Two weeks before Ukraine's pivotal 2004 presidential election, 22-year-old filmmaker Iryna Tsilyk found herself at the center of a heated exchange during a trip to Moscow. The upcoming elections were a topic of group conversation and one Russian woman, bristling with anger, demanded, “How dare you Ukrainians think you are
More than two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion delayed its release and upended its developers’ lives, Ukraine’s "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2" — one of the most anticipated video games of the year — was released on Nov. 20. Employees of GSC Game World, the Ukrainian company
As we mark 1,000 days since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, members of the Kyiv Independent’s staff have paused to reflect. These reflections offer a glimpse into the profound impact of war — not only on a nation’s struggle for survival but on those who bear
"As the father of two children living under missile strikes ... I cannot receive this award together with other laureates who are 'not sure' of the need to provide my country with Western weapons," Andriy Khlyvnyuk said.
A UNESCO mission, led by Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, head of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine, arrived on Nov. 16 to inspect recently damaged cultural heritage sites. The organization has not yet released the results of the assessments.
The government's latest plan will focus on internal solutions and is not an alternative to a victory plan oriented toward Kyiv's partners.
Ukraine's State Film Agency has urged the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (POFF) to remove the Russian film "Deaf Lovers" from its main programming, protesting the film's depiction of relations between Russians and Ukrainians, the agency announced on Nov. 12.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia has destroyed over 1,000 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine, including those under the protection of UNESCO, according to the Culture Ministry. Moscow destroys cultural monuments not only with missile or drone strikes. Several historical monuments are under occupation, where Russian occupation
Metro Awakening, the fourth video game in the popular post-apocalyptic survival franchise set in Russia’s underground subway, was released on Nov. 7 by the virtual reality (VR) company Vertigo Games.
The question of Nikolai Gogol’s “belonging”—especially now, as Ukrainian and Russian cultures, long bound by an imperial past, are severing their ties before our eyes—remains a deeply painful issue for Ukrainians. Gogol, one of the most gifted writers ever born on Ukrainian soil, loved Ukraine profoundly as
For more than two decades, Time editors have annually spotlighted the most influential new products and ideas in their Best Inventions issue.
Late on Oct. 28, an explosion rang out in the center of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city. Situated just over 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the Russian border, loud explosions have become part of daily life in Kharkiv as Russia continues to attack the city with drones, missiles, and aerial
For Russian liberals, late opposition leader Alexei Navalny represented a glimmer of hope for a democratic future. Yet for many Ukrainians, especially in the context of a decade of war, he was a more complex figure, often casting doubt on whether Russian opposition to Vladimir Putin necessarily aligned with support
I recently watched a YouTube video of a Ukrainian performance on “America’s Got Talent.” A friend sent me the link, promising it would amaze me – and it did. You can find the video by searching “Amazing holographic 4D cube show AGT.” However, when the show’s host, Howie Mandel,
Moscow's Basmanny district court sentenced Ukrainian film producer Alexander Rodnyansky, on Oct. 21, to 8 and a half years in absentia for "spreading fake information" about the Russian Army.
"There can be no appeasement for Russia when it continues its attempts to solve the 'problem' of Ukraine’s very existence," Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said.
When a country goes through a war, documentarians often feel empowered to capture reality with the aim of creatively reflecting the pain on both a national and personal level. As the history of documentary cinema shows, such conditions can be the birthplace of groundbreaking films that shape the genre. Yet,
In late summer of 2022, Lunca Bar owner Yehor Lohvynovskyi and his team were taking a walk in central Kyiv when they spotted an empty courtyard — “We should open a bar here!” one of his coworkers said half-jokingly. None of them knew at the time that the joke would turn
Anastasia Trofimova's documentary has faced criticism for what many perceive as an attempt to whitewash Russian soldiers involved in the war.
When inaugurated, Ukraine-born Bishop Mykola Bychok will be one of the youngest members of the College and the only cardinal from the country.
Ukraine's national futsal team achieved a decisive victory with a score of 7:1.
"These artifacts, stolen from our museums and archeological sites, are now appearing on black markets. We already have enough evidence to launch new criminal proceedings," Prosecutor General Andrii Kostin said.
On the night of Jan. 14, 2023, a monument to the great Ukrainian poet Taras Shevchenko was dismantled from the central square of Melitopol, a Russian-occupied city in southern Ukraine. Ivan Fedorov, the exiled mayor of Melitopol, said Russian forces removed the monument to eradicate every trace of Ukraine in
The Ukrainian documentary "Jamala. Songs of Freedom" won the Gold Dolphin at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards, in the Human Concerns and Social Issues category.
Despite being scarred by Russia’s full-scale war, the city continues to draw locals and tourists to its lively streets, sunny beaches, and legendary nightlife.
On a recent trip to Kyiv, I was fortunate enough to join a tour of the city led by Olena Zaretska, the granddaughter of the legendary Ukrainian artist and dissident Alla Horska. Horska was part of a generation of young writers, artists, and intellectuals who challenged the repressive cultural atmosphere
At the start of Russia’s full-scale war, Kyiv-based Swiss filmmaker Marc Wilkins, like many artists in Ukraine, was struggling to create. “The violence around me left me feeling paralyzed,” Wilkins, who has lived full-time in Ukraine since 2016, told the Kyiv Independent. But then Wilkins learned of an admirable
After announcing on Sept. 12 that screenings of the controversial documentary “Russians at War” would be paused due to “significant threats to festival operations and public safety,” the film is set to return to the Toronto International Film Festival’s lineup on Sept. 17. The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)
The following lecture was delivered in March 2023 at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy as part of a benefit conference to raise funds to support public outreach at Kyiv Mohyla Academy. The topic of my speech is: What is it like thinking
In the second episode of “Dare to Ukraine,” we venture into the breathtaking Carpathian Mountains, a region known for its majestic landscapes, deep-rooted traditions, and rich cultural heritage.
The documentary “Russians at War” has sparked controversy since its debut on the festival circuit, with many accusing it of whitewashing Russian soldiers and their crimes in Ukraine. Canadian-Russian director Anastasia Trofimova has defended the film, calling it “anti-war.” After facing backlash, the Toronto International Film Festival pulled screenings of
Editor’s note: This story contains graphic descriptions. The accounts of elderly Ukrainian civilians who survived the hardships of World War II in their youth, only to face the brutality of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, underscore the cyclical nature of history’s relentless and unforgiving course. It’s
The latest on literature, films, art, and traditions from Ukraine and the region. 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.
