Themes by tag: culture
On September 21, 2025, Mariupol Day will be celebrated in Kyiv.
Mariupol is a symbol of resilience and hope that will unite people in Kyiv once again this September. This year, Mariupol Day is not only a symbol, but also a moment of remembrance, gratitude, and unity – open to all who wish to participate.
The organizers invite the media to attend the event, hear the community’s voice, collect personal stories, capture compelling visuals, and speak with the heroes and participants who carry on Mariupol’s legacy.
Program highlights:
- Symbolic march – culminating in the presentation of keys to the Kyiv City State Administration, representing the unity, dignity, and resilience of Mariupol residents;
- Art installation “Keys of Mariupol” – a collective space of memory and hope where everyone can bring their own key;
- Exhibition of photos and artworks – visual stories shared by Mariupol residents and their children;
- Greek cultural corner – music, traditions, and treats from the Greek community;
- The Sens bookstore featuring a special display titled “Mariupol Speaks”;
- Ukrainian Institute of National Memory – an exhibition of historical records, testimonies, and artistic interpretations;
- Main stage at the Kyiv City State Administration – music, poetry, reflections, and words from families of soldiers and veterans;
- Additional events – from September 18-22, I’Mariupol Support Centers in Kyiv, community hubs for IDPs from Mariupol across Ukraine, will host workshops, postcard and symbolic key collections, and community gatherings.
On September 23, Kyiv will host an award ceremony for the winners of the all-Ukrainian essay and poster contest, “I Hear You: Supporting a Peer Under Occupation”. The ceremony will showcase the works of winners and laureates, each serving as a message of support for peers living under temporary occupation. These messages have already been heard.
Event program:
- Presentation of the exhibition “I Hear You: Supporting a Peer Under Occupation”;
- Addresses by representatives of state institutions and contest jury members;
- Award ceremony for contest winners.
The contest was organized for the second time by the Almenda Civic Education Center. The goal of the contest is to promote understanding and empathy within Ukrainian society regarding the challenges faced by children in temporarily occupied territories. Nearly 700 works were submitted in the essay and social poster categories by children from various regions of Ukraine.
The organizers invite media representatives, civil society organizations, and all interested parties to attend the event and cover the ceremony. They also encourage attendees to share stories about children using creativity to support their peers under occupation.
The contest received support from Ukrainian artists Oleksandr Grekhov and Kateryna Babkina, as well as the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, the Presidential Representation in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and the Children’s Rights Protection Center of the Ombudsman’s Office.
Registration for the event is required and will be open until September 21.
Background: The event is organized within the framework of the “Childhood Protection: Justice and Reintegration for Children from TOT” project, supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic under the Transition Promotion Program.
Before 2014, Mariia Fenenko lived in the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk oblast. As a child, she enjoyed helping her grandfather organize family photo albums and watching him take pictures. When Mariia moved to Donetsk to study, her mother gave her a gift – her first camera. She soon began receiving commissions for her photography and earning her own income. However, after russia first attacked Ukraine, Mariia was forced to leave her homeland and relocate to Kyiv.
In the capital, she resumed her studies and seriously dedicated herself to photography, turning her passion into a profession. Starting with the gift camera, she built a portfolio and saved up for a better used camera. Over the next decade, she became an accomplished photographer.
Today, Mariia contributes her skills to charitable projects that support the Ukrainian military and internally displaced persons. She dreams of capturing her most meaningful photograph yet: a free, de-occupied Donetsk oblast.
Mariia is available for interviews, both online and in person in Kyiv, by prior arrangement.
When russia launched its full-scale invasion, Anton Bohach traded the driver’s seat of his truck for a rifle. Now, after losing his sight on the battlefield, he has found a new sense of purpose at a pottery wheel.
Bohach, a native of Kropyvnytskyi, had long been drawn to the restaurant business. He trained as a food production technologist but ended up making a living as a truck driver before buying his own vehicle and running a small transport business.
That all changed on February 26, 2022, when he volunteered to defend Ukraine. He joined the newly formed 71st Air Assault Brigade. Like most of his fellow recruits, he had never held a weapon before, but he shared their determination to stand against the invasion. Within two weeks, he was deployed to the Kharkiv region, where he fought in some of the war’s earliest heavy battles.
