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The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

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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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Exclusive: Ukraine, Russia are done with Steve Witkoff. Trump sees no problem

Kyiv and Moscow are growing increasingly frustrated with the U.S.-mediated peace process — and with Washington's Envoy Steve Witkoff, people familiar with the matter told the Kyiv Independent. Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who has emerged as a key peace negotiator, traveled to Russia and Ukraine in early September in an attempt to restart stalled negotiations. They left both countries with little to show for the effort. Behind the scenes, however, several separate efforts are

U.S. Special Envoy for Peace Missions Steve Witkoff in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 6, 2026.

Ukraine war latest: Elite Russian drone unit pulls back from northern Donetsk Oblast amid Ukrainian offensive

Key developments on Sept. 18: * Russia pulls elite drone unit from northern Donetsk Oblast after losses from Operation Vivaldi, Ukraine's military says * Russia increasingly using repurposed S-400 training missiles to bombard Ukraine, Reuters reports * As elections get underway, Russia closes Sochi polling stations over drone threat * Ukrainian National Guard creates recruitment center for foreign volunteers, Ukrainian Prime Minister announces * Head of Ukraine's Eastern Operational Comman

Ukraine needs a prosecutor general chosen for merit, not loyalty

The alleged escape of the former Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko from Ukraine amid the fallout from the "Carthage" anti-corruption operation has made it impossible to postpone the question: how should Ukraine choose the person to lead its prosecution service? My answer is straightforward: through an open, competitive selection based on professional competence, integrity, and leadership — not purely political considerations. This June, I co-authored a draft law to introduce open competitio

then-prosecutor Ruslan Kravchenko speaks during a plenary session of the Verkhovna Rada in Kyiv, Ukraine, on June 17, 2025.

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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