Culture

The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

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A pair of soldiers stand back-to-back as they hold their rifles in an undated photo.
Culture

Ukraine's wartime action thriller 'Killhouse' reaches global audience on Netflix

by Kate Tsurkan

Ukraine's new action film "Killhouse" is set to reach a global audience, hitting the Netflix streaming platform on June 26 in Ukraine, with international distribution planned for autumn. Few scenes hit as hard in "Killhouse" as when Ukrainian soldiers decide to launch a high-risk mission to rescue a near-death civilian from the gray zone, a territory sandwiched between Ukrainian and Russian lines. In the film, the Russian commander watching them from his position assumes that the civilian bein

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Raid on leading drone company fuels fears of crackdown on Ukraine's defense tech sector

Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv over 12 hours after the searches began, Oleksii Babenko, a young star in Ukraine's drone industry, said that Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigations had carried out 70 searches, including at Vyriy Industries facilities, contractors' premises, and the homes of his own family members.

Ukraine war latest: 8 Russian shadow fleet tankers hit in Azov Sea, Ukraine's 'Madyar' says

Key developments on July 7: * 'Industrial scale results' — 8 Russian shadow fleet tankers hit in Azov Sea, Ukraine's 'Madyar' says * 2 defense industry enterprises hit in Russia's Bryansk Oblast, oil depot in Belgorod Oblast, General Staff says * Ukraine signs drone cooperation deals with 3 NATO countries * Canada pledges $900 million to Ukraine for vehicles and ammo, but no air defense Ukrainian long-range drone strikes hit eight Russian shadow fleet tankers in the Sea of Azov, Ukraine's

Bardella or Le Pen: What France's far-right choice means for Ukraine

Editor's note: this article was updated to take account of Marine Le Pen's announcement that she would run for president. BRUSSELS, Belgium — For months, opinion polls have indicated that France's far-right National Rally (RN) is well placed to win the 2027 presidential election, after President Emmanuel Macron reaches his constitutional term limit. But a court ruling on July 7 upended expectations over who will lead the party's presidential ticket — a decision that could also have implication

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.
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