Culture

The Hidden Canon: Ukraine's Literary Iconoclasts

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

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Symon Petliura, Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian People's Army, photographed in 1919.
Culture

The many deaths of Symon Petliura

by Kate Tsurkan

A century ago, on May 25, 1926, an otherwise ordinary afternoon in Paris’ bohemian Latin Quarter was disrupted by a barrage of gunshots, leaving one of Ukraine’s famous military leaders dead in the street. “I emptied my revolver,” Samuel “Scholem” Schwartzbard, the Jewish-Ukrainian man who killed Symon Petliura, told the court, as quoted by Time magazine in 1927. “A policeman came up quietly and said: ‘Is that enough?’ I answered: ‘Yes.’ He said: ‘Then give me your revolver.’ I gave him the re

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Ukraine's path to EU runs through this small Hungarian community in Carpathians

Soon after taking office, Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Magyar appeared ready to normalize bilateral relations with Ukraine. Soon, however, the newly elected prime minister played his predecessor's tune, declaring that the Hungarian minority in Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast "lacks basic rights," and complaining that its linguistic and cultural freedoms are being curtailed. Magyar signaled he would obstruct the launch of Ukraine's formal EU accession talks until the issue is resolved — potentia

Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar during an interview in Vienna, Austria, on May 21, 2026.

Ukraine war latest: Russia bolsters Moscow air defense as drone threat increases

Key developments on May 28: * Russia deploys new Pantsir systems on Moscow rooftops as Ukrainian drone threat grows * 3 Russian shadow fleet tankers attacked by drones near Turkey's Black Sea coast * Sweden announces 16 Gripens for Ukraine * Ukraine strikes Tuapse oil refinery again, General Staff vows 'systematic' strikes on Russia's military-industrial targets * Norway opens talks on joining French nuclear deterrence initiative Russia appears to have begun deploying new Pantsir-SMD-

What can we pencil-pushers do for Ukraine?

By the time our papers are done, the sun is up, and birds are chirping. Crossing the border to Ukraine with six cars has taken all night. During the coming weeks, mechanics will remodel the 4x4s for the front, and volunteers will repack boxes in line with hospital and front-unit needs. To me, as a Swede, one group of professionals is conspicuously absent on the volunteer side of this operation — administrators. This makes me uneasy. Who will dot the i's and cross the t's? Who will file the rep

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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