Themes by tag: culture

On July 20, an open Buhurt training session will be held in Irpin, Kyiv oblast.  The event marks the start of regular activities for the “Buhurt Sich” project in the city. Participants will have the opportunity to try out this adaptive team sport based on medieval combat. All training sessions are free of charge. The “Buhurt Sich” team works for veterans, active military personnel, and anyone seeking strength through community.

Background: The “Buhurt Sich” project aims to restore the psychological well-being of soldiers by introducing them to Buhurt. This team combat sport involves simulated knightly battles, either in full armor or soft protective gear. It’s not only spectacular, but experience from other countries shows that it is also highly effective in aiding veterans. For instance, the majority of Buhurt athletes in the U.S. are former military personnel. They say that Buhurt helped them cope with PTSD, overcome alcohol and drug addictions, and prevent suicide. Beyond the physical challenge, Buhurt provides a tight-knit community, which is a crucial factor in rehabilitation.

• culture
• psychological support
• Kyiv

From July 18 to 21, Ukraine’s Poltava Oblast will host the annual Kobzar’s Family Tree Festival, a celebration of Ukraine’s deep-rooted musical heritage. The event brings together folk ensembles, cultural figures, and rare ethnomusicians from across Ukraine and the diaspora. As in previous years, the festival’s centerpiece is a performance by the legendary group Kryachkivske Drevo.

The driving force behind the festival is Jurij Fedynskyj, a Ukrainian-American who moved to Ukraine 26 years ago to reconnect with his ancestral roots. Fourteen years ago, he settled in Kriachkivka, dedicating himself to reviving the ancient kobzar tradition, the epic songs and instruments once played by wandering Ukrainian bards.

In Kriachkivka, Fedynskyj founded a kobza workshop where he not only crafts traditional instruments by hand but also teaches others to play them. His repertoire includes the Veresaiev kobza, kobza bandura, pan bandura, mama kobza, and torbana, instruments largely unknown outside specialist circles.

Journalists are invited to explore the festival’s program and share the story of how one man’s passion is helping to preserve and pass on a fading musical legacy.

• culture
• Poltava

The Tytanovi Arts and Culture Center for Veterans Rehabilitation has officially opened its doors in Kyiv, marking a significant step forward in support for Ukraine’s wounded defenders. Launched by the Tytanovi Foundation as part of its broader Tytanovi Rehab initiative, the new facility is the first of its kind in the country to offer psychological and social rehabilitation for veterans with amputations, uniquely located inside a shopping mall.

The Tytanovi Foundation emphasizes that war leaves scars beyond the physical. Psychological wounds often run deep, and creative therapy is proving to be one of the most effective ways to heal them. The center offers a variety of services, including a creative studio, sports and art therapy sessions, as well as educational, social, and integration programs tailored to veterans’ needs.

To secure the center’s long-term operation, the TYTANOVI Charitable Foundation has partnered with the U.S.-based Hansen Ukrainian Mission. Under a newly signed memorandum, the American organization will cover all operating costs of the rehab center and its cultural-arts space in the Respublika Park shopping mall for one year.

For reference: The Tytanovi Foundation was founded by Armed Forces veteran Viacheslav Zaporozhets and is dedicated to supporting military personnel and veterans in their recovery. One of its key missions is to provide titanium implants for soldiers who have experienced complex limb loss.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• psychological support
• Kyiv

In Lviv, a group of severely wounded Ukrainian defenders, all recovering at the UNBROKEN Center, working on something remarkable – they’re building a yacht. Now in the final stages of construction, the project will be showcased on July 16, when media are invited to witness the near-complete vessel before its launch.

The idea took root during a recreational rehabilitation trip. Patients visited a sailing center, where they were introduced to the world of yachting. Inspired and energized, the group returned with a bold vision: to build a boat of their own.

Construction began in February. Since then, more than 30 veterans and active-duty servicemen undergoing treatment, rehabilitation, or prosthetic fitting at the UNBROKEN Center have taken part in the effort.

The initiative was sparked by 32-year-old Ruslan Kukhta, a patient at the center who served for over two years in eastern Ukraine before sustaining a serious injury that nearly cost him his leg. Among those contributing are veterans with prosthetic limbs and others recovering from complex trauma.

One of them is Mykhailo Ternavskyi, a 22-year-old soldier with the Third Assault Brigade. “Our main goal is to launch the yacht, sail those first few meters, and feel what all our hard work has gone into,” he says.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

On July 15, the Center for Civil Liberties, NGO Docudays, and the Embassy of Finland in Ukraine invite you to the screening and discussion of the unofficial Ukrainian premiere of Arthur Franck’s film “The Helsinki Effect”. The address will be shared with confirmed participants.

“The Helsinki Effect” is a witty and insightful documentary that revisits the historic 1975 Helsinki Summit during the Cold War, where leaders from East and West gathered to discuss security and cooperation. The film draws on hundreds of hours of archival footage and declassified transcripts of negotiations, revealing how this conference — whose significance was not apparent at the time — changed the world and remains relevant 50 years later.

