Themes by tag: culture

Folklorist Yaryna Sizyk, animation director Mariia Ozirna, and the Kherson Art Museum named after Oleksii Shovkunenko have launched a project dedicated to the paintings stolen by russians during the occupation of the city. According to the museum staff estimates, the occupiers looted approximately ten thousand works of art.

The project’s goal is to attempt to recreate what the Russians took away. To date, the team has managed to “reproduce” a painting by Mykhailo Bryansky (1830-1908), “Portrait of a Girl in an Embroidered Dress”. The painting was not simply repainted but was modernized and animated. Ukrainian model and singer Daria Astafieva helped “bring it to life”; the artists transformed her into the girl in the embroidered dress from the stolen canvas. For the animation, the team used a shirt that Inna Mykutska, a tour guide from Kherson, embroidered during the occupation.

The team has also recreated the oil painting “Cossacks in the Steppe” by Serhii Vasylkivsky (1854-1917). Servicemen Roman “Dobriak” Kolesnyk and Stanislav “Ref” Zorii of the Armed Forces of Ukraine participated in the reproduction of this artwork. Yaryna and Mariia added the Ukrainian folk song “Oh, There Beyond the Seas…” performed by the band Shchuka-Ryba to this animation.

The project founders are currently working on further recreations.

Yaryna Sizyk and Mariia Ozirna are available for interviews with journalists in Kyiv.

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 from russian troops on November 11, 2022. The occupiers continue to shell the city regularly.

• culture
• occupation
• russian crimes
• women
• Kherson
• Kyiv

Oleksandr Zhavnenko is 36 years old. When the full-scale invasion began, he supported the Ukrainian army as a volunteer. In 2023, he was mobilized and joined the ranks of the 12th Special Forces Brigade “Azov”, serving as a drone operator.

In October 2024, Oleksandr sustained severe injuries that resulted in the loss of both his legs. After undergoing rehabilitation, he dreamed of dancing with his wife again, this time with prosthetic legs. The couple had first fallen in love in a dance studio years earlier.

While recovering, Oleksandr participated in a business course for patients of the UNBROKEN Center in Lviv, organized by the ReStart project: “From an Idea to a Veteran-Owned Business”. After completing the course, he developed a business plan, applied for a state grant, and secured funding to open his own dance studio. Named Yavir Dance Space, the studio officially opened in Lviv on October 18.

Oleksandr is available for interviews, both online and in person in Lviv, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

A new collection by designer Fedor Vozianov titled DIY will be unveiled at Lviv Fashion Week on October 25. The collection features adaptive, comfortable, and stylish clothing with innovative fasteners and functional details. It is designed to be inclusive of all people, regardless of their physical abilities or gender.

Patients and a mentor from the UNBROKEN Center will model this inclusive collection. Taking to the runway will be:

• Yevhen Shvab: A veteran and former police officer from the Zhytomyr oblast who voluntarily joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine, lost a leg at the front, and battled depression. He is now training to become a psychotherapist to help other severely wounded defenders overcome their trauma.
• Viktoriia Khemych: A Lviv resident who lost a leg after being hit by a bus on a pedestrian crossing. After completing her rehabilitation, she joined the UNBROKEN team as a mentor. Viktoria has previously participated in several fashion shows, including walking alongside Yevhen Shvab at Berlin Fashion Week.
• Viktor Meshcheriakov: A musician and soldier from the Ivano-Frankivsk region who lost an arm due to a severe combat injury. He is now mastering a high-tech bionic prosthesis and has returned to creating music.

Members of the press are invited to attend the show. Following the presentation, there will be an opportunity to speak with designer Fedor Vozianov, the models, and representatives of the UNBROKEN team.

Accreditation for the event is required.

• culture
• Lviv

Pastry chef Anna Voskoboinyk and her husband first discovered their passion for desserts while living in Italy. After returning to Kherson, they opened an ice cream stand that gradually expanded into a small chain. In 2019, Anna entered a competition to create a dessert that would embody the spirit of her hometown.

She spent months experimenting, drawing on childhood memories and personal associations with Kherson, until she finally crafted a cake that captured the city’s essence. The creation, aptly named the “Kherson” cake, brought Anna widespread recognition and put her confectionery on the map.

The outbreak of war, however, forced her to leave her hometown. The couple chose to rebuild their business in Vinnytsia, bringing the Kherson cake with them. Today, it is a beloved dessert across Ukraine and has even gained popularity abroad, often purchased as a gift to carry a piece of home.

Anna Voskoboinyk is available to meet and discuss her creations, either online or in person in Vinnytsia, by prior arrangement.

For reference: Kherson fell under russian occupation at the onset of the full-scale invasion on March 1, 2022. It wasn’t until November 11, 2022, that the Ukrainian Armed Forces liberated the city from russian control. Despite this liberation, the occupiers persist in regularly shelling the city.

• culture
• women
• Kherson
• Vinnytsia

On October 21, a briefing in Kyiv will showcase the ongoing efforts to preserve the artistic heritage of the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design, which was partially destroyed by a russian missile strike earlier this year.

The briefing will focus on the work carried out to stabilize, unblock, and safeguard the artworks rescued from the damaged building. Journalists will have a rare opportunity to visit the site, observe the restoration process, and view the recovered pieces.

The Academy suffered significant damage on March 25, 2024, when the central part of the building – home to a collection of unique works – was hit by a missile. The strike caused partial destruction, threatening the survival of invaluable art pieces.

