Themes by tag: culture
On July 11, Odesa will host the opening of “Kherson: NOT/Stolen”, an exhibition based on studies and homages inspired by artworks stolen by russia. The project was conceived as an exploration of the collection of the looted Kherson Art Museum and was created by artists who continue to live and work in Ukraine despite ongoing russian attacks and destruction.
In art, a study is both an exploration and a preparatory sketch. A homage is a work created as a tribute to another artist. It is neither an exact copy nor a replica, but rather an expression of respect and gratitude to those who made the world a better place through their art.
The exhibition “NOT/Stolen. Studies and Homages” was shown from November to December 2025 at Zenyk Art Gallery in Lviv, from February to April 2026 at the War Museum in Kyiv, and from May to June 2026 at the Ukrainian Canadian Art Foundation KUMF Gallery in Toronto, Canada.
On July 11, Kherson will be brought to Odesa through new works by Ukrainian artists.
Over the course of eight days, the festival will present more than 30 new Ukrainian plays. The programme includes works by graduates of the theatre’s third cohort, plays by graduates of previous years, and plays written by Ukrainian service members who are currently serving on the front line.
The festival’s main events are staged readings of plays written by veterans who have just completed the Veterans’ Theatre educational programme and created their first literary works. This is how the festival got its name — the Festival of First Plays.
Over the past two years, a genuine community has formed around the Veterans’ Theatre. Artists who have taken part in the educational programme have become close partners, sharing the theatre’s mission and values, supporting emerging playwrights and encouraging veterans as they take their first steps in a new creative field. The festival has also seen the emergence of successful playwrights — graduates of the first cohorts who continued writing after their debut, developed as authors, and are now returning to the festival with new plays. Their experience is living proof that the Veterans’ Theatre is an effective pathway to a new profession and a place where veterans can pursue new aspirations.
Background: The festival is organised by TRO Media and the Veterans’ Theatre — a team that believes Ukraine’s war for independence should be told as truthfully as possible by those who directly participated in the historic events and battles.
For dozens of veterans, KSE ProfTech (Kyiv School of Economics Professional Education) has become the place where a new professional chapter began after military service. Since the centre was established, 55 veterans have completed training in new technical professions.
In the summer of 2026, KSE ProfTech launched “Your Change”, a free professional retraining programme for veterans in Kyiv that combines vocational education with employment support. The programme’s distinctive feature is its comprehensive approach to veterans’ professional reintegration. In addition to training, participants receive individual career guidance, support for those planning to start their own businesses, mentoring, and assistance in securing grant funding. The programme also includes training in psychological resilience, communication, and teamwork.
The programme has already delivered its first results: two veterans have successfully completed the programme and are now entering the job market, while 15 more are currently training as CNC machine operators, electronics assemblers, and 3D modelling specialists.
The centre plans to continue expanding the “Your Change” programme so that more veterans can gain new professional skills, return to active civilian life, and find employment.
By prior arrangement, journalists can visit the “Your Change” vocational retraining programme in Kyiv and speak with participants and programme organisers.
Background: The “Your Change” programme is implemented by KSE ProfTech with the support of Chernovetskyi Investment Group, in partnership with KSE Foundation. Training takes place in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast.
A ceremonial handover of a unique vyshyvanka (traditional embroidered shirt) created for Hero of Ukraine Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov as part of the Vyshyvanka for a Hero project will take place in Kyiv on July 15.
The Vyshyvanka for a Hero project symbolically unites Ukrainian traditions, spirituality, and contemporary history. Every stitch, embroidered by librarians, military chaplains, children, writers, artists, volunteers, and friends of the library, represents love for Ukraine, faith in victory, and gratitude to Ukrainian defenders.
The event will feature:
- presentation of replica vyshyvankas created for Heroes of Ukraine and transferred to the collections of the War Museum;
- screening of a video about the embroidery process accompanied by original incantation songs;
- remarks by distinguished guests;
- performance by the Zvytiaha Dance Ensemble;
- collective embroidery session for the fourth vyshyvanka in the project, dedicated to Hero of Ukraine Commander of the National Guard of Ukraine Oleksandr Pivnenko, with the participation of ceremony attendees.
Invited participants include representatives of the Office of the President of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, members of the Board of Trustees of the National Library of Ukraine for Children, and the NGO Union of Television and Film Industry Entrepreneurs.
Media accreditation is required.
Ukrainian professionals who returned from abroad to work in the public sector will present the results of their work from the first six months of the Create Ukraine program at a reporting session in Kyiv on July 13.
Just a year ago, they were working at the European Commission, the European Parliament, the European Court of Human Rights, UNHCR, and other international organizations. Today, they are implementing reforms in Ukrainian ministries and government agencies, contributing to Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, attracting investment, supporting the country’s recovery, and advancing other nationally significant initiatives.
During the Interim Reporting Event — Create Ukraine 2026, participants will present the key outcomes of their work, highlight completed initiatives, and share plans for the next stage of the program.
The event will also bring together representatives of the governments of Ukraine and Lithuania, heads of public institutions, programme supervisors, and international partners.
Invited speakers:
- Tetiana Berezhna — Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture of Ukraine;
- Darius Skusevičius — Ambassador-at-Large for the Coordination of Ukraine’s Recovery and Reconstruction Efforts;
- Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė — Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Lithuania to Ukraine;
- Maryna Borysenko — Director of Programs and Implementation at KSE Foundation.
