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The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

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Burned Ukrainian books at the site of a Russian missile attack on a publishing factory in Kharkiv, Ukraine on May 23, 2024.
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Ukrainian publishers stand strong despite enormous financial losses from Russian attacks

by Kate Tsurkan

The moment Svitlana Paveletska, co-founder of Knyholav, received the news that the mass attack on July 19 had wiped out her publishing house's warehouse in Kyiv, she felt an overwhelming wave of grief that was difficult to put into words. "Every book represents months, and sometimes years, of work by our entire publishing team, including the author, translator, editor, proofreader, designer, and printer," Paveletska told the Kyiv Independent. Books are not military targets, but according to th

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Ukraine war latest: Zelensky cites new Ukrainian, Russian casualty figures

Key developments on July 31: * Russian military deaths 14 times higher than Ukraine’s, Zelensky says * 5 special forces soldiers missing, 3 injured after ammunition detonation at training ground in Western Ukraine * Khartiia brigade commander Obolienskyi targeted in assassination attempt, Zelensky says * Ukraine's assault regiments ordered to halt recruitment amid allegations of misconduct, media reports * Ukrainian forces strike oil refinery in Russia's Volgograd Oblast, aircraft factory

Poland's main conservative party splits as debate over Ukraine intensifies

For days, Poland's Law and Justice (PiS) party has been consumed by a crisis of its own making. The party, which governed Poland from 2015 to 2023, has now split into two ahead of next year's parliamentary elections. After months of internal tensions, the more moderate faction led by former Prime Minister  was forced out by Przemysław Czarnek, the party's newly nominated prime ministerial candidate and leader of its more radical wing. The split weakens an opposition that had hoped to challenge

Russia's war of conquest and its war on civilians

The hotel where we like to stay in Lviv, one of Europe's most picturesque cities, sits on a small square, a block from City Hall. Cafes and cobblestones, church towers and small shops enchant visitors, though the city bustles with locals going about their daily lives. Kitty-corner to our hotel is the Saints Peter and Paul Garrison Church, a 17th-century stone building that has long served the military and their families. Each morning during our visit, we woke to the sounds of funerals for soldi

residential building partially destroyed by Russian missile strikes in Lviv, Ukraine, on July 30, 2026.

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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