Themes by tag: culture

For the third consecutive year, spring songs, circle dances, chants, psalms, and choral music will be performed under Easter bells inside Saint Sophia Cathedral and in the courtyard of the Saint Sophia of Kyiv National Reserve.

The programme includes:

• blessing of Easter baskets;
• a folk art fair;
• a festive Easter bell performance at the 17th-century bell tower;
• performances by folk groups Roksolaniia, ShchukaRyba, Mykhailove Chudo, Stodyvnytsia, Shumia, and Yevshan-Zillia, as well as flute players Ivan Prudko and Yevhen Dmytrychenko;
• a children’s programme on spring traditions;
• traditional Easter egg games;
• charity workshops;
• performances showcasing kobzar and lirnyk traditions by Taras Kozub, Mykola Tovkailo, Zhdan Bezverbnyi, Dmytro Radchenko, Vitalii Kobzar, Eduard Drach, Taras Dorotskyi, Oles Sanin, Roman Lysenko, and Yurii Kocherzhynskyi;
• a shared meal for participants and guests;
• the Easter communal performance VOLODAR, featuring circle dances, traditional kryvi dances, and games from different regions of Ukraine;
• a traditional ritual of singing for married couples based on the customs of Rozkoshivka village in Vinnytsia region;
• a ceremonial singing procession around the cathedral;
• traditional dances with the group ShchukaRyba.

Journalists can request the full programme of the event.

Background: Easter at Saint Sophia of Kyiv revives traditional Easter customs in the historic and cultural heart of Kyiv. The event is jointly organised by the National Reserve Sophia of Kyiv and the Ivan Honchar National Center of Folk Culture, in partnership with the Vytoky project by Zagoriy Foundation.

• culture
• Kyiv

The Free Fight Cup of Ukraine and the nationwide memorial tournament “Defender of Ukraine” will take place in Dnipro on April 18–19.

The tournaments are organized on the initiative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the Physical Training and Sports Directorate of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov,” and the 12th Special Purpose Brigade “Azov.” The event is held in partnership with the Upgrade Sports Club and the Vataga Boxing School.

Background: Free Fight is a Ukrainian combat sport of mixed martial arts created in 1995. It features minimal restrictions on techniques and emphasizes well-rounded, universal training for athletes.

• culture
• military
• Dnipro

This week, the team at World Central Kitchen plans to deliver 25,000 traditional Easter breads (paska) and holiday food packages to hundreds of communities across Ukraine, including in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Khmelnytskyi, Lviv, and Kyiv regions.

The Easter program will reach both frontline areas and communities hosting internally displaced people.

In addition, community kitchens established by World Central Kitchen for displaced residents will host group paska baking events. These gatherings offer people an opportunity to come together and celebrate Easter within their communities.

By prior arrangement, journalists are invited to cover the initiative — producing photo and video reports, written features, or interviews with participants and team representatives. Media outlets may also request photos taken by World Central Kitchen photographers for publication.

• culture
• food

On April 8, in cooperation with the National University of Food Technologies, a masterclass on baking traditional Easter bread (paska) will be held with the participation of children of veterans, employees of the Police Protection Department of the Kyiv region, and internally displaced persons.

The event will take place in Kyiv. The baked goods will be delivered to Ukrainian soldiers undergoing rehabilitation. Participants will not only learn baking skills but also express their gratitude to Ukraine’s defenders ahead of Easter.

Program:

• joint baking of Easter bread (paska)
• introduction to Easter traditions
• informal communication
• preparation of festive gifts for Ukrainian soldiers.

• children
• culture

The Communications Department of the Territorial Defense Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (TRO Media) has announced the journalism competition “War Through the Lens.” It offers media professionals — reporters, photographers, camera operators, and documentary filmmakers — an opportunity to showcase their work on national resistance, the defense of the state, and the heroism of the Ukrainian people during the full-scale russian-Ukrainian war.

Professional journalists, camera operators, photographers, bloggers, and entire newsrooms are invited to participate. The main requirement is that the work must have been published in Ukrainian or international media between April 22, 2025, and April 26, 2026.

Submissions will be evaluated in eight categories: video report, written report, radio report/podcast, photo report, interview, documentary film, and best camera work. The jury will include Ukrainian media professionals who have become members of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

A separate award will be given to the best communications officer of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. Applicants may also nominate press officers of military units and areas who have demonstrated professionalism in working with the media over the past year.

An “Audience Choice Award” will also be selected through online voting.Applications are open from March 31 to April 27, 2026.
Finalists (shortlist) will be announced from May 28 to June 5, 2026.
The award ceremony will take place on June 6, 2026, at the documentary festival “War Through the Lens” in Kyiv.

• culture

Two years ago, Lviv resident Maksym Vintoniv created his first miniature — the entrance of the building where he grew up. He gave the piece to a friend. A year later, while visiting, he took a photo of it and posted it on social media. The post quickly went viral. People started reaching out to Maksym, saying they would gladly order a similar miniature.

Among them were Ukrainians who had lost their homes in Mariupol or Kharkiv and asked whether he could recreate their apartment entrances based on descriptions. Now he creates miniature copies based on photographs or people’s memories. They can be used as night lights, as tiny bulbs inside the models actually light up. Maksym plans to put one of these pieces up for auction to raise funds for the army.

