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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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Exclusive: Inside the years-long scheme to turn a nationalized bank into Zelensky allies’ 'piggy bank'

Documents obtained by the Kyiv Independent show that a scheme at the center of Ukraine’s latest corruption scandal was years in the making, built by manipulating a state-owned bank’s oversight board after its nationalization in 2023. On Aug. 19, Ukraine's anti-corruption authorities accused associates of President Volodymyr Zelensky of using Sense Bank, formerly Russian-owned Alfa Bank, to launder Hr 150 million ($3.4 million). The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) says the funds were used

Scandal erupts over Ukraine parliament's move to block key EU integration bills

A parliamentary committee on Aug. 21 defended its earlier decision to block five bills intended to strengthen the country's fight against corruption. The bills are requirements of the European Union, both to receive an estimated 2.1 billion euros ($2.45 billion) at the end of 2026, as well as to advance Kyiv's EU accession talks. The reforms seek to expand anti-corruption agencies' authority, reform the Prosecutor General's Office and the State Investigation Bureau, and repeal legislation that

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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