Themes by tag: culture
On April 17, the Maltese Relief Service will hold its traditional “Easter Basket” charity initiative in one of Lviv’s churches. For seventeen consecutive years, the organization has prepared and delivered Easter food baskets to elderly people who celebrate the holiday alone or who live in difficult circumstances.
According to the Ministry of Social Policy, there are about 2.7 million people aged 75 and older in Ukraine, and at least a third of them live alone. Many survive on minimal incomes and require regular assistance.
These Easter baskets of Easter bread, sausage, eggs, cheese, butter, horseradish, and candy are more than just festive food. They symbolize community care: a reminder that the recipients are appreciated and remembered.
After a blessing ceremony at the church, volunteers deliver the baskets directly to the recipients. Some baskets will also go to beneficiaries of the Charity Kitchen, the Maltese Relief Service’s daily meal program for vulnerable populations.
Media representatives are invited to cover the event.
Tribute exhibition commemorating Hero of Ukraine Andrii Pilshchykov, call sign “Juice”, will open on April 17 at one of Kyiv’s libraries. Visitors will have the opportunity to learn more about the life and legacy of the legendary Ukrainian defender through materials provided by his mother, Liliia Averianova.
For reference: Andrii Pilshchykov (1993–2023), a military pilot with the 40th Tactical Aviation Brigade, played a key role in Ukraine’s air defense from the outset of the full-scale Russian invasion. Known widely as one of the figures behind the “Ghost of Kyiv” legend, he was posthumously conferred the title Hero of Ukraine in 2024. He also received the Order “For Courage” III Class in 2022 and II Class posthumously in 2023.
Recognized as a leading reformer of the Air Force, Pilshchykov made a significant impact on its development. In June 2022, he joined an official delegation to the United States, helping to secure the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine and laying the groundwork for pilot training. He died on August 25, 2023, in the Zhytomyr region and was buried at Askold’s Grave in Kyiv.
The consecration and installation of a cross on the Trinity Gate Church will take place on April 15 at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (Kyiv Cave Monastery) National Conservation Area. The event marks the resumption of restoration work on one of the Lavra’s oldest and most treasured sacred sites.
Built in the 12th century by Nicholas Sviatosha Prince of Chernihiv, the Trinity Gate Church has survived in its original form – a rare example in Ukrainian ecclesiastical architecture. During the era of Ivan Mazepa, it was adorned in the Ukrainian Baroque style, featuring elaborate stucco work and distinctive murals.
By 2022, 75% of the church’s restoration had been completed under the President of Ukraine’s “Great Restoration” program. Work was then suspended due to the full-scale war. In December 2024, through collaboration with the Work.UA team, restoration efforts resumed, focusing on critical sections of the roof and preparing the church for its final restoration phase.
The installation of the cross represents not only a key milestone in the restoration of this sacred monument, but also a powerful symbol of resilience, renewal, and the enduring spirit of Ukrainian heritage amid the devastation of war.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
On April 15, Kyiv will host a screening of “Shadows on the Left Bank” – an investigative film by Danylo Mokryk exposing russian atrocities in the occupied Kherson oblast.
From the first days of the full-scale invasion, much of Kherson oblast, including the village of Hornostaivka (Kakhovka district), fell under Russian control. The occupiers turned the local national police station into a torture chamber where Ukrainian soldiers and civilians were detained.
A team of journalists from The Kyiv Independent uncovered the identities of several victims who perished at the torture site, as well as the names of “officers” of the occupation “police” responsible for torturing and killing Kherson residents.
The documentary centers on the murder of 28-year-old Hornostaivka resident Ruslan Rusnak, an ATO veteran who was abducted by russian occupiers in November 2023 and tortured to death in the former police station.
During the event, the film’s creators – Danylo Mokryk, a journalist from the Head of War Crimes Investigations Unit, and Yevheniia Motorevska, Head of War Crimes Investigations Unit (The Kyiv Independent) – will speak about the story behind the film creation and the progress of the investigation.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
From April 10, the film “MUR. You [Romance] in Cinema” will be shown in cinemas. This is Ukraine’s first theatrical musical filmed in a special format for the big screen. It tells the story of the life of Ukrainian writers and theater figures of the 20’s and 30’s – the era of the Executed Renaissance – most of whom were destroyed during the Stalinist repressions. The creators emphasize: we must know this tragic history to prevent it from repeating.
The historical musical first appeared as a musical album of the same name, which became a hit in 2024, gathering over 1 million views on YouTube. This was followed by a theatrical production seen by over 60,000 people in 15 cities. So the authors, the creative association MUR, approached the FILM.UA studio with the idea of filming it to preserve it for future generations.
About 5,000 tickets were sold before the film’s release, and the pre-premiere tour covered 10 cities, including the frontline cities of Kharkiv and Zaporizhia. Kyiv’s Zhovten Cinema will screen the film with English subtitles for foreigners who wish to learn more about our country.
On April 13 in Kyiv, after the film screening, journalists will have the opportunity to engage with director Oleksandr Khomenko, actors Oleksandr Zaika, Mykola Shmundyr, Mariia Lukianenko-O’Reilly, Lesia Patoka, and choreographer Inna Matiushina.
Background: Born during Russia’s full-scale war, the MUR project united artists from Kyiv and Donetsk, including Oleksandr Khomenko (director, actor, screenwriter, lyricist), Viktor Tkachenko (composer, actor), Mykola Shmundyr (actor), Mariia O’Reilly (editor), and Oleksandr Zaika (performer and songwriter).
The group has gained a large audience on social media. Their documentary shorts on the history of Shchedryk, Pavlo Tychyna, Ivan Bahrianyi, and Vasyl Stus have become Instagram’s most-watched educational content on Ukrainian literature.
