stories of human rights abuses committed by Russian forces, Ukrainian writers keep having to
From Eurovision to international advocacy: Kalush Orchestra's journey to promote Ukrainian culture
EDMONTON, Canada – This time last year, Oleh Psiuk felt a little nervous. The 28-year-old from the small western Ukrainian town of Kalush was about to do something he had never experienced before, but he was ready to give it his all. Psiuk and his band, Kalush Orchestra, were set to
How Russia has attempted to erase Ukrainian language, culture throughout centuries
Editor's Note: This is episode 3 of "Ukraine's True History," a video and story series by the Kyiv Independent. The series is funded by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting within the program “Ukraine Forward: Amplifying Analysis.” The program is financed by the MATRA Programme of the Embassy of
How a celebrated Ukrainian writer turned into a war crimes researcher
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has galvanized Ukrainians into action, compelling them to figure out how they can contribute to their country’s victory. Oftentimes, it has called for a radical departure from the known comforts of their daily lives. That’s exactly what happened to Ukrainian writer Victoria
Russia’s centuries-long quest to conquer Ukraine
Editor's Note: This is episode 2 of "Ukraine's True History," a video and story series by the Kyiv Independent. The series is funded by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting within the program “Ukraine Forward: Amplifying Analysis.” The program is financed by the MATRA Programme of the Embassy of
10 popular misconceptions about Ukrainian history, debunked
Editor's Note: This is episode 1 of "Ukraine's True History," a video and story series by the Kyiv Independent. The series is funded by the Institute for War and Peace Reporting within the program “Ukraine Forward: Amplifying Analysis.” The program is financed by the MATRA Programme of the Embassy of
World-renowned writers, philosophers raise funds for academics in Ukraine
Intellectuals from across the globe took part in a three-day online conference to raise funds for the Center for Civic Engagement, a newly established project at the Kyiv Mohyla Academy. “‘The pen is mightier than the sword’ is true only if all the people with the swords die and the
Ukrainian filmmakers center resilience, horrors of war at Sundance Film Festival
The first Russian bomb hit the outskirts of Mariupol an hour after video journalist Mstyslav Chernov arrived to the city on Feb. 24, the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. For 20 days that followed, Chernov’s team captured Russian blows strangling the city block by block.
Ukraine's National Opera loses members to Russia’s war, says art is always political
Following a three-month break after the start of Russia’s all-out war, the National Opera of Ukraine resumed its performances. With some of its members serving in the army, and having dropped all Russian pieces from the repertoire, the theater team argues that art is always political. Culture Ministry: Russia
Ukrainian Carol of the Bells returns to Carnegie Hall 100 years later
A hundred years after it was heard for the first time by a North American audience, the famous Ukrainian carol Shchedryk,' also known as 'Carol of the Bells,' once again rang in the halls of Carnegie Hall in New York City. Ukrainian composer Mykola Leontovych’s carol was
Making sense of Ukrainian war memes: From watermelons to Saint Javelin
“Breaking: This lettuce outlasts Russian annexation of Kherson,” reads a meme posted a few hours after Russia announced its retreat from the city of Kherson. This is a remake of a joke about the former U.K. Prime Minister Liz Truss, whose short term in power " was compared to "the
Empty Kherson art museum in despair after entire collection stolen by Russia
KHERSON — Housed in a grand imperial building with a view out onto the Dnipro River, the Kherson Fine Arts Museum once hosted one of the richest collections in all of Ukraine. As with the rest of Kherson, which had its electricity infrastructure destroyed by withdrawing Russian forces in early November,
‘Freedom on Fire’ brings personal stories from Ukraine’s war onto the big screen
MILL VALLEY, California – Director Evgeny Afineevsky is best known for bringing to the screen one of the most pivotal moments in the modern history of Ukraine – the 2013-2014 EuroMaidan Revolution – in the film known as "Winter on Fire." Now he is putting a spotlight on a no less historic moment
Mykolaiv theater lives on from bunker amid shelling
MYKOLAIV – The bunker under the Mykolaiv academic theater was packed, with the last preparations well underway for an evening show 30 kilometers west of the front line. It was a special night. The theater's first film festival since February was about to begin in early August despite yet another night
As Russia seeks to destroy Ukrainian culture, diaspora continues to preserve it abroad
As Igor Martiniouk, 20, looked around the Soyuzivka Ukrainian Heritage Center in Upstate New York, the Catskill Mountains and lush green forests reminded him of the Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains. This was just as the center’s founders had intended. From the choice of location in mountainous Kerhonkson, New York, to
Editors' Picks
War from above: A day with drone unit defending Ukraine's south
‘I work, then I cry’: Exhausted medics near Bakhmut fight for every life
Ukraine war latest: Japanese PM visits Kyiv; US to speed up Patriot, Abrams delivery
Ukraine war latest: Bakhmut, Avdiivka, Mariinka under heavy fire
Belarus Weekly: European Parliament resolution urges more sanctions against Belarus
Ukrainian State-Owned Enterprises Weekly – Issue 80