Participants in the briefing will include:

• Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, Head of UNESCO Desk in Ukraine;
• Ihor Poshyvailo, Coordinator of the Agency for Cultural Resilience (ACURE) and, General Director of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity;
• Svitlana Strelnikova, Director of the National Research and Restoration Center of Ukraine;
• Olena Osadcha, Rector of the Mykhailo Boichuk Kyiv State Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts and Design. 

Representatives from the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, as well as the Ministry of Education, have also been invited to attend.

Following the briefing, participants will be guided through an exhibition of the surviving artworks, led by Academy Rector Olena Osadcha.

Registration is required to attend the event.

For reference: The rescue operation was carried out with the support of UNESCO and implemented by Agency for Cultural Resilience (ACURE) in collaboration with the National Research and Restoration Center of Ukraine and the National Memorial Complex of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes – Museum of the Revolution of Dignity, alongside the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine. The operation also featured a specialized workshop, “Saving Cultural Heritage during War: Stabilizing Damaged Collections,” and two one-day intensive training sessions for museum staff and heritage conservationists.

• culture
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

Roman Didera is a veteran of the russian-Ukrainian war who served as a paratrooper and machine gunner. In 2015, he was drafted into the 95th Separate Airborne Brigade. By the end of the year, however, Roman began to experience severe knee pain. He gradually lost the ability to walk, and faced the threat of amputation. Timely prosthetic surgeries provided him with two hip replacements and set him on a new path.

Following the start of the full-scale invasion, Roman discovered a passion for embroidery, inspired by his wife, Mariana. His first piece was a beaded image of Jesus Christ. He also created a Bayraktar shirt. Since then, Roman has mastered approximately 40 traditional stitches to create authentic vyshyvankas, traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts.

In three years, he has created 33 unique shirts, each a one-of-a-kind piece. In recognition of his skill, he was granted special permission to recreate a copy of Taras Shevchenko’s personal vyshyvanka. His expertise has earned him the title of Folk Master of Ukraine in Vyshyvanka and membership in the National Union of Folk Art Masters.

A dedicated online page, “Sorochka z rodu v rid” (A Shirt from Generation to Generation), now showcases and sells the embroidered works created by Roman and his wife.

Journalists can speak with Roman and his wife Mariana in Lviv or online, by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv

In western Ukraine’s Lviv region, local authorities are offering a unique form of rehabilitation for military personnel and their families, a chance to reconnect with nature through horseback riding and a mountain ascent.

The Department of Sports, Youth, and Tourism of the Lviv Oblast State Administration has announced two upcoming events as part of its Travel Therapy initiative. On October 18, defenders and their families are invited to take part in a horseback riding trip at a local ranch. A week later, on October 25, participants will have the opportunity to climb Pikui – the highest mountain in the Lviv region.

Media outlets are welcome to cover both activities by prior arrangement.

For reference: The Travel Therapy program was launched by the Department of Tourism and Resorts of the Lviv Oblast State Administration to promote emotional recovery and leisure for service members, female defenders, and their families. The initiative offers guided trips and outdoor activities across the region for those currently undergoing rehabilitation or on rotation.

• culture
• military
• Lviv

An international charity boxing event is set to take place in Kyiv on October 11, featuring six matches between veteran athletes as part of the Ukrainian League of Combat Veterans Boxing. The lineup will include Ukraine’s first official boxing match between wheelchair veterans, as well as a fight for the national veteran championship title.

The evening will conclude with a professional bout as Ukraine’s former WBC world champion (2015-2016) Viktor Postol faces Spain’s Alejandro Moya for the International Boxing Organization title.

Media representatives are required to register in advance to cover the event.

• culture
• Kyiv

The musical ensemble Kobzar Armada is preparing for a unique tour along the front lines, from Baturyn to Kherson. The artists will perform for military camps, foreign battalions, schools, hospitals, bomb shelters, churches, cultural hubs, and more.

The tour is scheduled to begin on October 24 in Poltava and end on November 9 in Kyiv.

Journalists will have the opportunity to interview the band’s leader, Jurij Fedynskyj, and cover the concerts.

Background: Jurij Fedynskyj was born in the United States but moved to his ancestral homeland of Ukraine (Kyiv) 26 years ago. 14 years ago, he settled in the village of Kriachkivka in the Poltava oblast, where he has dedicated himself to reviving kobzar traditions.

On December 5, during the 19th session of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee, the cultural significance of this art form was underscored when Ukrainian Kobzar art was recognized as an item of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Scholars believe kobzarism — the performance of historical, religious, and moralistic songs accompanied by the kobza, lira, or bandura — dates back to the time of Kyivan Rus.

• culture

On October 11, media representatives are invited to witness a remarkable display of resilience and creativity in Lviv, where a Ukrainian veteran will set a new national record by creating a painting from his wheelchair.

Valentyn Oleksiienko, 28, a patient at the UNBROKEN Center, was a tank driver in Ukraine’s 3rd Separate Tank Iron Brigade. His life changed dramatically on the front lines when, after digging fortifications, he dove into a pond to wash off the dirt, struck his head on the bottom, and sustained a complete spinal cord injury, leaving him with no feeling from the chest down.

Once indifferent to art, Valentyn discovered a passion for painting during his rehabilitation. With the guidance of Lviv-based artist Zirka Savka, he developed a unique technique that allows him to create expressive, one-of-a-kind works with his wheelchair.

The upcoming event will offer journalists a rare opportunity to observe Valentyn’s creative process and document the moment he officially sets a new national record. 

Journalists are required to be accredited to attend.

• casualties
• culture
• military
• Lviv