Culture

The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

Luke Harding's 'Betrayal' charts the collapse of the rules-based order — and who is to blame

by Kate TsurkanOctober 5, 2026

Luke Harding's “Betrayal: Trump, Putin and the New Age of Conquest" begins with a turning point in the full-scale war most people probably haven't spent enough time coming to terms with: North Korean soldiers getting ready to join the biggest land war in Europe since 1945. "Soon they would be stumbling through alien woods and fields, sent by one dictator to help out another. It was a sign of a world turned upside down. The rules-based international order — the post-1945 understanding that state

Ukrainian actor Serhii Strelnikov enlists in Unmanned Systems Forces

by Kate TsurkanOctober 8, 2026

Ukrainian Chess Federation blasts presidential aide after accepting FIDE position alongside a Russian, urges SBU probe

by Yevgeniya DoludaSeptember 28, 2026

Kyiv Independent recommends 5 translated Ukrainian books to look out for in late 2026 and early 2027

by Kate TsurkanSeptember 24, 2026

A man walks past a closed bar at the Bessarabskyi Market in Kyiv, Ukraine on Oct. 6, 2026.

Food court flop? Kyiv’s historic market empties after million-dollar makeover

by Alessandra HayOctober 9, 2026

20-year-old sentenced to life in prison for murder of Ukrainian language advocate, ex-lawmaker Iryna Farion

by Kate TsurkanOctober 1, 2026

Kanye West's sold-out Russia concerts cancelled, organizers confirm

by Rebecka PiederOctober 1, 2026

Ukraine's Culture Ministry announces major fundraising initiative to help publishers struggling after Russian attacks

by Kate TsurkanSeptember 21, 2026

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Saturday, October 10

10:26 PM

Russia partially lifts ban on diesel exports after Trump-Putin deal

Effective Oct. 10, the Russian government will permit the sale of 500,000 tons of diesel to foreign markets. Moscow previously banned diesel exports in July in response to Ukrainian strikes.

09:29 PM

US Democrats call on FBI Director Kash Patel to cancel upcoming trip to Russia

In the letter, Rep. Jamie Raskin and Rep. Jim Himes urged the FBI director to cancel the visit, citing “urgent national security concerns,” including the FSB's history of conducting espionage operations against American officials.

08:34 PM

'He better damn well stop' — Trump slams Zelensky for attacking Russian refineries, says Ukraine should get 'new president'

"I think it's time for Ukraine to get a new president," U.S. President Donald Trump said when questioned about his deal to ease sanctions against Russia in exchange for diesel.

07:55 AM

Russian guided bombs hit Zaporizhzhia residential neighborhood, killing at least 20, injuring 18

Three children were among those killed by a Russian airstrike in the early hours of Oct. 10. Some victims were trapped for hours beneath the rubble as rescuers searched for survivors.

A fire at an apartment that was hit in a Russian guided bomb attack.

06:01 PM

Exclusive: 'It felt like a trap.' How Ukraine was blindsided by Trump's Putin pivot

When U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner told Ukraine's delegation on Oct. 9 that President Donald Trump was preparing to lift sanctions on Russian diesel exports, the Ukrainians struggled to believe what they were hearing. The delegation had traveled to the United States to discuss a possible energy ceasefire with Russia. Instead, Kyiv's negotiators found themselves blindsided by a decision they feared would hand Moscow fresh revenue to finance its war against Ukraine while undermining

05:05 PM

Russian attacks kill at least 24, injure 47 across Ukraine as rescue operations continue in Zaporizhzhia

Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with 160 drones, including 110 jet-powered drones and Gerbera drones, Ukraine's Air Force said.

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.

June 12, 2025‘I feel like I lost 3 years’ — Ukrainian author turned soldier Artem Chapeye on culture during war

June 11, 2025'Ukrainians have been stripped of illusion of control' — Filmmaker Kateryna Gornostai on Russia's war, cinema and reclaiming the narrative

March 26, 2025Explainer: Some Ukrainians speak Russian language — it doesn’t make them Russian

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Russia

Editors' Picks

Exclusive: Putin puts a price on Trump's Ukraine energy truce — Kyiv fears the cost

Culture

Luke Harding's 'Betrayal' charts the collapse of the rules-based order — and who is to blame

Ukrainian actor Serhii Strelnikov enlists in Unmanned Systems Forces

Ukrainian Chess Federation blasts presidential aide after accepting FIDE position alongside a Russian, urges SBU probe

Kyiv Independent recommends 5 translated Ukrainian books to look out for in late 2026 and early 2027

Food court flop? Kyiv’s historic market empties after million-dollar makeover

20-year-old sentenced to life in prison for murder of Ukrainian language advocate, ex-lawmaker Iryna Farion

Kanye West's sold-out Russia concerts cancelled, organizers confirm

Ukraine's Culture Ministry announces major fundraising initiative to help publishers struggling after Russian attacks

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Award-winning director Andrey Zvyagintsev labeled 'foreign agent' by Kremlin

How a dissident poet became Ukraine’s moral compass

'I'm Russian, and I support my country,' Ovechkin says after appearing in campaign ad for Putin's party

Ukraine picks documentary on women surviving Russian sexual violence for its Oscars submission

Angelina Jolie visited Kharkiv during 3rd wartime trip to Ukraine in August

Russia's cinemas may lose their backdoor access to Hollywood blockbusters

'Until safer times' — Kyiv’s cultural life pauses as the city adjusts to new drone threats

‘Our desire to create is bigger than our fear’: How one Kyiv restaurant rebuilds, adapts and keeps going after 3 Russian attacks

NewsLetters

News Feed

Russia partially lifts ban on diesel exports after Trump-Putin deal

US Democrats call on FBI Director Kash Patel to cancel upcoming trip to Russia

'He better damn well stop' — Trump slams Zelensky for attacking Russian refineries, says Ukraine should get 'new president'

Russian guided bombs hit Zaporizhzhia residential neighborhood, killing at least 20, injuring 18

Exclusive: 'It felt like a trap.' How Ukraine was blindsided by Trump's Putin pivot

Russian attacks kill at least 24, injure 47 across Ukraine as rescue operations continue in Zaporizhzhia

About Culture

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Trump allows Russia to supply millions of tons of diesel to US, global markets

Zelensky sends delegation to meet Trump envoys as he hints at secret US-Russia economic talks

Exclusive: Putin puts a price on Trump's Ukraine energy truce — Kyiv fears the cost

Polish SIM cards found in Russian drones downed in Poland

Record 20 Russian officers killed in Ukrainian strikes on headquarters in Donetsk, monitors say

Editors' Picks

Exclusive: Putin puts a price on Trump's Ukraine energy truce — Kyiv fears the cost

In Kyiv district battered by Russian strikes, a protest to save trees turns ugly

He fled Maduro's Venezuela. Now he leads Ukraine's South American battalion.

Trump's Ukraine-Russia peace gambit begins to unravel. Again