Culture

The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

Ukrainian InstituteLearn more
A pair of soldiers stand back-to-back as they hold their rifles in an undated photo.
Culture

Ukraine's wartime action thriller 'Killhouse' reaches global audience on Netflix

by Kate Tsurkan

Ukraine's new action film "Killhouse" is set to reach a global audience, hitting the Netflix streaming platform on June 26 in Ukraine, with international distribution planned for autumn. Few scenes hit as hard in "Killhouse" as when Ukrainian soldiers decide to launch a high-risk mission to rescue a near-death civilian from the gray zone, a territory sandwiched between Ukrainian and Russian lines. In the film, the Russian commander watching them from his position assumes that the civilian bein

News Feed

German photo prize shortlists Kremlin media-linked photographer for occupied Mariupol series

A Russian photographer with ties to Kremlin-backed media has been shortlisted for one of Germany's leading photography awards for his series on occupied Mariupol, raising concerns about how Russian narratives are reaching Western audiences through major cultural institutions. Since 1979, the Leica Oskar Barnack Award has honored photographers from all over the world whose work captures humanity's relationship with the environment. The photos in Valery Melnikov's series "Open Wounds" portray de

The Ankara NATO Summit — A reality check on words and deeds

The Ankara NATO summit held the facade of transatlantic unity, produced significant practical outcomes in defense-industrial cooperation, and brought greater clarity to sustained support for Ukraine. The central question, however, was left unresolved: the trajectory of continuing American disengagement from European security, and the terms and timetable on which Europe is to assume the resulting burden. U.S. disengagement remains opaque The summit did not alter the direction of U.S. force re

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.
News Feed