
‘True brotherhood’ — Ukrainians welcome back Georgian music festival amid shared struggle against Russian aggression
People dancing on a hothouse stage of the International Electronic Music Festival ICKPA in Kyiv, Ukraine on July 26, 2025. (Mykhaylo Palinchak / The Kyiv Independent)
CultureAmid the heavy strain of Russian attacks and anti-corruption protests, a festival organized by Georgians and Ukrainians brought much-needed respite and solidarity to Kyiv.
Over the weekend of July 25-27, thousands of people danced their way through the ICKPA (meaning “Spark” in Ukrainian) electronic music festival, which returned to Kyiv after a four-year hiatus due to Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Founded by the team of the iconic Georgian nightclub Bassiani, the festival hosted three days of international and Ukrainian DJs, political discussions, and art installations.
The festival raised money for Ukraine’s Khartiia Brigade, which had a stand featuring a playful robotic dog and a drone simulator. The organizers said they will announce the raised sum next week.
“In ICKPA, we believe in supporting those who defend not only the territory, but also the future of Ukraine,” they posted on Instagram. The festival will return next year.
For Kyiv residents, it was a moment of ease after months of deadly attacks and recent protests against the government’s decision to strip key anti-corruption institutions of their independence.
It also served as a bridge between the cultural communities of Ukraine and Georgia, which is also partially occupied by Russia, and reminded Ukrainians that while Georgia’s government is slipping under Russia’s grip, many Georgians stand firmly with Ukraine.
"The Georgians are a true brotherhood nation, not Russia. We have lived through a similar trauma (of Russian occupation)."

Aliona, 31, at the international electronic music festival ICKPA in Kyiv, Ukraine on July 26, 2025. (Mykhaylo Palinchak / The Kyiv Independent)
“The Georgians are a true brotherhood nation, not Russia. We have lived through a similar trauma (of Russian occupation). I think this is a great connection that is happening between Georgia and Ukraine,” festival goer Aliona Ivanova told the Kyiv Independent.
“(ICKPA) is a great place for connections and doing something really meaningful. I hope that more Georgians will be coming to Ukraine because they're always welcome here.”



For Yuliia Horobets, the festival’s return to wartime Kyiv after touring Berlin, Prague, and New York, is an expression of Georgian love for the Ukrainian community. In her mind, Georgians are not even foreigners, but “relatives” who are helping defend Ukraine’s borders, including as volunteer fighters in the Ukrainian military.
Georgia has also welcomed many Ukrainians, including some 30,000 Ukrainian refugees, such as Bohdana Yakovenko, who lived in the capital, Tbilisi, before moving back to Ukraine in November 2024 after 10 years abroad. She attended the fiery anti-government protests in Tbilisi last year, which rallied against Russian influence in the country before fizzling out.
"Ukrainians are still very much on Georgia's side."

Bohdana, 31, at the international electronic music festival ICKPA in Kyiv, Ukraine on July 26, 2025. (Mykhaylo Palinchak / The Kyiv Independent)
Some Ukrainians were left disappointed that the Georgian protestors dimmed down instead of going full-force like in the EuroMaidan Revolution, she said. Cultural festivals like ICKPA, with its Georgian DJs and political discussions on Georgian-Ukrainian resistance, can help challenge the Ukrainians’ perception that Georgians are shifting toward Russia and heal the cracks in the two nations’ friendship.

“Ukrainians are still very much on Georgia's side. We want them to persevere and to achieve positive results. While we have our own troubles, we very much worry about theirs too, because it's all common ground,” Yakovenko said.
It was not only Ukrainians and Georgians attending the festival, with ICKPA attracting partygoers from across the world. The first festival in 2021 came as Kyiv was fast emerging as an electronic music mecca, and even during the war, resilient ravers trekked back to the capital to sway hips and share conversations alongside Ukraine’s creative crowd.
"My friends in Paris ask me why I’m going out to the east to Ukraine and Georgia. I tell them, the only way they can understand is by coming themselves."

Brothers Mathieu, 28, and Mateo, 20, at the international electronic music festival ICKPA in Kyiv, Ukraine on July 26, 2025. (Mykhaylo Palinchak / The Kyiv Independent)
Mathieu Robert and his half-brother Matteo Rimbert came from the Parisian suburbs solely for the festival. Robert loved partying at ICKPA in 2021, and it was his first time coming back to Kyiv since the start of the full-scale invasion, despite security concerns from his friends back home.
“My friends in Paris ask me why I’m going out to the east to Ukraine and Georgia. I tell them, the only way they can understand is by coming themselves. People here are beautiful and stylish — the vibe is completely different,” he told the Kyiv Independent, adding that he’s considering moving to Kyiv.



The diverse array of attendees, from soldiers to IT workers and musicians, had different reasons for being there, with some taking a break from the front line and others wanting to express solidarity with Ukraine. They all help cement Kyiv as not only a techno capital but also the capital of resistance.
“The main message here is that Kyiv is not only a cool place to dance to techno, but also a place full of bright people that are doing very hard things in a hard environment. If Kyiv can be resistant, you can resist as well and fight too,” said Ivanova.
"The message from this festival is that we still stand. We are one nation and we will be here forever."

Alina, 34, at the international electronic music festival ICKPA in Kyiv, Ukraine on July 26, 2025. (Mykhaylo Palinchak / The Kyiv Independent)
For Maksym Chirva, ICKPA is an “island of freedom,” where he gets to meet people from completely different spheres, though he notes the crowd is smaller this year. While some liberties in Ukraine are restricted, such as foreign travel for men, cultural events like ICKPA are important “sprinkles of freedom,” he said.
Not everyone in Ukraine gets to enjoy such freedoms. Alina Tykhonova is originally from Donetsk Oblast but now spends her time between Kharkiv and Kyiv, while her parents remain in the Ukrainian-controlled part of the largely occupied region.
“When my parents come to Kyiv, they think it’s really cool that we can continue working and partying, and they say it's really great that people can still live their lives,” she told the Kyiv Independent.
“The message from this festival is that we still stand. We are one nation and we will be here forever,” she added.

