Themes by tag: culture
The documentary “CAPTAIN. STORIES OF THE ‘AZOV’ TANK CREWS” will premiere in the capital on January 21. The event will include appearances by the creative team and the heroes featured in the film.
The film aims to showcase the characters and humanity of the men who honorably defended their country. It chronicles pivotal moments in the brigade’s history, including the Pavlopil-Shyrokyne operation, the defense of Mariupol and Azovstal, captivity, the return to service, and battles on the war’s most critical fronts. The story is told from the perspective of the tank crews who experienced it firsthand.
Directed and written by Kostiantyn Konovalov, director of the films Dovzhenko, The Story of Two Photographs, The Last Fortress: Hacibey, and screenwriter of Kruty 1918, and Firecrosser.
Produced by Maksym Movchan, producer of Blood Brothers and Operative on Call.
Background: The film was created with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
On January 14, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Ukraine, working closely with the Ministry of Economy, Environment and Agriculture of Ukraine and the national mine action platform Demine Ukraine, will launch a countrywide public information campaign to highlight humanitarian demining as a key national priority.
The campaign opens with the debut of an interactive installation titled “The Earth – a Carrier of Memory,” featuring audiovisual narratives that symbolize the safe return of cleared lands to communities. The installation will be unveiled at the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater, renowned for its production of “The Land,” adapted from Olha Kobylianska’s novel and directed by David Petrosyan.
Invited speakers at the launch event include:
– Auke Lootsma, UNDP Resident Representative to Ukraine.
– Ihor Bezkaravainyi, Deputy Minister of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine;
– Yevhen Nyshchuk, General Director and Artistic Director of the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater.
Journalists wishing to attend must complete accreditation by 4 p.m. on January 13, and should bring a passport or national ID along with an editorial certificate from their outlet.
For reference: The initiative is carried out by the United Nations Development Programme in Ukraine in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, Environment, and Agriculture of Ukraine, with financial backing from the Ukraine Community Recovery Fund. More details on the effort are available on the UNDP website.
On January 9, Kyiv’s National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II will host the opening of “Through Darkness. The Light of Memory,” a digital testimony of war.
The exhibition was created by the Skeiron team in cooperation with the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kharkiv Region and the “Memorial Platform”.
The project presents an array of digital data resulting from the documentation of the war’s consequences: 3D models of destroyed objects, places of illegal detention, and mass burial sites of civilians in the Izium district. Their recording assists in global processes of establishing justice and accountability.
The Howard G. Buffett Foundation serves as the strategic partner of the initiative, supporting key areas of work to establish the circumstances of russian war crimes and restore justice, including DNA identification projects and expert data processing.
“Through Darkness. The Light of Memory” is about documenting facts and creating a space for reflection, where 3D scanning, photogrammetry, and sound technologies help convey the realities of war with respect for the experiences of those affected. The project makes visible not only the wound but also the strength – the society’s ability to preserve memory, uphold values, and work toward recovery.
For the third consecutive year, soldiers undergoing treatment, prosthetic fitting, and rehabilitation at the UNBROKEN Center in Lviv are marking Christmas in the Ukrainian tradition – gathered around a shared table with traditional dishes, carols, and a nativity scene. This year, the nativity play has emerged as the central symbol of the holiday, blending the sacred and the everyday, pain and hope, history and the lived reality of war.
At UNBROKEN, the nativity scene is conceived as a fully developed theatrical production, carefully shaped with the audience’s traumatic experiences in mind. The production is directed by Igor Bilyts, chief director of the Maria Zankovetska Theater, who views the nativity scene as a distinctive form of folk theater in which the sacred naturally coexists with the mundane, and timeless archetypes remain recognizable across generations.
Among the performers is Mykhailo Fatieiev, a soldier with the 103rd Brigade of the Territorial Defense Forces who sustained a severe spinal injury on the front lines. During rehabilitation, Fatieiev has turned to writing plays, painting, and acting in stage productions, including Sam na Sam (“Alone with Myself”), a performance based on his own text.
Sharing the stage is Valentyn Oleksienko, a tank driver from the Kyiv region who survived a complete spinal cord injury. After months fighting for his life and nine months of daily rehabilitation, he appears in the production not in pursuit of a role, but for the experience of presence – a sense of support and shared rhythm. According to the director, this is where the strength of theatrical practice for veterans lies: the chance to simply be themselves, without the need to explain or prove anything.
This year’s Christmas dinner for veterans will be held on December 26. On December 27, the nativity scene will be performed on Lviv’s Rynok Square and will be open to the public.
Media representatives must be accredited to attend the event.
For reference: The Ukrainian nativity scene is among the country’s oldest and most intricate forms of folk theater. First mentioned in the 17th century, it was initially performed by members of the Kyiv and Lviv brotherhoods and students of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Over time, it evolved as a puppet theater, a live dramatic performance, and a Christmas ritual – all at once.
The Christmas meeting is an annual reporting event held by the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, established during the full-scale invasion. For the fourth time since 2022, museum staff will present the institution’s activities from the past year.
Guests will include representatives of state authorities, cultural figures, diplomats, and military personnel.