The Tytanovi Charitable Foundation, within the framework of the Tytanovi Rehab project, invites you to the presentation of the “Tytanovi Arts & Culture Center” for rehabilitation of veterans. During the event, veterans and journalists will get a preview of what the center will offer after its official opening.
The Foundation explains that war leaves not only physical wounds, but also deep psychological scars. Creative rehabilitation is one of the most effective ways to address them. The center will offer veterans the opportunity to participate in art therapy, try their hand in a photo lab, take the stage in a theater, and attend educational workshops.
The presentation will feature Viacheslav Zaporozhets, the founder and head of the Tytanovi Charitable Foundation – a veteran who lost a limb and has mastered a bionic prosthesis.
Background: Founded by Viacheslav Zaporozhets, a veteran of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Tytanovi Charitable Foundation specializes in the rehabilitation of servicemen and veterans after severe injuries. According to the organizers, Tytanovi is the only foundation that provides custom-made titanium bone implants for military personnel with high-level and severe amputations.
On April 11, Kyiv will host the premiere screening of the co-produced film “No Sleep Til Kyiv”, a collaboration between the USA, Estonia, and Ukraine, which will be released online later this spring. The Kyiv event will feature the film’s creative team, as well as the convoy drivers of the 69th Sniffing Brigade, who are arriving in Ukraine with another delivery of humanitarian aid.
“No Sleep Til Kyiv” follows the journey of American Peter Duke, who joins a convoy as a driver from Estonia to Kyiv to deliver crucial aid to Ukrainian soldiers. Along the way, Peter discovers a country that embodies unity and resilience. He draws parallels between Ukraine’s current struggle and the founding of the United States in 1776. As he observes those involved in today’s fight, he witnesses extraordinary acts of self-sacrifice and dedication — values that transcend borders and politics. The experience reshapes his understanding of war — and of himself.
Peter Duke travels from Tallinn to Kyiv with the 69th Sniffing Brigade, a unit of the international North Atlantic Fellas Organization (NAFO), which has supported Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
The 69th Sniffing Brigade regularly assists Ukrainian soldiers by collaborating with international donors, organizing fundraisers for vehicles, drones, generators, and addressing many other essential needs of Ukrainian defenders.
The screening will take place with the participation of the film’s creative team: the film’s protagonist, soldier Volodymyr Favorsky; director of photography Christopher Walters; creative producer Dimitri Nasennik; line producer Vsevolod Priakhin; and sound engineer Xenia Vynogradova.
Accreditation is required to attend the event.
How can we ensure that the destruction of Ukrainian monuments, museums and artifacts by the russian federation does not go unpunished? How can we collect evidence of crimes against cultural heritage so that it becomes part of the indictments in international tribunals?
These topics were addressed by participants of a four-day training in Kyiv: museum workers, investigators, prosecutors, military personnel, scientists, representatives of the public sector and journalists. Among the trainers were representatives from 7 countries (USA, UK, Sweden, France, Mauritius, Netherlands and Ukraine), including prosecutors who have worked with the International Criminal Court to prosecute those responsible for crimes against cultural heritage in Mali, Bosnia and other countries.
The press conference, which will be held in Kyiv on April 11, will summarize the results of the training, outline the main challenges and the steps necessary to achieve justice.
Participants of the press conference:
- Nataraj Muneesamy, Assistant Attorney General of Mauritius, expert in international criminal law;
- Andrea Cayley, Coordinator of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) in Ukraine, Head of the Cultural Heritage Group;
- Ankie Petersen, Staff Officer for Cultural Property Protection, NL Armed Forces, member of the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group (ACA) in Ukraine;
- Anna Neistat, Legal Director of The Docket initiative (Clooney Foundation for Justice’s initiative to hold perpetrators of international crimes accountable);
- Ihor Poshyvailo, Co-founder of the Agency for Cultural Resilience (ACURE), Director General of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity.
On April 11, Kyiv will host the opening of BODY/FRAGILITY, a contemporary art exhibition that stands as a statement of resilience following the destruction of part of the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Applied Arts and Design by a russian missile last year.
Media representatives are invited to attend the exhibition’s launch at the Academy’s gallery. The project explores the vulnerability of human existence in times of war and emerges as a symbolic act of endurance in the face of devastation.
The opening ceremony will include a symbolic performance held on the very grounds of the academy’s destroyed building.
The exhibition features works by prominent Ukrainian artists, leading faculty members, talented students of the Academy, and alumni of the Contemporary Art Practices course. All proceeds from the sale of the artworks will be directed toward the restoration of the section of the Academy damaged in the missile strike.
For reference: On March 25, 2024, a russian missile hit the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative Applied Arts and Design, destroying part of the institution.
From April 9 to 20, the Kyiv History Museum will host In Memoriam: Reality Through Art, an exposition by French artist Fanny Lechevalier. The project brings together art, documentary storytelling, and charitable outreach.
Using the technique of photomontage, Lechevalier overlays images captured by war correspondents onto reproductions of classic European paintings. The resulting compositions are visually arresting and prompt viewers to reconsider the ongoing tragedy unfolding on Europe’s borders.
The exhibition serves several purposes:
– To create a newsworthy event to draw international attention to the war in Ukraine and mobilize additional support;
– To share the personal stories of those affected by the conflict, offering European audiences a more accurate understanding of life during wartime in Ukraine;
– To highlight the European Union’s support and solidarity with Ukraine;
– To raise funds for the development of an educational and rehabilitation hub.
A special media preview will take place on April 8, where journalists will have the opportunity to speak with the artist.
Accreditation is required to attend.
For reference: The exhibition is organized by Ukraine’s Solidarity Charitable Foundation, which is dedicated to rebuilding the country and assisting those impacted by the war.