Create Ukraine is a program that brings Ukrainian professionals with international experience back to work in the public sector. Over the past two years, it has expanded from one ministry to nine government institutions. Currently, 24 participants are working across six ministries and three government agencies, supporting reforms, European integration, and Ukraine’s recovery.
Format: Hybrid (in person and online).
Participation is subject to prior confirmation by the organizers. Registration is open until 4:00 p.m. on July 10.
Background: The #CreateUkraine program is funded by Lithuania through the Lithuanian Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid Fund and supports the return and successful integration of Ukrainian professionals currently living abroad into Ukraine’s public sector. It is implemented by the Central Project Management Agency (CPVA) of Lithuania together with KSE Foundation, with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania and in close cooperation with the Government of Ukraine.
Irpin is launching Irpin: Architectures of Memory, an interdisciplinary laboratory that will work with sites of remembrance connected to the experiences of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The open call for participants closed on July 5, 2026. The next public stage of the project will be the first community meeting, scheduled for August 1, 2026.
The laboratory will focus on four sites in Irpin:
- The Car Graveyard — civilian vehicles abandoned by residents during the evacuation from Irpin. Curator: Ksenia Malykh.
- Heroes’ Alley — banners with portraits of fallen defenders displayed in the city’s central square. Curator: Kateryna Semeniuk.
- Checkpoints — a network of six positions that formed Irpin’s defensive line in spring 2022. Curator: Anastasiia Pasieka.
- Remembering Civilian Victims — a memorial space dedicated to residents killed during the war, located on the Irpin River embankment. Curator: Lizaveta Herman.
In July, the organisers will select participants and form working groups. In August, the laboratory will begin with a research visit to Irpin. During September and October, the teams will develop concepts for the four sites of remembrance. The results will be presented to the community and the city in December.
The laboratory will bring together specialists from architecture, art, urbanism, research, history, philosophy, design and other disciplines. Participants will work in interdisciplinary teams alongside the curators, the Irpin community and the project’s partners.
Background: Irpin: Architectures of Memory was initiated by the Sigma Irpin Charitable Foundation and the Irpin City Council with the support of the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine.
The project’s special partner is the memory culture platform Past / Future / Art.
The project is implemented in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine, the State Agency for Tourism Development of Ukraine, the Kyiv Regional State Administration and the Kyiv School of Economics.
On July 9, the protective structures surrounding the Lesia Ukrainka monument in Kyiv’s Lesia Ukrainka Square will be removed as part of the final stage of its preservation, followed by professional, delicate cleaning of the monument.
The monument will be unveiled for the first time since it was enclosed in protective structures in 2022. For many Kyiv residents, this will symbolize the return of one of the capital’s key cultural landmarks to the city’s public space.
The work will include:
- removal of the protective structures;
- professional cleaning of the monument to remove dust and atmospheric pollutants;
- improvement of the surrounding area;
- use of specialized equipment and machinery;
- cleaning carried out under the supervision of technical specialists in accordance with heritage preservation standards.
All work is being carried out on a pro bono basis, without the use of municipal budget funds. For INWHITE, the project is a charitable contribution to improving Kyiv’s public space as the company marks its 20th anniversary and a continuation of its Clean Day social initiative.
Journalists are required to register in advance.
Background: The initiative is being implemented by the Department of Culture of the Kyiv City State Administration and the Pechersk District State Administration in Kyiv, with the support of the service company INWHITE (LLC INWHITE).
Following a russian strike in December 2023, the Odesa rowing club Chornomorets was left with almost no sports equipment. Two russian drones hit the base where over a hundred boats were stored, leaving the club on the brink of closure.
However, the European rowing community stepped in to help. Support came from clubs in the Netherlands, which organized a boat donation drive and continue to fund annual two-week training camps in the Netherlands for children. Rowers from Germany and Lithuania also contributed. Furthermore, thanks to support from the UK, the club received a coastal rowing boat (a coxed quadruple scull) and four 20-person dragon boats.
Today, Chornomorets is open to both children and adults, and veterans are also welcomed to participate in training sessions.
Journalists are invited to cover these training sessions.
Background: Dragon boat racing is a spectacular team sport featuring large canoes decorated with dragon heads and tails.
The program of this year’s festival includes discussions and public conversations, excursions and musical performances, theatrical and music-poetic performances. The festival participants and speakers are Oksana Zabuzhko, Serhiy Zhadan, Yuliia “Taira” Paievska, Pavlo Kazarin, Vakhtang Kipiani, Kateryna Kalytko, Mariana Sadovska, Svitlana Povaliayeva, Sasha Koltsova, Valeriy Puzik, Anton Slepakov, The Harmyder Theater, and the band Zhadan i Sobaky.
On the opening day of the festival, July 3, a press briefing for the media will take place on the lawn of Protasiv Yar with the participation of organizers and guests. Immediately after the briefing, the official opening will take place with an introductory speech by Oksana Zabuzhko.
Media accreditation is required.
Reference: The Protasiv Yar festival was founded in memory of public activist and scout of the 93rd Kholodnyi Yar Brigade, Roman Ratushnyi (call sign Seneka).
As part of sports-rehabilitation activities, the Kyiv Military Hub invites you to a sailing masterclass at the Kyiv City Cruising Yacht Club. It will be a full-fledged two-hour training session on a crewed boat under the guidance of an experienced trainer. Participants will learn to work in a team and master the basics of yachting.
The masterclass will take place on July 3.
