Culture

On the 40 year anniversary, here are 5 books to better understand Chornobyl nuclear disaster
Culture

On the 40 year anniversary, here are 5 books to better understand Chornobyl nuclear disaster

by Kate Tsurkan

On April 26, 1986, the explosion at Reactor No. 4 of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant forever changed the lives of millions in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Although Communist authorities initially tried to suppress news of the disaster even within the Soviet Union, radioactive fallout was soon thereafter detected by neighboring European countries, and the entire world took notice. The catastrophe became a critical turning point, exposing the flaws in the Soviet system and hastening the Soviet

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Russia slams Kyiv with mass drone attack

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported explosions and urged residents to take shelter as Russia launched groups of drones at the capital late in the evening of May 2.

A bright orange fire burns behind dark smoke, the silhouette of a tree, and a house.

Why Ukraine needs Russia's terminal defeat – not just deterrence

Five years into the full-scale conflict, it has become clear that the model of strategic deterrence – the "steel porcupine" that Ursula von der Leyen often invokes when speaking about Ukraine –  offers no guarantee of resilience and long-term peace. The "steel porcupine" model assumes that, given Russia's significant resource advantage, Ukraine's only realistic strategy is to build a defense so strong that continued aggression becomes prohibitively costly for Russia. However, as of 2026, this

Ukrainian servicemen firing toward Russian positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on March 21, 2023.

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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