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 war latest: Russia's Syzran oil refinery halts operations following May 21 Ukrainian drone strike

Key developments on May 26: * Syzran oil refinery halts operation after May 21 Ukrainian drone strike, Ukraine's General Staff reports * Ukraine using 'secret' strike drones to devastate Russian logistics on crucial highway, Nemesis Brigade says * 'Russia's true attitude' — Iskander missile strike damages UN humanitarian warehouse in Dnipro * Lavrov warns Rubio of planned strikes on Kyiv's 'decision-making centers,' urges US embassy evacuation as EU vows to stay * Russian attacks kill 8, i

Our readers' questions about the war, answered. Vol. 11

Editor's note: We asked members of the Kyiv Independent community to share the questions they have about the war. Here's what they asked and how we answered. Join our community to ask a question in the next round. Question: With a new prime minister elected in Hungary, is the blocked loan to Ukraine expected to be approved, and when could it be disbursed? Are there other EU member states that might block funding or slow Ukraine’s integration into the EU, similar to Hungary’s earlier position?

An emergency responder works at the site of a heavily damaged building in Kyiv, Ukraine, on May 24, 2026.

Battle for pipelines in Kupiansk: 'Average lifespan of Russian soldier is 10 minutes'

KHARKIV OBLAST — The longest a Russian soldier can hope to survive for after emerging from the underground pipeline is, according to those hunting them, one single hour. "But it's usually 10 minutes, and that's it," "Tovsty," chief sergeant of a company in Ukraine's Khartiia Brigade, says at a command post in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast. Tovsty is watching live drone footage showing a scene which has been repeating itself over and over again for months now — Russian soldiers emerging from disu

A Ukrainian serviceman of the Khartiia Brigade at a command post near Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on April 1, 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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