Culture

The Hidden Canon: Discover Ukrainian literary classics

A Kyiv Independent project backed by the Ukrainian Institute

Luke Harding's 'Betrayal' charts the collapse of the rules-based order — and who is to blame

by Kate TsurkanOctober 5, 2026

Luke Harding's “Betrayal: Trump, Putin and the New Age of Conquest" begins with a turning point in the full-scale war most people probably haven't spent enough time coming to terms with: North Korean soldiers getting ready to join the biggest land war in Europe since 1945. "Soon they would be stumbling through alien woods and fields, sent by one dictator to help out another. It was a sign of a world turned upside down. The rules-based international order — the post-1945 understanding that state

Ukrainian actor Serhii Strelnikov enlists in Unmanned Systems Forces

by Kate TsurkanOctober 8, 2026

Ukrainian Chess Federation blasts presidential aide after accepting FIDE position alongside a Russian, urges SBU probe

by Yevgeniya DoludaSeptember 28, 2026

Kyiv Independent recommends 5 translated Ukrainian books to look out for in late 2026 and early 2027

by Kate TsurkanSeptember 24, 2026

20-year-old sentenced to life in prison for murder of Ukrainian language advocate, ex-lawmaker Iryna Farion

by Kate TsurkanOctober 1, 2026

Kanye West's sold-out Russia concerts cancelled, organizers confirm

by Rebecka PiederOctober 1, 2026

Ukraine's Culture Ministry announces major fundraising initiative to help publishers struggling after Russian attacks

by Kate TsurkanSeptember 21, 2026

Award-winning director Andrey Zvyagintsev labeled 'foreign agent' by Kremlin

by Kate TsurkanSeptember 18, 2026

NewsLetters

News Feed

Friday, October 9

12:13 AM

Two trains collide in Lviv, injuring 8

The railway operator initially reported that the passenger train's driver suffered a leg injury and four passengers required medical attention. The crew of the electric locomotive was unharmed.

Thursday, October 8

11:52 PM

Ukrainian investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach detained in Austria while on assignment

The acclaimed journalist was reportedly on an editorial assignment in Vienna with his colleague Yaroslav Bondarenko when he was detained by Austrian authorities.

10:15 PM

'We always respond in kind' — Zelensky addresses Ukrainian attacks on Russian data center

"We certainly are capable," Zelensky said about striking Russian data centers. "We always respond in kind. Regarding data centers, as you all know, they have been and still are striking our data centers."

09:37 PM

Zelensky sends delegation to meet Trump envoys as he hints at secret US-Russia economic talks

"Meetings are expected to take place over two days... we are counting on a European team to join our negotiating group," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

09:33 PM

Russia lifts quarantine in Irkutsk region, where lab worker allegedly died of plague

Initial reports raised concerns that 28-year-old Darya Shipilova, who worked at the Anti-Plague Institute, might have died of pneumonic plague after a laboratory accident.

09:15 PM

Open letter to the US administration: The G20 invitation to Putin should come with conditions

The Trump administration recently announced that it has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to December's G20 summit in Miami. This invitation erodes the well-deserved isolation of Putin for his brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Putin last appeared on U.S. soil for a bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump in Anchorage, Alaska, in August 2025. That meeting produced no progress toward ending the war that Putin started against Ukraine. If anything, the Russian bombardment of

Putin arrives for his inauguration ceremony in Moscow, Russia, on May 7, 2024.

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.

June 12, 2025‘I feel like I lost 3 years’ — Ukrainian author turned soldier Artem Chapeye on culture during war

June 11, 2025'Ukrainians have been stripped of illusion of control' — Filmmaker Kateryna Gornostai on Russia's war, cinema and reclaiming the narrative

March 26, 2025Explainer: Some Ukrainians speak Russian language — it doesn’t make them Russian

Editors' Picks

Demonstrators gather at the Kyiv City State Administration in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 23, 2026.

Culture

Luke Harding's 'Betrayal' charts the collapse of the rules-based order — and who is to blame

Ukrainian actor Serhii Strelnikov enlists in Unmanned Systems Forces

Ukrainian Chess Federation blasts presidential aide after accepting FIDE position alongside a Russian, urges SBU probe

Kyiv Independent recommends 5 translated Ukrainian books to look out for in late 2026 and early 2027

20-year-old sentenced to life in prison for murder of Ukrainian language advocate, ex-lawmaker Iryna Farion

Kanye West's sold-out Russia concerts cancelled, organizers confirm

Ukraine's Culture Ministry announces major fundraising initiative to help publishers struggling after Russian attacks

Award-winning director Andrey Zvyagintsev labeled 'foreign agent' by Kremlin

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NewsLetters

News Feed

Two trains collide in Lviv, injuring 8

Ukrainian investigative journalist Mykhailo Tkach detained in Austria while on assignment

'We always respond in kind' — Zelensky addresses Ukrainian attacks on Russian data center

Zelensky sends delegation to meet Trump envoys as he hints at secret US-Russia economic talks

Russia lifts quarantine in Irkutsk region, where lab worker allegedly died of plague

Open letter to the US administration: The G20 invitation to Putin should come with conditions

About Culture

Read more

Most Popular

He fled Maduro's Venezuela. Now he leads Ukraine's South American battalion.

Largest oil facility in Moscow region erupts in flames following massive Ukrainian drone attack

New automatic gun turrets successfully down first Russian jet-powered drones, Air Force says

South Korea says it received 'insufficient' apology from Ukraine over North Korean POWs, mulls envoy recall

Russia slams Ukraine with missiles, drones on Putin's 74th birthday, at least 30 dead including 5 children

Editors' Picks

In Kyiv district battered by Russian strikes, a protest to save trees turns ugly

He fled Maduro's Venezuela. Now he leads Ukraine's South American battalion.

Trump's Ukraine-Russia peace gambit begins to unravel. Again

What does Russia's rising military budget say about its plans for the war?