Culture

'Some are forged into poets during hostilities' — Medic, former POW, and poet on how war is shaping Ukraine's writers

by Andrea JanutaJuly 8, 2025

Before her harrowing footage of life in Mariupol under siege from Russian invaders was viewed around the world in 2022, Yuliia Paievska — call sign "Taira" — was already well known to Ukrainians for leading a volunteer medical unit in Donbas. Now, the volunteer, soldier, athlete, global activist, and former POW is being lauded once again – as a poet whose debut collection, Nazhyvo (Live), has captured audiences in Ukraine with its fervent writing, inspired by some of the war's most brutal episo

Attendees of the Meridian Czernowitz literary festival in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on June 28–29, 2025.

‘Not many events like this left’ — A Ukrainian literary festival in a city falsely claimed by Russia

by Andrea JanutaJuly 3, 2025

Ukrainian author killed by Russia awarded UK’s prestigious Orwell Prize in political writing

by Kate TsurkanJune 25, 2025

As Ukraine bleeds, Western opera welcomes back pro-Putin Russian singer Anna Netrebko

by Kate TsurkanJune 25, 2025

Ukrainian artist's 'Sculpture' series normalizes injured bodies of Ukraine's soldiers

by Kate TsurkanJuly 18, 2025

The origins and meaning of the tryzub, the Ukrainian coat of arms

by Natalia YermakJuly 13, 2025

Ukrainians grapple with how to memorialize a war still being fought

by Natalia YermakJuly 10, 2025

A woman holds a Ukrainian passport at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in Tijuana, Mexico, on April 5, 2022

Foreigners move closer to Ukrainian citizenship with new draft law, but red tape obscures their path

by Kate TsurkanJune 24, 2025

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July 19, 2025 01:30 AM

US re-routing Patriots to fast-track air defenses to Ukraine, WSJ reports

The U.S. will send its next Patriot system to Germany rather than Switzerland, in order to speed up Berlin's shipment of two Patriot batteries to Ukraine, officials said.

July 18, 2025 11:57 PM

First Australian Abrams tanks reach Ukraine after 9-month wait

The tanks were promised to Kyiv in October 2024, but delivery was reportedly delayed due to resistance from the U.S. The remaining tanks will arrive "in the coming months."

July 18, 2025 11:21 PM

Minister proposes Ukrainian version of Trump's DOGE to 'reduce costs and evaluate efficiency'

"I will be looking for a person to lead this area," First Deputy Prime Minister and Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov wrote.

July 18, 2025 11:09 PM

Ukrainian forces 'steadfastly' holding defenses near Pokrovsk, commander-in-chief says

"The enemy continues to use small infantry groups, but they are powerless in their attempts to capture Pokrovsk," Oleksandr Syrskyi, Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, reported July 18.

July 18, 2025 10:17 PM

Germany's Merz says Ukraine unlikely to join EU before 2034

"For us, the absolute top priority is, first and foremost, to do everything possible to end this war," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said.

July 18, 2025 10:13 PM

New EU sanctions could block Rosneft's Indian refinery sale plans, Bloomberg reports

The Russian oil giant has been trying to sell its 49.13% stake in India's Nayara refinery, but the EU's latest sanctions package could make such a deal too risky for buyers.

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

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Ukraine war latest: Drones attack Russia's Black Sea Fleet; Russian pipelines explode in country's Far East, HUR says

Key developments on July 5-6: * Drones reportedly attack Russia's Black Sea fleet * Pipelines supplying Russian military explode in Russia's Far East, HUR source says * Ukrainian drone strike on Russian airfield hits bomb depot, aircraft * Ukraine hits Russian electronic warfare facility making Shahed, Iskander components, General Staff says * Ukraine's army chief warns of new Russian offensives in northeast as he visits Kharkiv Oblast front Drones attacked Russia's Black Sea Fleet at the

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As Russia closes in on Pokrovsk, battle for key city enters its final act

Culture

'Some are forged into poets during hostilities' — Medic, former POW, and poet on how war is shaping Ukraine's writers

‘Not many events like this left’ — A Ukrainian literary festival in a city falsely claimed by Russia

Ukrainian author killed by Russia awarded UK’s prestigious Orwell Prize in political writing

As Ukraine bleeds, Western opera welcomes back pro-Putin Russian singer Anna Netrebko

Ukrainian artist's 'Sculpture' series normalizes injured bodies of Ukraine's soldiers

The origins and meaning of the tryzub, the Ukrainian coat of arms

Ukrainians grapple with how to memorialize a war still being fought

Foreigners move closer to Ukrainian citizenship with new draft law, but red tape obscures their path

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Love, sex, survival — Ukrainian author on how war shapes intimacy in Ukraine

Hungary’s soft power meets Ukraine’s hard reality in Zakarpattia

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

Putin’s suspected daughter found working in anti-war galleries in Paris

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

Author Yuri Andrukhovych on Ukrainian dissident art in Soviet times

Exiled Russian scholar on why Dugin is no philosopher, and Russia no defender of ‘traditional values’

Wondering where to start with Dostoevsky? Try his Ukrainian contemporaries instead

NewsLetters

News Feed

US re-routing Patriots to fast-track air defenses to Ukraine, WSJ reports

First Australian Abrams tanks reach Ukraine after 9-month wait

Minister proposes Ukrainian version of Trump's DOGE to 'reduce costs and evaluate efficiency'

Ukrainian forces 'steadfastly' holding defenses near Pokrovsk, commander-in-chief says

Germany's Merz says Ukraine unlikely to join EU before 2034

New EU sanctions could block Rosneft's Indian refinery sale plans, Bloomberg reports

About Culture

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Most Popular

Ukraine war latest: Drones attack Russia's Black Sea Fleet; Russian pipelines explode in country's Far East, HUR says

Pipelines supplying Russian military explode in Russia's Far East, HUR source says

Ukrainian drone strike on Russian airfield hits bomb depot, aircraft

Drones reportedly attack Russia's Black Sea fleet

'Impeccable results' — New Skynex video shows Ukrainian forces destroying Russian drones with German gun

Editors' Picks

As Russia closes in on Pokrovsk, battle for key city enters its final act

Growing pains: The lives of Ukrainian teenagers at war

'Russia's tactic is obvious' — Shahed drone 'terror' now reaches all of Ukraine

Ukrainians grapple with how to memorialize a war still being fought