Themes by tag: culture

A veteran bowling tournament, “Mitsni Shary: Spring Range” (Strong Frames), will take place in Kyiv on April 26 — an event aimed at bringing veterans together through sport, support and in-person interaction.

Thirty participants — including veterans, active service members and their family members from across Ukraine — will take part in the competition. The format includes individual and doubles games adapted to participants’ physical abilities.

Journalists are required to obtain accreditation to attend the event.

Background: The project was launched by the NGO Mitsni 300 as part of efforts to create a national veteran league. The first Mitsni Shary tournament in 2025 brought together dozens of veterans and laid the groundwork for scaling up the initiative.

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

On April 25, the Urban Park at VDNG in Kyiv will become an open-air sports venue. It will host Urban Flow: Jump 2.0, a large-scale jump rope flash mob bringing together amateurs, athletes, and anyone looking to get moving.

The event demonstrates how a simple jump rope can become part of modern urban culture — dynamic, accessible, and visually engaging.

Program includes:

• an open warm-up session with Kateryna Nikitina;
• showcase performances and jump rope tricks by Anastasiia Kosenko;
• a DJ set by Yampolsky;
• a mass jump rope flash mob for all participants.

Journalists are required to obtain accreditation to attend the event.

Background: Urban Flow: Jump is a format that combines sport with music, rhythm, and the urban environment. No special training is required — participants simply need to show up and join in.

The event is organized by the Mass Sports Agency of Ukraine with the support of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine.

It is part of a broader movement promoting accessible sport in urban spaces and encouraging simple forms of physical activity that can be easily integrated into everyday life.

• culture
• Kyiv

Leonid Cherniavskyi is a distinguished coach and vice-president of the All-Ukrainian Kyokushin Budo Karate Organization. He spent five months in occupied Kherson after russian forces seized the city at the start of the full-scale invasion. In summer 2022, he managed to evacuate to government-controlled territory in the Mykolaiv region.

After the de-occupation of the right bank of the Kherson region, Cherniavskyi proposed opening a children’s karate section in the village of Mykhailiv.

At first, the karate club operated in an old kindergarten building, part of a school that had survived a missile strike. Later, the need for a larger space arose, and the club began renovating a damaged cultural center. International donors helped restore the building, and British sponsors purchased tatami mats. Today, parents of the students help maintain the club.

The “Katana” karate club currently has 32 children — both local residents and children from nearby villages in the Kherson and Mykolaiv regions. In bad weather, they sometimes walk 5 kilometers to training, as heavy rain makes roads impassable. The coach travels by moped from the neighboring Mykolaiv region.

In more than two years of operation, students of the club have competed in European and world championships. Two girls have become Candidate Masters of Sports and won prizes at international competitions. The “Katana” karate club has become one of the largest sports organizations in the Kherson region.

Journalists can arrange interviews with Leonid Cherniavskyi, as well as with students in the village of Mykhailiv in the Kherson region or online.

Background: Kherson was occupied by russian forces at the beginning of the full-scale invasion (March 1, 2022). The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated the city and the right-bank part of the region in November 2022. The area continues to be regularly shelled by russian forces.

• children
• culture
• occupation
• Kherson

The NGO Care Academy (Akademiia Turboty) is presenting its social and educational initiative “Different Together” and its main character, Pascal the Cat, who has a bionic ear and paw.

The initiative aims to foster a culture of accepting differences and respecting others among primary school children.

Visitors can meet Pascal and learn more about the initiative at the Book Country festival in Kyiv.

Schedule:

• April 23–24 (Thursday–Friday): 12:00–18:00
• April 25–26 (Saturday–Sunday): 10:00–18:00

The Care Academy’s mental health space is an interactive zone at the festival, where children and adults can meet Pascal and discuss care, support, respect, and acceptance of differences. The programme features creative, physical, and educational activities led by ambassadors, influencers, bloggers, authors, and public figures.

Highlights include a fitness session with veteran, psychologist and athlete Oleksandr Chumak, who was part of the Ukrainian team that won a regatta at the Invictus Games in Düsseldorf; a workshop titled “Metal Paw: How Bionic Prosthetics Are Made”; “Talisman of Faith,” a pottery session with veteran and ceramic artist Volodymyr Dovhan (DOVGAN-ART); and a masterclass “Friendship Bracelets” by Oleksandra Paskal.

The full programme is available online.

Background: Pascal the Cat is the central figure of the initiative. The character was created by Care Academy in cooperation with Daria Herasymchuk and named after Ukrainian gymnast Oleksandra Paskal, who, after sustaining a severe injury and losing a leg in a missile strike, continued training and inspiring others.

Care Academy is Ukraine’s first online child development platform focused on mental well-being, operating on its own methodology.

• culture
• psychological support
• Kyiv

On April 16 The War Museum will host an event dedicated to the establishment and activities of the Kyiv Regional Center for National Resistance Training. This is one of Ukraine’s largest projects focused on preparing civilians for resistance.

The Center was the first to recruit veterans of the russo-Ukrainian War as instructors, achieving significant results through their dedicated work. Today, national resistance efforts in the Kyiv region serve as a model for similar organizations and actively contribute to the development of a nationwide network of training centers.

