Themes by tag: culture

Anatolii Levchenko is a theater professional from Mariupol who, in 2015, spearheaded a new chapter in the city’s cultural life by launching contemporary Ukrainian productions at a theater once designated as “russian.”

He and his wife, Hanna, were caregivers for their nonverbal autistic son and Hanna’s 90-year-old mother. Because of these responsibilities, the Levchenkos were unable to evacuate Mariupol quickly after the russian invasion began. They managed to leave only in May 2022. But just one day before their departure, Anatolii was detained by russian forces, following a denunciation from former colleagues in the theater who had aligned themselves with the occupying authorities.

At first, Hanna had no idea where her husband had been taken. She later learned that he had been accused of extremism and transferred to russian-occupied Donetsk. For more than 10 months, she sent him clothing, medication, and letters to the detention center. Occasionally, Anatolii was allowed to call her late at night. During this time, Hanna managed life on her own, caring for their son, sourcing food and water, and cooking over an open fire alongside neighbors.

On March 9, 2023, she received a phone call: Anatolii was being released. His health had significantly deteriorated after nearly a year in detention. That summer, the family reached Ukrainian-controlled territory, first relocating to Kropyvnytskyi. A year later, they moved to Kyiv. Today, Anatolii has resumed his work in theater.

He is available for conversations both online and in person in the capital, with prior arrangement.

For reference: The defense of Mariupol lasted 86 days. On May 20, 2022, the city fell under russian occupation. According to Human Rights Watch, at least 8,000 civilians were killed during the siege. Thousands more were injured, many lost limbs, vision, hearing, or memory, often due to blast-related head trauma. Of Mariupol’s pre-war population of 540,000, approximately 400,000 had fled by mid-May 2022.

• casualties
• culture
• occupation
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv
• Mariupol

A new initiative, Heroes Glory Golf, has launched in the Kyiv region, providing free golf training for Ukrainian military veterans. Tailored for those with combat experience, the program offers:

– golf instruction;

– participation in tournaments and competitions;

– outdoor recreation in a nature reserve;

– peer support and new connections within the veteran community.

The program aims to help veterans transition to civilian life through physical activity, skill-building, and a sense of community. Participation is entirely free of charge.

Eight women veterans have already enrolled, and recruitment for additional teams remains open.

Journalists may attend training sessions near Kyiv by prior arrangement.

Background: Heroes Glory Golf is organized by Heroes Glory, a veteran service organization, and is supported by the DTCare Foundation and the Women Veterans Movement.

• culture
• military
• women
• Kyiv

On May 13 the War Museum will host a meeting of the discussion platform “Our Victory: Ukraine in the Second World War” and presentation of the popular scientific publication “Ukraine in the Second World War. War Calendar” as part of the Museum’s “Our Victory” campaign dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe and the victory over Nazism.

Speakers of the platform:

• Volodymyr Viatrovych, Candidate of Historical Sciences, politician, public figure, People’s Deputy of Ukraine of the IX convocation, 2nd Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory;
• Yaroslav Hrytsak, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Ukrainian Catholic University;
• Oleksandr Lysenko, Corresponding Member of the NAS of Ukraine, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor at the Institute of History of Ukraine of the NAS of Ukraine;
• Ivan Patryliak, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor, Dean of the Faculty of History at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv;
• Olena Stiazhkina, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Professor at the Institute of Ukrainian History of the NAS of Ukraine.

Participants:

• Oleksandr Alfiorov, Candidate of Historical Sciences, historian, radio host, public and political activist, research fellow at the Institute of Ukrainian History, NAS of Ukraine;
• Akim Halimov, founder of the “Real History” project, producer at 1+1 Media;
• Anton Drobovych, Candidate of Philosophical Sciences, public and state figure, expert in communication, education and culture, 3rd Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory.
• Oleksandr Zinchenko, historian, publicist, journalist, TV presenter, co-founder of the online publication “Istorychna Pravda”;
• Vladlen Maraiev, candidate of historical sciences, co-author of the YouTube channel “History without myths”;
• Vitalii Nakhmanovych, historian, ethnopolitical scientist, museum curator and public activist, leading researcher at the Kyiv History Museum.

Discussion topics: how Ukraine constructs the memory of the end of World War II; victory or defeat, occupation or liberation: World War II in Ukrainian public discourse; what changes have occurred in the concepts and practices of World War II commemoration in connection with russia’s current war against Ukraine.

Registration is required for the event.

• culture
• Kyiv

Veterans are invited to participate in a 3-day mountain hike in the Lviv oblast, on May 16-18.

The “Mountain Therapy” program combines the most effective healing methods and creates peer-to-peer support groups. The hikes are led by professional guides and psychologists. The program’s specialists have been working with military personnel and their families since 2014.

Journalists are welcome to cover the mountain therapy upon prior arrangement.

Background. The mountain therapy is organized by NGO “Metta”.

• culture
• psychological support
• Lviv

Marta Partem works in the IT sector. In the early days of the full-scale war, she and her colleagues organized the evacuation of refugees abroad, bought first-aid kits for soldiers, and later focused on the purchase of drones and electronic warfare systems. In total, the young woman has raised over three million hryvnia to support the Ukrainian defenders.

Through her volunteer work, Marta visited a military hospital in Lviv, where she learned that many soldiers did not have a vyshyvanka (traditional embroidered shirt). Together with her friend Oksana Brynzak, she decided to launch the “United by Vyshyvanka” initiative — a project for those who want to give embroidered shirts to soldiers as a token of gratitude for their service.

Marta shares that for many soldiers, these gifted vyshyvankas are the first they have ever received. She encourages those who wish to participate to send her their own or newly purchased embroidered shirts, which she will then deliver to the troops. The volunteer is also collecting donations to purchase vyshyvankas for the soldiers.