The program includes:
- Presentation of the museum’s 2025 public activity report by General Director Yurii Savchuk;
- Addresses by representatives of state authorities, the Defense Forces of Ukraine, and partner institutions;
- The handover of the Bethlehem Fire to the museum by the Plast scouting organization;
- A performance by soloists of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine;
- Christmas caroling;
- Illumination of the Motherland Monument in the colors of the state flag of Ukraine.
The event will take place on December 25. Journalists must be accredited to attend.
This holiday season, World Central Kitchen (WCK) is introducing Kutia kits in Ukraine — seasonal food kits inspired by one of the most significant Christmas traditions in the country.
Kutia, a traditional dish made from wheat, is prepared on Christmas Eve and holds deep cultural significance for Ukrainians. For families living under conditions of war, displacement, and loss, the ability to prepare this familiar holiday dish helps them maintain a sense of continuity, dignity, and unity during difficult times.
Each Kutia kit contains the non-perishable ingredients needed to prepare the dish at home, including wheat, poppy seeds, dried fruits, walnuts, and honey, as well as a simple recipe.
As part of the pilot project, WCK will distribute 20,000 Kutia kits to families in frontline and near-frontline communities across eight Ukrainian regions: Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, and Chernihiv oblasts.
Media are invited to cover the distribution of Kutia kits in the Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, and Mykolaiv regions, pending security assessments. Interviews with the leadership of the World Central Kitchen mission in Ukraine are available in person (in Lviv or Kyiv) or online. WCK can also provide photo and video b-roll from distribution sites upon request.
Background: World Central Kitchen began providing food aid in Ukraine immediately after the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022. Since then, the organization has continuously adapted its work, combining emergency food provision with innovative long-term food access projects. To date, WCK has provided over 292 million meals across the country.
On December 21, journalists are invited to the presentation of Share the Light, a new light art installation that will illuminate the facade of Kyiv’s Central Railway Station.
Speakers at the event will include:
– Mykola Kabluka, Master of Arts in Lighting Design and Founder of Expolight;
– Oleksandr Pertsovskyi, Chairman of the Management Board of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia;
– Akim Galimov, Journalist, Screenwriter, and Producer of historical documentaries.
Share the Light is dedicated to Ukrainians who, as a result of the war, are living with power shortages and prolonged darkness. The project’s creator, artist and lighting designer Mykola Kabluka, says the installation is intended to bring people together through a symbolic gesture – sharing resilience, luminous memories and hope through beams of light cast onto the country’s main railway station.
From December 21, the longest night of the year, through Christmas on December 25, the installation will operate on generator power. Visitors will be able to interact with the artwork by scanning a QR code, allowing them to choose the color of their “inner light” and leave a short message displayed on the station’s facade.
Media accreditation is required to attend the presentation.
For reference: The project is being implemented by the Expolight Arts contemporary light art laboratory, with support from the national freight and passenger rail operator JSC Ukrzaliznytsia.
During the Christmas holidays, Lviv will host a series of events. On December 24, the Didukh will be installed in the city. On December 25, a Mourning Carol will be held at the Field of Honorary Burials. The Parade of Star-Bearers also known as the Flash of the Christmas Stars festival, will take place on December 28.
Journalists have the opportunity to review the full program of Christmas events.
For reference: The Didukh is a Ukrainian Christmas decoration made from sheaves of grain. Originally a pagan idol, it is a symbol of the ancestor-protector, as well as a symbol of harvest, well-being, and wealth.
On December 25, Kyiv will hold its annual Christmas star march, reviving centuries-old Ukrainian holiday traditions. Participants will carry octagonal stars in tribute to those who have given their lives for the country, creating a moment of unity and remembrance amid ongoing war.
First held in 2014 during the Revolution of Dignity, the march has become a symbol of resilience and continuity, open to anyone wishing to take part. Veterans and active-duty service members are especially invited to join. The procession will feature traditional Christmas carols performed by Kyiv folk ensembles ShchukarRyba and Stodivnytsia, accompanied by the ringing of the city’s main bell towers, adding to the ceremonial atmosphere.
Journalists are invited to review the full program of events in advance.
Reference: Organized by the Ivan Honchar Museum.
The tradition of caroling and nativity scenes featuring stars has been documented in Ukraine since the 17th century. Today, in cities and villages across the country, both children and adults take part in caroling, carrying hand-painted, multicolored stars. The Christmas star symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem that heralded the birth of God and has long been understood as a sign of light triumphing over darkness.
Tetiana Romaniuk experienced the beginning of the full-scale invasion alongside the Rapid Response Teams of the Red Cross Society in Ukraine. Her volunteer skills proved invaluable when evacuating people with limited mobility from parts of the Kyiv oblast and from frontline areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
In August 2022, Tetiana joined the volunteer Hospitallers Medical Battalion. She went to the front lines with five years of experience working in emergency situations. For over three years now, Tetiana has been working under extreme conditions, often at great risk to her own life.
Tetiana recalls one particular evacuation: her crew was rescuing the same soldier for the second time. The Hospitallers vehicle came under fire but only the car was damaged.
During breaks between evacuation missions, Tetiana embroidered traditional towels to distract herself from her experiences. It is also a way to help preserve Ukrainian culture, which is being destroyed by russian forces.
Journalists can speak with Tetiana Romaniuk online or offline by prior arrangement.
