After two and a half years of brutal aggression and growing evidence of war crimes committed by Russian soldiers, some people abroad still cling to the hope that the reality of what’s happening in Ukraine isn't as grim as it seems: a nation of nearly 150 million people can’
Controversy over the film only grew louder with the revelation by the Ukrainian Canadian Congress (UCC) that the film is set to be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival, and has previously received Canadian government funding.
The Ukrainian Fashion Week returned to Kyiv for its 55th season from Sept. 1-4 for the first time since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022. Over the past two and a half years, Ukrainian designers put out showcases in cities like London, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, Lisbon, and Berlin
The following lecture was delivered in March 2023 at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy as part of a benefit conference to raise funds to support public outreach at Kyiv Mohyla Academy. The subject I have chosen for myself is thinking about freedom
Russian forces have damaged several ancient burial mounds on the front line in southern Ukraine, potentially violating the Hague and Geneva Conventions, according to research from the Ukraine Conflict Observatory published on Sept. 4.
Team Ukraine took home four gold and three silver medals on the seventh day of the 2024 Paralympic Games. Ukraine ranks seventh in the overall medal standings.
As the new school year began in Ukraine, Russia intensified its attacks on the country’s educational facilities, further disrupting a study process already severely impacted by the full-scale war and sowing anxiety among students and their families. In just three days, Russian strikes damaged at least 12 educational institutions,
Shpatkivska set the European record in the F46 class with a distance of 12.35 meters.
At the opening of an art exhibition in Kharkiv’s Yermoliv Center on Aug. 29, 18-year-old artist Veronika Kozhushko, also known as Nika, could be seen jumping on a small trampoline before she landed on her feet with a breathless smile. The following day, Russia killed her. Russia launched glide
In downtown Kyiv, trendy bookstore cafes are bustling with people enjoying coffee, reading, working on laptops, or socializing. Remarkably, many of these establishments, such as the 1,500-square-meter Sens bookstore on Kyiv's main street, Khreshchatyk, have emerged only recently – despite Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Oleksii Erinchak, the owner
The propaganda surrounding Russia’s 2014 invasion of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts has been so pervasive that, even a decade later, people continue to parrot lines about the need to "protect the Donbas people from the Kyiv regime." It’s time for the voices of people from both regions to
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on Aug. 20, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. An isolated land in the East is shrouded in darkness. An evil lord,
According to the preliminary details about the show, named "Goodbye," an undercover "President Joe Biden" moves to Russia to investigate why Western sanctions are unsuccessful. After losing his documents, Biden is forced to become an English teacher to save up money and eventually return to the U.S.
Painter Oleksandr Dubovyk, a legend of the “Ukrainian Sixties” movement who pioneered abstract expressionism during the Soviet Union, began experimenting with the concept of “bouquet” as early as 1966. While the philosophy has evolved over the decades, drawing inspiration from German philosophers and scientists like Heidegger, Leibniz, and Heisenberg, it
As the summer is coming to an end, Kyiv residents are trying to enjoy glimpses of normalcy amid the never-ending threats of Russian missile and drone attacks and the blackouts, which often follow large-scale strikes that target critical infrastructure across Ukraine. On Ukraine's 33rd Independence Day, celebrated on Aug. 24,
Following a decade-long battle, a substantial part of Crimean artifacts is now on display in Kyiv until the occupied peninsula is liberated, officials say. After a lengthy legal struggle, the return of the so-called "Scythian gold" last year was, for Ukrainians, an important cultural milestone amid the ongoing decade-long war
“Everything in Ukraine is about pain, tears, serfdom, and wars. Of course, children don’t want to read such literature.” I still remember this conversation from back in school when the math teacher was trying to explain to the literature teacher why her class wasn’t preparing for their lessons.
Editor’s note: Daria Kolomiec is a Ukrainian cultural activist, producer, DJ, and author of the documentary project Diary of War. Since the summer of 2022, Daria has been volunteering in New York City, where she talks about and shows Ukrainian music and culture to Americans, raises money to support
The legislation could effectively prohibit the activities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP), which is legally subordinate to the Russian Orthodox Church.
"This is respect. This is honor. This is dignity. It is how the state of Ukraine says thank you to its people, its heroes, its legends," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Editor's note: The article was expanded with comments by religious scholar Oleksandr Brodetskyi. Ukraine's parliament passed on Aug. 20 a much-debated bill banning activities of religious organizations with ties to Russia, a country whose armies are currently occupying large swathes of Ukraine's land. The legislation – falsely spun by pro-Kremlin actors
The Kyiv Independent will launch a travel show called “Dare to Ukraine.” In each of the six episodes, host Masha Lavrova will travel to six regions across the country to explore the local culture, architecture, food, popular activities, people, and everyday life. The first episode of “Dare to Ukraine” will
The Ukrainian parliament on Aug. 20 passed a bill banning activities of religious organizations connected to Russia.
The Nature Reserve Askania-Nova in Kherson Oblast suffered heavily under Russian occupation but has not been fully destroyed as of now, the reserve's director, Viktor Shapoval, said in a comment for Suspilne on Aug. 19
The Lesia Ukrainka Museum in Yalta, located in occupied Crimea, has been effectively erased. The museum has been repurposed under a new name, the Yalta Historical and Literary Museum, with exhibitions focusing on Yalta's history, music, and literature, as well as architect Nikolai Krasnov.
Three different collections, including one with the Kyiv Independent brand merchandise and two more featuring works of Ukrainian artists, are already available for purchase.
While Russian armed forces target and destroy Ukraine’s cultural heritage with missiles, rockets, and artillery, Kyiv’s developers are bulldozing historic buildings right in the city center. On July 19, videos and images surfaced of the historic Zelensky Manor being ripped apart by a bulldozer, shocking locals. Activists who
Ukrainian high jumpers Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Iryna Gerashchenko qualified for the 2024 Olympics on Aug. 2. They will represent Ukraine in the high jump finals on Aug. 4.
Kiper made the statement after Odesa Mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov criticized the renaming of streets on Aug. 1, claiming that Odesa City Council had "nothing to do with this."
The wail of the air raid siren in Ukraine, which signals potential or incoming attacks, has become as burdensome and commonplace a sound as that of traffic or construction work. More than 40,000 air raid sirens lasting from minutes to hours throughout the day and night have sounded across
The city of Kharkiv has decided to rename three metro stations and 48 streets to "remove Russian markers from public space," Governor Oleh Syniehubov announced on July 26.
Despite the contrasting opinions surrounding her life’s work and sometimes contentious public statements, the assassination of linguist and former right-wing lawmaker Iryna Farion on July 19 came as a shock to Ukrainians. Sixty-year-old Farion was shot in the head by an unknown assailant outside of her home in the
The latest on literature, films, art, and traditions from Ukraine and the region. 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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