For more than a year, Bohach held defensive positions along shifting frontlines. On September 15, 2023, his service came to a halt when he was gravely wounded. The injuries cost him his eyesight and nearly his life. He spent four months bedridden.
Faced with the darkness ahead, Bohach searched for new ways to rebuild his life. He tried IT courses but found the high-level English proficiency required a barrier. Undeterred, he retrained as a massage therapist, opened a small practice, and then discovered Pottery in the Dark, a program for blind veterans and civilians.
Pottery quickly became his passion. At his home in Kropyvnytskyi, he has set up a small workshop and ordered a kiln. His shelves now hold cups, plates, jugs, and bottles shaped from clay. He also shares his journey with more than 5,000 followers on TikTok.
Bohach’s work will soon reach a wider audience. On September 26, the city of Vinnytsia will host the opening of Art in the Dark, an exhibition showcasing pieces by 14 blind artists studying pottery under instructor Victoriia Nikolaieva. Alongside Bohach, the exhibit will feature works by Ivan Shostak, Serhii Railian, Anton Kuzio, Andrii Kozyrenko, Oleh Derecha, Ruslan Ryzhko, Mykola Kaziuk, Oleh Avtomenko, Andrii Lemak, Nazar Kostetskyi, Diana Kalyna, Ihor Kushniriov, and Denys Zakharko.
Visitors will be able to view the artwork, meet the artists, hear their stories, and purchase their creations.
Bohach says he is eager to talk about his journey, whether in person in Kropyvnytskyi or through online interviews. For him, pottery is not only a craft but also a way to reclaim independence and rebuild a life after war.
On September 24, the Games of Heroes project’s physical rehabilitation team, in cooperation with the Diia.Osvita national platform, will host a public event dedicated to adaptive training for veterans with amputations. The program will include a panel discussion and an open training session attended by veterans, their families, and professional trainers. This event follows the recent release of Ukraine’s first educational series on adaptive training after amputations on the Diia.Osvita platform. The series was created as a digital tool to support veterans in their recovery process.
The event aims to highlight that physical recovery after injury is not only a medical issue but also a social one. The organizers hope to engage a broad audience, including veterans, trainers, rehabilitation center representatives, and volunteers.
Journalists can view the event’s detailed program. Accreditation is required to attend.
Background: The Games of Heroes is a Ukrainian adaptive sports ecosystem for veterans. Since 2015, it has been providing free physical recovery programs for people with severe injuries and amputations, organizing competitions in Ukraine and abroad, hosting adaptive training sessions, and educating trainers. This year, Diia.Osvita joined as a national platform to promote a culture of safe and accessible rehabilitation and sustainable veteran support in Ukraine.
On September 18, Kyiv will host the premiere of the large-scale light installation “The Power of Values,” which is part of the Brand Ukraine International Conference. The installation is created by Ukrainian artist and lighting designer Mykola Kabluka, founder of Expolight and Kabluka Light & Digital Sculptures.
This groundbreaking project, the first of its kind on one of Ukraine’s major monuments, combines deep lighting effects with laser graphics in the air. It merges innovative technology with light art to demonstrate how culture and creativity are shaping the voice of modern Ukraine.
The installation took five months to prepare, including concept development and technical planning.
The premiere will take place during the 2025 Brand Ukraine International Conference. A press briefing with Mykola Kabluka has been arranged for media representatives immediately before the light show.
Attendees and conference participants will witness a large-scale artistic manifesto that visualizes the five fundamental values forming Ukraine’s unbreakable shield today: Love, Freedom, Resilience, Unity, and Justice.
Journalists must register to attend the event. The exact address will be provided after accreditation.
Daniil, whose call sign is “Taiets” (Thai), is from Shostka in the Sumy oblast. He has been passionate about sports since childhood, practicing Muay Thai and being an avid football fan. At age 14, Daniil experienced the football fan sector for the first time and saw that the supporters were true Ukrainian patriots. When russia first attacked, most of these fans became volunteers. “Taiets” recalls that they were his role models.
After finishing school, Daniil moved to Kyiv to study to become a coach and was there when the full-scale invasion began. He immediately joined the Defense Forces, first defending the Kyiv oblast, then Izium, and later the Donetsk oblast. In Bakhmut, says “Taiets”, he learned what real war is. He currently serves in an unmanned systems battalion and is responsible for FPV drone operations.