You can contact Marta Partem online or meet her offline in Lviv by prior arrangement.

• culture
• volunteers
• women
• Lviv

Before the full-scale invasion, Dariia and her husband were planning to buy their own home in the Kyiv oblast. Just as the couple was about to receive the keys to their new home, the great war began and an enemy shell landed near their house. The explosion damaged their new home, blowing out windows and shattering the roof and walls.

Dariia and her husband were forced back into renting. In addition, the woman lost her job, so she devoted all of her free time to decorating her temporary home. One day, she stumbled upon a video of crystal ornaments online. Inspired, she made her first piece and hung it in her window. As the sunlight danced through its prisms, the artisan came up with the name “sontselov” (meaning “sun catcher”). Soon after setting up a social media page, she received her first order. Today, Daria creates these luminous pieces with symbols of temporarily occupied cities — Mariupol, Berdiansk, Melitopol, Enerhodar. In three years, she’s made and sold more than 5,000 home decorations, eventually earning enough to buy a house with her husband.

You can speak with Dariia Terekhova both online and offline in the Kyiv oblast by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• women
• Kyiv

On May 9, the War Museum in Kyiv will open the exhibition project Memory. Dialogues, developed in partnership with the Berlin Karlshorst Museum and supported by the German Embassy in Ukraine. The event is timed to coincide with Europe Day.

The project is built around the family histories of three artists: Polina Kuznetsova (Ukraine), Eva Neidlinger (Germany), and Jenny Alten (Germany). The lives of their ancestors intersected in Ukraine during the Nazi occupation. Notably, the great-grandfather of director Eva Neidlinger, a Wehrmacht soldier, was stationed in Kharkiv, where artist Polina Kuznetsova’s grandmother lived through the war as a child.

Drawing on diaries, photographs, oral testimonies, and contemporary artistic reflections, the exhibition explores themes of personal and collective memory, the process of healing historical trauma, and reconciliation between nations. It invites dialogue across generations and cultures while encouraging new ways of preserving memory.

The exhibition culminates in the art installation Voices, part of Kuznetsova’s Black Earth project, created in collaboration with artist Andrii Skrypka.

Scheduled speakers at the opening ceremony include:

– Yurii Savchuk, Director General of the War Museum in Kyiv;

– Lisa Heike, First Secretary and Head of the Cultural Section, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Ukraine;

– Project curators: Yurii Horpynych and Maryna Bohush;

Project participants: Polina Kuznetsova (Ukraine), Eva Neidlinger (Germany), and Jenny Alten (Germany)

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

• culture
• Kyiv

On May 8, the Museum of War will host the opening of the exhibition project Our Victory, which explores Ukraine’s role in World War II. As part of the ceremony, the Flame of Glory will be lit to honor the memory of Ukrainians who fought against Nazism.

Participants include:

– Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine;

– Yurii Savchuk, Director General of the War Museum in Kyiv;

– Mykhailo Vynnytskyi, Deputy Minister of Education and Science of Ukraine;

– Dimitris Sotiropoulos, Chairman of the Board and Bureau of the Observatory for the Teaching of History in Europe, Council of Europe

Musical program: Honored Academic Orchestra of Ukraine and the Exemplary Orchestra of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Accreditation is required to attend the event.

Background: The exhibition is located on the site of the former Alley of Hero Cities, a space originally designed to reinforce the Soviet narrative of the “Great Patriotic War.” In December 2024, the area was renovated, with Golden Stars and inscriptions removed. Now, Our Victory reclaims this space – challenging the propaganda myths of the Soviet totalitarian regime and transforming the alley into a place of historical reflection and tribute to the Ukrainians who fought in the ranks of the anti-Hitler coalition.

• culture
• Kyiv

The “Come Back Alive” Initiatives Center, in cooperation with the Ministry of Veterans Affairs, is launching a new initiative — the first All-Ukrainian Wheelchair Basketball Championships for veterans and active military personnel. The event will be held on May 10-11 in Kyiv.

The format will combine wheelchair basketball competitions with festival entertainment. The event will last two days. On the first day, there will be eight preliminary games between veteran teams from different regions of Ukraine. The winners will advance to the playoffs, which will take place on the second day.

A large recreation area will be available throughout the event, featuring a food court, VR and PlayStation gaming stations, as well as a recovery area and a kids zone with master classes, relay races, board games and other activities. There will also be a special area where attendees can learn more about adaptive sports, including archery, rowing, table tennis, and more.

The purpose of the championships is to highlight the role of adaptive sports (specifically wheelchair basketball) in the rehabilitation of veterans and military personnel and to raise public awareness of this effective recovery tool.

Media accreditation is required to attend.

Background: The “Come Back Alive” Initiatives Center is a public organization dedicated to strengthening Ukraine’s security and defense. It focuses on researching veterans and security policy, developing effective solutions, and advocating for their implementation in public policy. Currently, the Center operates two main programs: analytical and veteran-focused, promoting a culture of rehabilitation for veterans and military personnel through adaptive sports after injury, trauma, or illness.

• culture
• Kyiv

Amnesty International Ukraine, in cooperation with the Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, is launching an open-air photo exhibition entitled “Deafening Silence”, dedicated to the stories of Ukrainian prisoners of war and their families. The exhibition is based on extensive research into the rights abuses of POWs held by russia. The opening will be on May 9.

This project is part of an international campaign to raise awareness of violations of international humanitarian law and to strengthen the protection of prisoners of war by mobilizing civil society.

The purpose of the event is to highlight systematic violations of the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war by the russian federation, to support initiatives aimed at protecting their rights, and to raise global awareness of these humanitarian challenges.

Media accreditation is required to attend.

• culture
• military
• prisoners
• Kyiv