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The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

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'Hemingway Knows Nothing': Ukraine's writers are redefining literature of war
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'Hemingway Knows Nothing': Ukraine's writers are redefining literature of war

by Kate Tsurkan

When war, loss, and unimaginable suffering become routine, a book can offer a kind of lifeline — especially one by a writer who has lived through such an ordeal and tried to make sense of it. At the start of Russia’s full-scale war, some Ukrainians speculated if they’d see the rise of their own Ernest Hemingway: a writer whose books would not only capture the experience of a generation but come to define it. Yet it soon became clear that the old paradigms of war literature no longer spoke to t

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How Kyiv residents cope with constant drone attacks

In this video, the Kyiv Independent’s Zhenia Doluba speaks with Kyiv residents about how they are coping with Russia’s relentless attacks and the growing exhaustion caused by the significantly increased number of air raid alerts.

'Hanging by a thread' — Kyiv under psychological siege amid ceaseless strikes

After more than a week of relentless Russian strikes and near-constant air raid alerts, some Kyiv residents are being pushed to the brink of mental exhaustion. In the capital, every day since Aug. 27 has brought hours of sirens, sleepless nights, and the anticipation of another attack — a sustained pressure the experts say is Russia's deliberate tactic of terror. "This past week, with all the constant anxiety, my mental health has been hanging by a thread," said Kateryna Soniuk, a Kyiv residen

smoke rises from a destroyed warehouse after a Russian drone attack on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Aug. 27, 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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Ukraine wants to close Russia's skies and has a plan to do it. In an announcement on Sept. 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky gave few details about what it would entail, other than making clear it would involve lots of drones. "There will simply be drones in Russia's skies on a scale that has to be taken into account," he said, as he warned "every airline that uses Russian airspace" against flying over the country. "The Russian sky will be de facto closed," he added. The following day, the pre

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