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Culture

The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

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The cover of “Naive My Love,” by Gunia Project, and “Pigeon and Dove” by Primachenko.
Culture

Inside Ukraine's world of naive art — and the Gunia aesthetic it inspired

by Kate Tsurkan

A cat's fur for a brush, crushed petals for paint, and an eye for beauty — as it turns out, that's all some Ukrainian artists needed to make some of the most distinctive paintings of the 20th century. "Naive My Love," a new coffee table book by French publisher Assouline in collaboration with Ukrainian fashion and design brand Gunia Project, celebrates the bold colors, imaginative motifs, and deeply personal visual language of Ukrainian naive and folk art. The book's visuals stand on their own

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Ukraine war latest: Drone strikes on Yandex data centers disrupt Russian court hearings, media reports

Key developments on Oct. 20: * Ukrainian strikes on Yandex data centers disrupt Russian court hearings, media reports * Ukraine's HUR claims 108 Russian soldiers killed, 29 captured in Sumy Oblast operation * Power outages in half of Ukraine's oblasts after Russian assault on power plants * Fire at oil pumping station in Russia’s Tambov Oblast after drone attack, monitoring channels say * Poland has no Patriot missiles left for Ukraine, Sikorski says * Russian drones strike Kyiv hospital,

As Trump turns toward Russia, Zelensky drops his restraint

President Volodymyr Zelensky has spent much of the past two years trying to win over Donald Trump. Flattery, constant meetings, and carefully calibrated concessions have become hallmarks of his dealings with the U.S. president. But the strategy has failed, prompting Zelensky to change course and adopt a more confrontational tone. "Frankly, Trump has crossed the Rubicon," a Ukrainian official told the Kyiv Independent, summing up the mood in Kyiv following Washington's latest deals with Moscow

President Volodymyr Zelensky in Brussels, Belgium, on Oct. 16, 2026.

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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