Discussion participants:

• Yevhen Zakharov, chairman of the board of the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union;
• Yevheniia Kravchuk, member of the Ukrainian Parliament;
• Yosyf Zisels, Ukrainian human rights activist and Soviet-era dissident.

• culture

Anna Kosykh, a native of Dnipro now living in the Kyiv oblast, has been passionate about Petrykivka decorative painting since childhood. After earning a degree in education, she began teaching children this traditional Ukrainian art form.

When the full-scale invasion began, Anna chose to stay in Ukraine. Though her art school closed, leaving her unemployed, she soon found a new purpose: transforming spent ammunition casings into works of art that volunteers could sell at auctions.

Anna’s first “canvas” was a used Javelin missile tube, and one of her latest pieces was a transport tube from a Javelin missile. She paints anything sent to her from the frontlines. Anna auctions off the finished pieces and donates the proceeds to support the Ukrainian army.

Journalists can connect with Anna Kosykh online or meet her in Irpin by prior arrangement.

• culture
• women
• Kyiv

Kyiv will host the third annual Protasiv Yar Festival from July 4 to 6, bringing together civic, cultural, and artistic communities in a three-day program of educational panels, live music, and public initiatives.

The festival is dedicated to the memory of Roman Ratushnyi, a prominent civic activist and soldier, whose life and work have become symbols of resistance and community solidarity. The event also aims to spotlight contemporary and traditional Ukrainian art, human rights, civic engagement, and the country’s historical legacy.

This year’s festival will include a special tribute to Roman’s brother, Vasyl Ratushnyi, who was killed in action in February 2025.

For reference: Roman Ratushnyi rose to national prominence as a grassroots organizer, leading efforts to protect Kyiv’s historic green zone in the Protasiv Yar area. He later joined the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade “Kholodnyi Yar” as an intelligence officer and was killed in combat on June 8, 2022.

• culture
• Kyiv

On June 28, the Lviv oblast will host an adaptive CrossFit competition for wounded soldiers, veterans, amputees, and people with disabilities in wheelchairs. These competitions have become a crucial step in the rehabilitation and social reintegration of our heroes.

The competition will be attended by 25 adaptive athletes from all over Ukraine – veterans and active military personnel who were injured while defending their homeland, underwent treatment and continue their rehabilitation.

Registration is required (the exact location will be shared after sign-up). Registered media representatives will be provided with transportation from Lviv.

Background: The event is organized by the ‘Games of Heroes’ NGO and the Charitable Foundation ‘Kharkiv with You’ with the support of the King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium).

The competition’s history dates back to 2015, when the psychological rehabilitation of severely wounded soldiers first became a pressing issue following russia’s aggression in 2014. The growing number of wounded required not only medical and psychological support but also active efforts to help them reintegrate into society and return to an active life.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

A pre-premiere screening of the documentary People of Freedom’s Color will take place on June 30 in Kyiv, followed by a discussion.

The film chronicles the non-violent resistance of Ukrainians living under russian occupation, tracing events from 2014 to the present day. It highlights the personal stories of those who stood their ground in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Novoazovsk, Melitopol, and Kherson.

The documentary features accounts from participants in the Yellow Ribbon and Zla Mavka grassroots movements, as well as testimonies from individuals still living in occupied cities who continue to resist. Despite the risks, they paint Ukrainian flags, hang yellow and blue ribbons, distribute posters with national symbols, uphold cultural traditions, and teach others the Ukrainian language.

Following the screening, a discussion will be held with members of the creative team, individuals featured in the film, human rights advocates, and representatives of government institutions and civil society organizations.

Pre-registration is required to attend.

For reference: People of Freedom’s Color was produced by the creative team at The Locals (Tuteshni) NGO, with support from Ukraine’s Special Operations Forces and the International Renaissance Foundation.

• culture
• occupation
• Kyiv

Svitlana Matsiuta is an artist from Kherson. For the past 20 years, she has worked as an assistant set designer in a theater.

She experienced the full-scale invasion in her hometown. During the occupation, Svitlana and her son avoided leaving home out of fear of russian soldiers. Despite financial hardship, she rejected all offers to work in the theater under russian control. In March 2022, reports began circulating in media and social networks claiming that wild geese had “downed” an enemy military plane. Inspired by this story, Svitlana created her own toy battle geese.

These toys symbolize Kherson’s unbreakable spirit and resistance. Svitlana says the battle geese are especially popular among Kherson residents who have relocated to other parts of Ukraine or abroad. She has received orders from the U.S., the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy.

In addition to geese, the artist makes roosters inspired by the folk art of Maria Prymachenko and Polina Raiko. Creating these toys helps Svitlana distract herself from the shelling and keeps her dream of victory and the liberation of the rest of the Kherson oblast alive.

Svitlana Matsiuta is available for interviews online or in person in Kherson, by prior arrangement.

• culture
• occupation
• women
• Kherson