Kremlin bots spam internet with fake celebrity quotes against Ukraine
Fake quotes appeared over photos of celebrities such as Scarlett Johansson and Elton John, calling to end aid to Ukraine and describing European collapse.
Culture
'Saints:' Photographer Sasha Maslov on documenting self-sacrifice in Ukraine during war
Sasha Maslov is a Ukrainian-American photographer who divides his time between Kyiv and New York. At the start of the full-scale invasion, he returned to Kyiv to document the war. His work, which has been showcased in galleries and art spaces across Europe and the United States, includes regular contributions
Opinion: Elon Musk, ‘Civilization,’ and Ukraine – how computer games shape our reality
For better or worse, memes and video games might now play a more significant role in shaping people’s worldviews than textbooks, movies, and literature. As Russia’s war against Ukraine and the Israel-Hamas war capture global attention, it’s crucial to consider how people form their conscious and unconscious
Culture Ministry: 91 media workers killed by Russian invasion
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has so far killed 91 media workers, the Culture Ministry reported on June 6, a day marked in Ukraine as Journalists' Day.
Author Zhadan joins Ukraine's National Guard
"I joined the 13th Brigade of the National Guard 'Charter.' I am undergoing training. I serve Ukrainian people," Serhiy Zhadan wrote on Facebook, adding a photo of him from the training.
10 authors shaping contemporary Ukrainian literature
Ukraine has a thriving contemporary literature scene with writers from across the country working in multiple genres. There’s a wide variety of texts for readers to choose from, whether they prefer the immersive realm of a science fiction novel or a work of thought-provoking literary criticism. This persistence of
‘Everyone says culture has nothing to do with it. It does' — Ukrainian writer Volodymyr Rafeyenko on Russia’s war
Ukrainian author Volodymyr Rafeyenko never thought he would write a novel in Ukrainian. He was a native of Donetsk, an eastern Ukrainian city where he grew up speaking Russian and completed a degree in Russian philology. Early on in his career, he was the winner of some of Russia’s
Ukrainian violinist wins prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium
Ukrainian violinist Dmytro Udovychenko was announced as the winner of the internationally renowned Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels on June 2.
What will Russia's attack on Kharkiv printing house mean for Ukraine's publishing industry?
The aftermath of Russia’s May 23 attack on Kharkiv’s Faktor Druk printing house shocked Ukrainians: mountains of charred Ukrainian books covered its blackened floor. The strike had destroyed over a quarter of the company’s warehouse. The 4,000 square meter building is owned by the Faktor group
Traveling to Ukraine: What to see in wartime Kyiv
Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv, is a city steeped in history, culture, and resilience. Even in the turbulence of wartime, life in Kyiv, to the greatest extent possible, goes on as usual: Shops, restaurants, clubs, bars, museums, parks, and galleries are all still operating. Tourism in Ukraine is largely on hold
Monument honoring Ukrainian revolutionary Nestor Makhno destroyed by Russian missiles
Russian forces destroyed a monument to early 20th century revolutionary Nestor Makhno on May 23, in the center of Huliaipole, a town in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
Russian missile strike reduces Kharkiv printing press to ashes, killing 7 (Photos)
Editor's note: This article features graphic photos. Russian forces destroyed one of Ukraine's largest printing presses amid a mass missile attack on the city of Kharkiv on the morning of May 23. According to regional authorities, Russia used S-300 missiles, fired from inside Russian territory, to strike the factory belonging
SBU suspects notorious musician of war propaganda after he fled to Russia
Yurii Bardash, a Ukraine-born producer and musician who fled to Russia after the outbreak of the full-scale war, is suspected of spreading war propaganda and justifying Moscow's aggression, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said on May 22.
The Counteroffensive: Cutting-edge Ukrainian fashion goes beyond vyshyvankas
Editor’s Note: This article was published by the twice-weekly newsletter “The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak” on May 20, 2024, and has been re-published by the Kyiv Independent with permission. To subscribe to "The Counteroffensive," click here. When Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine began, Anastasia Boyko considered fleeing Ukraine to
Vyshyvanka: A Ukrainian tradition preserved through centuries (Photos)
Every year on the third Thursday of May, Ukrainians celebrate Vyshyvanka Day. Vyshyvanka is the Ukrainian word for an embroidered shirt or dress – a central piece to traditional Ukrainian clothing. Vyshyvanka is traditionally made from linen and embroidered with various symbols unique to each region of Ukraine. Throughout history, Ukrainians
Blinken sings, plays guitar with local band in Kyiv
Videos circulated on Instagram showed U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken singing and playing guitar along with other musicians onstage.
