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A Venetian Gothic facade adorned with banners for the 2026 Venice Biennale, in Venice, Italy, on Feb. 25, 2026.
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What's on at the Venice Biennale? Russian soft power

by Kate Tsurkan

In the fifth year of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, the Russian pavilion is set to return to the Venice Art Biennale with a “musical festival come to life” that serves as “a space for dialogue and exchange.” The pavilion was effectively canceled in 2022 after the artists and curator chosen to represent Russia withdrew in protest of the invasion. At the time, the organizers of the Biennale released a statement praising the decision and condemning “all those who use violence to prevent

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Europe's centralized grid remains its vulnerability

Ukraine has now survived four winters of systematic Russian strikes on its energy infrastructure. This past winter was especially challenging. The United Nations documented near-daily strikes on energy infrastructure across 17 regions in January alone. In Kyiv, repeated attacks on two combined heat and power plants cut central heating to nearly 6,000 residential buildings each time. All 15 of Ukraine's thermal power plants have now been damaged or destroyed. Yet Ukraine managed to adapt — and

Darnytska combined heat and power plant damaged by Russian airstrikes in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 4, 2026.

Ukraine war latest: An-26 crash in occupied Crimea kills Russian general, BBC reports

Key developments on April 2: * An-26 crash in occupied Crimea kills Russian general, BBC reports * Lviv Customs inspector suspected in killing of enlistment officer, police say * Russia's Gazprom claims Ukrainian strikes on TurkStream pipeline * Melania Trump helps return of 7 Ukrainian children taken by Russia Russian Lieutenant-General Aleksandr Otroshchenko was one of those aboard the An-26 transport plane that crashed in Russian-occupied Crimea on March 31, BBC's Russian Service report

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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