Speakers will discuss the organization’s history, the specifics of the training process, and how citizens can join the preparatory courses. A Q&A session will follow, offering attendees the opportunity to engage directly with the speakers and ask pressing questions.

Speakers:

Anastasiia Rymar – Officer of the 3rd Separate Army Corps, Founder of the Center

Volodymyr Avdieienko – Veteran of the russo-Ukrainian War, Head of the Center

Journalists are required to be accredited for the event.

• culture
• military
• Kyiv

On April 21, Khartiia Hub invites the public to meet Serhii Kozlov, a liquidator of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant accident, and Mykola Lykholobov, author of the book Family Stories of Chornobyl.

The presentation will take place in Poltava and will be moderated by volunteer and writer Mykhailo Kushnir.

Registration is required to attend the event.

Background: Family Stories of Chornobyl tells the stories of families who were forced to leave their homes forty years ago.

• culture
• Poltava

A presentation of the book “Guide to Military Leadership” will take place in Kyiv on April 16.

In the context of an existential struggle for independence, leadership is no longer just a position — it is a matter of survival. Leading military experts and combat officers (Oleh Boiko, Mykhailo Drapatyi, Hennadii Verkholantsev, Mykhailo Tsymbal, Viktor Shydliukh) will present the publication, which offers practical tools for preparing individuals to face modern challenges.

We live in an environment where the old model of peaceful life no longer works. Decisions must be made quickly, responsibility must be shared, and trust must be built consciously. The book systematically explains:

• how the roles of leaders and teams are changing;
• how their interaction is structured;
• what makes a unit resilient in critical conditions.

Participants of the presentation:

• Oleh Boiko (“Case”) — researcher of military leadership;
• Hennadii Verkholantsev (“Znakhар”) — leadership coaching researcher;
• Serhii Alymov (“Hrom”) — entrepreneur, volunteer, lecturer in military leadership.

Moderator — Inessa Kravchenko, PhD, publisher of “Koleso Zhyttia”, co-owner of an investment holding, philanthropist.

Media accreditation is required.

Background: The book was published by “Koleso Zhyttia” publishing house. The event is supported by the “Liudyna Dyvo Svitu” project.

• culture
• Kyiv

A presentation of the book “Our Long Road to April” by Mykola Shteynberg will take place on April 22 in Kyiv.

Mykola Shteynberg rose through the ranks from reactor operator, shift supervisor, and workshop head at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant to become its chief engineer during the most difficult post-accident period. He also headed a commission within the governmental committee investigating the causes and circumstances of the April 26, 1986 accident at Unit 4 of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

During the event, attendees will have the opportunity to speak with the author and learn more about the disaster.

Registration is required to attend.

• culture
• Kyiv

For the third consecutive year, spring songs, circle dances, chants, psalms, and choral music will be performed under Easter bells inside Saint Sophia Cathedral and in the courtyard of the Saint Sophia of Kyiv National Reserve.

The programme includes:

• blessing of Easter baskets;
• a folk art fair;
• a festive Easter bell performance at the 17th-century bell tower;
• performances by folk groups Roksolaniia, ShchukaRyba, Mykhailove Chudo, Stodyvnytsia, Shumia, and Yevshan-Zillia, as well as flute players Ivan Prudko and Yevhen Dmytrychenko;
• a children’s programme on spring traditions;
• traditional Easter egg games;
• charity workshops;
• performances showcasing kobzar and lirnyk traditions by Taras Kozub, Mykola Tovkailo, Zhdan Bezverbnyi, Dmytro Radchenko, Vitalii Kobzar, Eduard Drach, Taras Dorotskyi, Oles Sanin, Roman Lysenko, and Yurii Kocherzhynskyi;
• a shared meal for participants and guests;
• the Easter communal performance VOLODAR, featuring circle dances, traditional kryvi dances, and games from different regions of Ukraine;
• a traditional ritual of singing for married couples based on the customs of Rozkoshivka village in Vinnytsia region;
• a ceremonial singing procession around the cathedral;
• traditional dances with the group ShchukaRyba.

Journalists can request the full programme of the event.

Background: Easter at Saint Sophia of Kyiv revives traditional Easter customs in the historic and cultural heart of Kyiv. The event is jointly organised by the National Reserve Sophia of Kyiv and the Ivan Honchar National Center of Folk Culture, in partnership with the Vytoky project by Zagoriy Foundation.

• culture
• Kyiv

The Free Fight Cup of Ukraine and the nationwide memorial tournament “Defender of Ukraine” will take place in Dnipro on April 18–19.

The tournaments are organized on the initiative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the Physical Training and Sports Directorate of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov,” and the 12th Special Purpose Brigade “Azov.” The event is held in partnership with the Upgrade Sports Club and the Vataga Boxing School.

Background: Free Fight is a Ukrainian combat sport of mixed martial arts created in 1995. It features minimal restrictions on techniques and emphasizes well-rounded, universal training for athletes.

• culture
• military
• Dnipro