Veteran Oleksandr Budko to be Ukraine's next 'Bachelor'
Ukrainian veteran Oleksandr "Teren" Budko will be the next "Bachelor" of the Ukrainian adaptation of American TV series by the same name, the Ukrainian TV channel STB reported on May 13.
Ukraine qualifies for Eurovision 2024 song contest finals
With their song "Teresa & Maria," Ukraine's Alyona Alyona & Jerry Heil qualified for the Eurovision finals in Sweden's Malmo, successfully passing the semi-finals on May 7.
What's in a Ukrainian Easter basket? The answer isn't chocolate
For the nearly two-thirds of Ukrainians who identify as Orthodox Christians, Easter is known as Velykden, meaning “Great Day” in Ukrainian. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine calculates the date of Easter according to the revised Julian calendar. It falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the
Ministry: Russia's war destroys or damages almost 2,000 cultural facilities
The list of damaged sites includes 958 cultural and social clubs, 708 libraries, 153 art schools, 114 museums and galleries, 36 theaters, cinemas, and concert halls, 15 parks, zoos, and nature reserves, and three circuses.
Ukrainian writer Aseyev injured in combat in Donetsk Oblast
"I'm alive, although according to all the laws of physics and probability, I should have died," Stanislav Aseyev wrote on X, adding: "The positions, unfortunately, have been lost. Now I'm in the hospital with a concussion."
Kyiv authorities begin dismantling historical monument to Pereiaslav Council
The Pereiaslav Council of 1654 saw the Cossacks, inhabitants of modern-day Ukraine, enter into an alliance with Moscow against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
Ukrainian writer Dmytro Kapranov dies at 56
Ukrainian writer and public figure Dmytro Kapranov died on April 16, according to the Kapranov brothers’ official Facebook page. He was 56 years old.
PM Shmyhal rejects petition calling for telethon funds to be given to armed forces
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal rejected a petition that called for the funding of the national telethon to be redistributed to the Ukrainian Armed Forces on April 15, responding that the telethon is part of the government's security and defense policy.
The recipe behind Ukraine’s beloved food chain Puzata Khata
If there is one institution in Ukraine impervious to the sweeping decommunization efforts of the last decade, it’s the Soviet-era canteen, or stolovaya as it’s usually referred to in Russian. An invention of the Soviet Union’s founding father Vladimir Lenin, the stolovaya (called yidalnia in Ukrainian) was
Popular poet Lazutkin named Defense Ministry spokesperson
Born in Kyiv in 1978, Dmytro Lazutkin is a laureate of the Shevchenko National Prize, the country's highest award for works in culture and arts. While having background in multiple professions, he is best know for his work in poetry.
Russian movie theaters are openly stealing Western films, and going unpunished
Russian state television has been vocal in painting Western democracies, especially the U.S., as the reason for all of Russia's problems. The desire for U.S.-made products inside Russia, however, remains high, with the country's providers turning to illegal schemes to cover the demand. After Russia launched its
Ukraine's circuses, TV channels recognized as 'critically important' companies, allowing employees to defer military service
Ukraine's Culture Ministry has recognized a number of TV channels, circuses, and other cultural institutions as "critically important" companies during wartime, allowing some of their employees to defer military service, according to decrees published on the ministry's website.
Poll: Just 12% of Ukrainians only speak Russian at home
When asked which language they speak at home, 12% of Ukrainians said they speak only Russian, while 59% said they speak only Ukrainian, according to a poll by the Sociological Group Rating published on April 4.
Hollywood actress Ivanna Sakhno: ‘I’ve never felt more at home in Ukraine than during full-scale war’
When Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, attacking the country from multiple fronts and the sky, Ukrainian actress Ivanna Sakhno was thousands of kilometers away. She has been living in the U.S. for nearly 10 years at that point, ever since deciding to pursue her dream of acting
Parliamentary committee backs renaming 7 cities and over 40 villages
Ukraine's Parliamentary Committee on Regional Development supported the renaming of seven more cities and 44 villages, whose names do not meet the standards of Ukrainian language or refer to Russian or Soviet names, lawmaker Roman Lozynskyi wrote on X on April 4.
Ukrainian photojournalist wins World Press Photo prize
Ukrainian photojournalist Julia Kochetova was announced as one of the 2024 World Press Photo Contest winners on April 3 for her multidisciplinary project "War Is Personal."
Ukraine culture
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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