Journalists can arrange to speak with Maksym Vintoniv both online and offline in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• Lviv

Oleksii Botsula is originally from the village of Marianivka in Kyiv region. From 2015 to 2018, he fought in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including at the Svitlodarsk salient. After completing his contract, he returned to civilian life.

Following the start of russia’s full-scale invasion, Oleksii joined one of the brigades and took part in battles in Kyiv region. He later served in various directions. In September 2023, he was wounded during a combat mission in Kharkiv region.

His rehabilitation and treatment lasted about a year. During this time, he applied for a grant from the Ukrainian Veterans Fund, and his project “Farmer Shepherd” (Ferma Pastukha) was selected as a winner. The project involves the reconstruction and modernization of a pig farm, including the renovation of facilities, process automation, and expansion of production capacity.

Currently, the farm houses around 200 pigs. Oleksii is developing the production of canned and smoked products, and provides part of his output free of charge to fellow soldiers on the front line.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Oleksii Botsula both online and offline in Kyiv region by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Kyiv

Media representatives are invited on April 6 to attend the official presentation of the national program “Journey to Yourself. Paths to Recovery,” implemented by the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine with the support of the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine in cooperation with Brand Ukraine.

The program is aimed at supporting the emotional and psycho-physical recovery of Ukrainians through travel across the country, engagement with natural and cultural practices, and exploration of personal roots and heritage.

“Journey to Yourself. Paths to Recovery” includes the development of a digital tourism platform featuring a map of “places of power,” a national information campaign, training programs for tourism sector stakeholders, and the attraction of international technical assistance to support local businesses and communities.

The presentation will take place on the historic hills of Vytachiv, a site associated with the origins of the Trypillian culture.

Speakers:

• Alona Shkrum, First Deputy Minister for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine
• Nataliia Tabaka, Head of the State Agency for Tourism Development
• Mariia Lypiatska, Head of Brand Ukraine
• Oleksandr Sobko, owner of the “Vytach” bakery

Journalists can review the full program in advance. Accreditation is required. Transportation from Kyiv will be provided.

• culture
• psychological support
• Kyiv

On April 5, journalists are invited to attend the Ukrainian premiere of “SANCTUS VERITAS” performed by the National Academic Symphonic Band of Ukraine. The concert will be conducted by Honored Artist of Ukraine Olha Rukavishnikova and conductor Ivan Stetskyi, featuring works by European composers.

For Olha Rukavishnikova, this performance marks a return to civilian life after four years of service in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. She joined Ukraine’s Defense Forces on February 24, 2022. Her primary weapon was an RPG-7 anti-tank grenade launcher, and she is also trained to operate a sniper rifle, automatic grenade launcher, machine gun, and mortar.

During one of the combat missions, she was thrown several meters by a blast wave, and a fragment fractured her cervical spine. As a result of the same injury, she lost her left eye.

Background: The first part of “SANCTUS VERITAS” will feature the dramatic biblical work Adam and Eve by Hugo Chinesta and the large-scale symphonic piece Noah’s Ark by Óscar Navarro. The second part will include the deeply emotional symphonic poem Abraham by Ferrer Ferran and Byzantine Mosaics by Franco Cesarini — a musical symbol of spiritual grandeur and the light associated with the birth of Christ.
Journalists can review the full program in advance. Accreditation is required.
Interviews with Olha Rukavishnikova are available upon request.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• women
• Kyiv

Veterans Theatre invites audiences to the Festival of First Plays in Lviv, which will take place on April 4–5.

The Festival of First Plays will feature stories that have never been performed on stage before. Over the course of two days, Lviv residents will hear personal experiences of Ukraine’s defenders. The plays were created by participants as part of a special course by the Veterans Theatre in Lviv, curated by Alina Sarnatska.

The festival will present plays by Alina Sarnatska, Andrii Teraz, Anna Ivantsyk, Vlad Ternopol, Heorhii Sobolevskyi, Dmytro Ilin, Zoriana Hrebeniukova-Kobenko, Mariana Chernomyrhyn, Mykhailo Taraban, Olha Voroniuk, Orysia Hryhorenko, and Yuliia Romaniuk.

As part of the festival, a discussion titled “How/when/for whom should plays about war be written and staged?” will also take place. Participants include Ihor Bilyts, chief director of the Maria Zankovetska Theatre, writer and playwright Natalkа Vorozhbyt, co-founder of the Veterans Theatre Maksym Kurochkin, and INDEX director Sasha Dovzhyk.

The project is implemented in partnership with INDEX: Institute for Documentation and Exchange and with the support of Razom for Ukraine.

Background: Veterans Theatre is a social and artistic project created in cooperation with the Public Relations Service of the Territorial Defense Forces Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (TRO Media) and the Theatre of Playwrights.

The idea of the Veterans Theatre emerged in response to the urgent need for therapeutic support for veterans of the Russian-Ukrainian war returning from the front. The project combines art therapy and theatre. It is a platform for creativity, recovery, and dialogue, where through драматургія and acting practice participants learn to speak about their experiences and transform them into art. It brings together veterans, their families, and civilians who have lived through traumatic experiences.

• culture
• Lviv