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Ukrainian painter Ivan Marchuk
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‘Shameful story’ — How Ukraine’s iconic 89-year-old painter got scammed out of rights to his own work

by Kate Tsurkan

At nearly 90, the Ukrainian painter Ivan Marchuk — widely regarded as one of the country's most important living artists — has found himself fighting in court to maintain the full creative rights to his vast body of work. Marchuk turned to the courts last year after he said that he was deceived into signing away some of the creative rights for a period of 100 years to three other people — all for Hr 10,000 ($228). The process is still ongoing. "He has not lost hope for a fair resolution of th

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Russian President Vladimir Putin in an undisclosed location, Russia, on March 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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Counterattacking through the kill zone, Ukrainian troops brace for new Russian offensives

Counterattacking through the kill zone, Ukrainian troops brace for new Russian offensives

Editor’s Note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, soldiers featured in this story are identified by first name and call sign only. ZAPORIZHZHIA OBLAST – For tonight's clearing mission on the cold windy steppe of southern Ukraine, the munition of choice is the Spear. In a cramped dugout less than eight kilometers from Russian forces, Ukrainian soldiers prepare the bombs, taping wires and tail fins onto long tubes of black steel fitted with menacing iron spikes

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