Themes by tag: culture
On February 1, Valentyn Oleksiienko, a 29-year-old veteran and patient at the UNBROKEN Center, will take to the floor in a wheelchair to perform at the UKR DANCE CUP sports ballroom dancing competition.
A frontline defender who suffered a complete spinal cord injury in an accident at the front, leaving him with no feeling in 70% of his body, Oleksiienko continues to push boundaries despite the permanent nature of his injury. He has already made headlines by learning to paint from his wheelchair, a technique that earned him a place in the Ukrainian Book of Records as the first artist to work that way. He later mastered driving an adapted vehicle. Now he’s embracing dance as his latest challenge.
Oleksiienko will perform an exhibition piece alongside his partner, Daria Bilous. Their routine is one of three special performances featuring Ukrainian war veterans who have sustained amputations or other severe physical disabilities.
The veterans’ appearances are part of a charity initiative organized by the UKR DANCE CUP organizers in partnership with the UNBROKEN charity fund. Proceeds will support the rehabilitation of children treated at Unbroken KIDS, the pediatric department of St. Nicholas Hospital who have been affected by the war.
For reference: The UKR DANCE CUP, a prominent sports ballroom dancing tournament, was originally launched in Kharkiv in 2014. After a three-year suspension due to russia’s full-scale invasion, the event has resumed in Lviv.
Journalists wishing to cover the competition must be accredited in advance.
Adaptive cross-country skiing training sessions for military veterans are taking place in the Ukrainian capital, led by Oleksii Prokopenko, head coach of Ukraine’s national cross-country skiing team for the 2025 Invictus Games and founder of the Endurance School.
The free year-round sessions, held in both summer and winter, make use of specialized adaptive ski gear, including chair for seated skiing along with tailored cross-country skis. These tools, part of established techniques for handicapped skiing, enable people with reduced mobility to participate fully in the sport.
Prokopenko has recently introduced adaptive ski touring, a hybrid of cross-country and downhill skiing, to the program. Veterans with amputations are among the participants training with this equipment.
Journalists wishing to cover the sessions can arrange access in Kyiv by prior appointment.
On January 22, Unity Day, the Khartiia Patronage Service will open the photo exhibition “The Path to Healing”, dedicated to wounded soldiers, in cooperation with the Kyiv Khartiia Hub, the cultural space KultMotyv, and the Pryncyp Legal Aid Center for Military Personnel.
Event participants:
- Mariia Kobzaruk, Deputy Head of the Khartiia Patronage Service;
- Oksana Yavorska, lawyer at the Pryncyp Legal Aid Center for Military Personnel;
- Khartiia servicemembers;
- Alina Karban, Head of the Khartiia Hub in Kyiv.
The exhibition, which runs from January 22 to February 5, features eight portraits by Roman Pashkovskyi, a portrait photographer and Khartiia serviceman. Each photograph tells the story of soldiers’ courage and resilience at various stages of their journeys from injury through rehabilitation and back to service or civilian life. Each photograph is accompanied by the soldier’s recorded story, covering their motivation to serve, their injury, the challenges of treatment and rehabilitation, their dreams and plans, and the support and strength that help them overcome these challenges.
This photo project aims to highlight the dignity, strength, and invincibility of our defenders and to raise funds for the Khartiia Patronage Service.
Background: This initiative supports the Patronage Service of the 13th Khartiia Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. The Patronage Service’s goal is to support soldiers in difficult situations, help them recover from injuries, assist their families, and honor fallen heroes.
The VETERANKA movement is set to host a large-scale forum on the culture of memory, dubbed “Polis of Memory,” in collaboration with the Kyiv School of Economics.
On January 23, the VETERANKA movement, a united community of women with combat experience will convene Ukraine’s largest forum dedicated to the culture of memory, titled “Polis of Memory.” The event aims to foster a space for connections and candid discussions on how remembrance culture is taking shape today: from the roles of the state and communities, to interactions among diverse groups and institutions, as well as how varied wartime experiences share the public sphere and what emerging practices in remembrance look like.
“Polis of Memory” is a one-day gathering for experts, initiative representatives, activists, researchers, and anyone invested in how contemporary war remembrance is evolving. The name draws deliberately from the ancient Greek city-states, or polis, evoking collaborative creation and shared decision-making.
The forum will tackle the challenges and responsibilities confronting central and local authorities in preserving memory, along with memory conflicts and problematic memorialization practices. Representatives from various initiatives will share their forward-looking visions and approaches to community engagement, while experts offer deeper insights into the trajectory of Ukraine’s remembrance culture.
Speakers include:
– Nataliia Kryvda, Doctor of Philosophy, Professor at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Chair of the Supervisory Board of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation (UCF), Academic Director of the Edinburgh Business School in Kyiv;
– Yuliia Hnatiuk, First Deputy Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance;
– Iryna Hoi, 12th Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov”, Head of Azov Patronage Medical Service;
– Anton Drobovych, Philosopher, Lawyer, Public and State Figure, Head of the Center for Human Rights and War Memorialization at the Kyiv School of Economics;
– Kateryna Semeniuk, Cultural Manager, Curator, Co-founder of the Past/Future/Art cultural Memory Platform, Head of the Cultural Practices NGO;
– Hanna Bondar, Architect, Member of the Ukrainian Parliament;
– Katia Datsenko, Co-founder of the NGO “Moment of Honor”;
– Gandzia Morozova, Executive Director of the Maksym Kryvtsov Foundation, Military Officer, Sister of the VETERANKA Movement;
– Mykhailo Alekseenko, Artist, Curator.
Journalists can review the detailed program for the event. Registration is required to attend.
For reference: The event is organized by the VETERANKA movement in partnership with the Center for Human Rights and War Memorialization; the Master’s program “Memory Studies and Public History” at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Kyiv School of Economics. The forum is being held with the support of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation as part of the joint initiative “Joining the EU Together.”
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.
