Culture

The Hidden Canon: Ukraine's Literary Iconoclasts

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

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Artist Zhanna Kadyrova (R) and curator Leonid Marushchak pose with the "Origami Deer" sculpture in Prague on March 12, 2026.
Culture

When security guarantees fail: Ukraine's message at the Venice Biennale

by Valeria Radkevych

The 61st Venice Biennale is now underway, with the world's premier international art event having been in the spotlight not for its showings, but for its controversy and internal strife. On April 30, just days before the opening of the festival, the jury collectively resigned in protest over Russia and Israel's planned presence in the event, declaring that with a "responsibility toward the historical role of the Biennale," they could not judge art from countries whose leaders are charged with c

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Why, after 4 years of volunteering for Ukraine's military, I finally decided to enlist

In January of this year, I — a Ukrainian writer and volunteer — voluntarily enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Foreigners asked: "Why?" while Ukrainians asked: "Why only now?" These two questions reflect two different realities. For Europeans, war is something terrible but niche, confined to a certain territory and affecting only certain people. For Ukrainians, war is central, and we ourselves are at its epicenter — it affects everyone and changes every sphere of life. My European acquai

Ukraine’s top journalist on investigating Zelensky's circle

The Kyiv Independent’s Kateryna Denisova speaks with one of Ukraine's most prominent investigative journalists, Mykhailo Tkach, about the newly published recordings exposing corruption and money laundering inside President Volodymyr Zelensky's inner circle.

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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Who is winning? Since the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the information space around the war has been obsessed with this deceptively simple question, and the constant new iterations of answers to it. In the hands of those fighting the narrative war, from officials on both sides, online cheerleaders, armchair generals, and a certain world leader who likes to talk about who has the cards, the answers differ radically, but all are delivered with consistent venom, emotion, and

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