Culture

Twentieth-century author Mikhail Bulgakov is seen in 1928.
Culture

What English translations miss about Bulgakov — and why it matters in Ukraine

by Kate Tsurkan

Twentieth-century author Mikhail Bulgakov is celebrated worldwide for his satirical genius and his defiance of Soviet power, most famously through works like "The Master and Margarita" and "White Guard." In Ukraine, his legacy is far more complicated. Rather than being remembered solely as a critic of totalitarianism, Bulgakov is seen by many as a symbol of Russian imperial culture for his hostility toward Ukrainian cultural identity. Born in Kyiv in 1891, Bulgakov grew up speaking Russian an

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Ukraine war latest: 'Ukraine's defense forces have regained positions in Kupiansk'

This is Chris York reporting from Kyiv on day 1,441 of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Today's top story so far: Ukraine's Armed Forces have regained positions in the embattled city of Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukrainian open-source mapping project DeepState said on Feb. 3. Russia has been trying  to push across the front by launching heavy offensive operations on multiple axes, including in the Kupiansk sector, to recapture the city it lost to a 2022 Ukrainian counteroffensive. Rus

Kyiv's National Botanical Garden's battle to keep plants alive amid war, sub-zero temperatures

On a bitterly cold winter morning inside Kyiv’s M.M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden, scientist Liudmyla Buyun checks a thermometer mounted against the glass wall of a greenhouse. She pauses, notes the reading, and moves on. The routine repeats several times a day, and sometimes through the night. "This is not a job that ends when you go home," says scientist Liudmyla Buyun. "For many of us, this is our life." Winter has pushed the National Botanical Garden into a daily fight to keep thousan

Employees of the Kyiv National Botanical Garden bring wood to the greenhouse in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 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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