Over time, Daniil began thinking of ways to help finance drone repairs for his battalion. He decided to try creating merchandise. First, he made challenge coins featuring his photo from Bakhmut, and then he started producing T-shirts with custom prints. Daniil explains that every T-shirt purchased is a donation to the battalion’s drone workshop. “Taiets” does not deduct his own expenses from the sales. Instead, he invests all the profit directly into repairing drones.
Daniil is available for conversations online and in person in Kyiv until September 22 by prior arrangement.
On September 17, Ukraine will witness a new attempt to set the national record for the “Most unsupported one-leg squats in one minute” near Odesa. The record attempt will be made by 34-year-old war veteran and assault pilot Oleksandr Revtiukh of the 47th Mechanized Brigade ‘Magura’, who has endured the loss of both an arm and a leg.
In 2023, during a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the Zaporizhia region, Revtiukh and his unit entered a minefield. A mine first took his leg, and as he attempted to crawl to safety in a state of shock, another mine detonated just a meter away, claiming his arm and injuring his torso. Despite the field being heavily mined, his comrades were able to evacuate him.
Last year, Revtiukh set a national record by completing 34 unsupported sit-ups on one leg within a minute. This year, he is aiming to surpass his own achievement.
The event is open to accredited media only. For security reasons, the precise location will be shared exclusively with credentialed journalists.
Crimea-born artist Kateryna Tutierova, has transformed a soldering iron into an unlikely tool of artistry. Born in Bakhchisarai, she entered university in 2014, the year russia annexed the peninsula. Tutierova wanted to transfer to the mainland, but as a minor, she needed her parents’ consent, which they refused to give. Three years later, she graduated with a russian diploma and moved straight to Kyiv.
In Kyiv, she earned a second bachelor’s degree, followed by a master’s in cultural studies from Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, before starting a career in social media management. But after russia launched its full-scale invasion, Tutierova came across an online video demonstrating how to make jewelry with a soldering iron. Intrigued, she borrowed one from a friend, picked up the basics, and began experimenting. By March of that year, she had sold her first piece.
Today, Tutierova works with an alloy of tin and copper, metals that are both environmentally friendly and safe to wear. She began with earrings and chokers, then expanded into larger pieces such as handbags and paintings. Her bold, sculptural designs have since appeared on Fashion Week runways and on Ukrainian celebrities featured in magazines and music videos. Last year, singers Jerry Heil and Alyona Alyona performed at the Eurovision Song Contest wearing her creations.
Tutierova named her brand Sfurato, a word she once misspelled during a university class. What started as a personal experiment has grown into a distinctive label defined by resilience, artistry, and reinvention.
Those interested in her work can reach her online or arrange an appointment in Kyiv.
At just 16, Sofiia has lived through more than most her age. When russia’s full-scale invasion forced her family to leave Kyiv, they resettled in Switzerland, where she faced months of loneliness and difficulty adjusting to an unfamiliar culture. Seeking support, she turned to the Voices of Children Foundation, where online counseling sessions helped her manage stress and gradually find her footing in a new community.
For a school project, Sofiia chose to honor a powerful symbol of her homeland: the AN-225 Mriya airplane, the world’s largest cargo plane that was destroyed in the early days of the war. With painstaking effort, she built a model of the aircraft by hand, measuring 113 by 110 centimeters. When she unveiled it at a school presentation, Sofiia spoke to classmates, teachers, and parents about the war in Ukraine and the hardships children endure under constant russian attacks. She appealed to the Swiss community to donate and stand with Ukrainians in need.
Her project grew into something bigger. Determined to expand her effort, Sofiia launched a large-scale fundraiser to support children most affected by the war. Ukrainian businesses soon took notice. Inspired by her initiative, the Voices of Children Foundation partnered with SkyUp Airlines and the jewelry brand Kochut to launch a charity drive aiming to raise 500,000 hryvnias (about USD 12,500). Proceeds will fund vital psychological support for children in frontline regions who have lived through the trauma of war.
Journalists can arrange online interviews with Sofiia, as well as speak with representatives of the Voices of Children Foundation in Kyiv.
