Themes by tag: Kyiv

Dariia Chorna is a co-founder of the volunteer community “Kyiv Bats.” In early 2024, she joined rubble-clearing efforts as a volunteer following another russian missile strike.

On February 7 of that year, Chorna returned to another disaster site together with friends. Within days, they formed a small team that would later become the foundation of “Kyiv Bats.”

The community also began helping victims with paperwork and access to assistance. Most of the volunteers joining the group are young people. Their main goal is to lead by example and show how people can help and support those in need.

Dariia Chorna is available for interviews both online and offline in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• volunteers
• Kyiv

A musical teleconference between Kyoto and Kyiv will take place on May 31 as part of Kyiv Day celebrations. Participants include:

• The Kyoto International Choir, an amateur choir from Kyoto, Japan. Twelve years ago, the choir visited Kyiv to mark the 40th anniversary of sister-city relations between Kyoto and Kyiv. Since then, it has continued cultural exchanges with Ukraine.
• Derevychka, a women’s folk ensemble performing traditional Ukrainian songs from different regions of the country.
• Kyivska Koliada, a community that since 2018 has preserved and practiced traditional Christmas folk celebrations in the context of a modern metropolis.

During the teleconference, Kyivska Koliada and Derevychka will perform Ukrainian folk songs for the Japanese audience, as well as the Japanese song “Miagete Goran Yoru no Hoshi wo” (“Look Up at the Stars in the Night Sky”). The Kyoto choir will perform songs in both Ukrainian and Japanese.

Background: The event is organized in partnership with the Ukrainian-Japanese Center of the Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the State Polytechnic Museum of KPI.

• culture
• Kyiv

The 14th International Book Arsenal Festival will take place from May 28 to May 31. This year’s event will bring together more than 150 exhibitors, prominent guests, public intellectuals, established authors and emerging voices. Book Arsenal 2026 will feature 240 events, including discussions, lectures, readings, workshops, meetings with authors and presentations of new publications, as well as music and performance programs, exhibitions, food and other activities.

“Carrying Your Freedom” is the focus theme of this year’s festival. Participants will discuss freedom and its limitations, captivity and occupation as forms of unfreedom, as well as the glorification and fragility of heroes. The focus theme is curated by Ukrainian journalist, human rights advocate, serviceman and former prisoner of war Maksym Butkevych.

This year, the Writers’ Program returns to Book Arsenal under the curation of Ukrainian serviceman, volunteer, poet, novelist and translator Andriy Lyubka. The program invites participants to reflect on Ukraine’s neighbors.

Among other highlights, the artistic program of the 14th Book Arsenal will include 15 exhibition projects.

Journalists can review the full festival program in advance. Accreditation is required.

Background: Book Arsenal is an international event organized by Mystetskyi Arsenal. Held annually since 2011, the festival has become one of Eastern Europe’s leading literary and arts events. In 2019, it received the title of “World’s Best Literary Festival.” The mission of the International Book Arsenal Festival is to foster connections between people, communities and institutions through books, combining aesthetic experience with intellectual engagement.

Book Arsenal is organized in cooperation with the NGO “Mystetskyi Arsenal Community” and supported by the International Renaissance Foundation and the Mnozhyna Foundation.

• culture
• Kyiv

On May 27, Kyiv will host a special evening marking the fourth anniversary of Dobrobat, a volunteer initiative that has supported Ukraine since the first days of the full-scale war through reconstruction efforts, humanitarian aid, and support for healthcare, education and sports.

The event is intended not only as a reflection on the past four years, but also as a tribute to more than 50,000 volunteers and partners who helped rebuild destroyed homes, restore life in liberated communities and support Ukrainians affected by the war.

At the heart of the gathering will be Dobrobat volunteers from across Ukraine — from the border areas of Sumy region to Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Kherson, Odesa and Zaporizhzhia.

The program includes:

• A review of four years of resilience and work;
• Presentations of new large-scale projects and areas of activity;
• Personal stories from volunteers and partners;
• Informal networking and discussions.

Journalists are required to obtain accreditation.

• volunteers
• Kyiv

Oleksandr Hurzhov, a resident of Mariupol, signed a contract with Ukraine’s Defense Forces in 2020. He was in his hometown when russia launched its full-scale invasion. Within days, he was wounded and later taken captive. russian forces repeatedly transferred him between detention sites, subjected him to torture and deprived him of food. After three years in captivity, Hurzhov weighed just 45 kilograms.

On May 25, 2025, Hurzhov returned home as part of a prisoner exchange. He recalls being struck by the appearance of russian prisoners of war, who “looked like normal people,” while Ukrainians returned from russian captivity as “living skeletons.” One of the first comforts he remembers after the exchange was taking a hot shower. In the prison colony, detainees had to wash themselves in the toilet using a 1.5-liter bottle of water.

Even before his captivity, Hurzhov loved music and enjoyed singing karaoke. Since returning home, he says he has attended more concerts than during the rest of his life combined.

Oleksandr Hurzhov is available for interviews both online and in person in Kyiv by prior arrangement.

• casualties
• military
• prisoners
• russian crimes
• Kyiv

A new season of dragon boat training sessions and competitions — Dragon Boat Veterans Kyiv 2026 — will begin in the capital on May 30.

The event will bring together veterans, active-duty military personnel, and people with disabilities through sports, teamwork, and recovery through physical activity. No prior athletic experience is required to participate.

Program highlights include:
— exhibition and training dragon boat races;
— presentation of the 2026 season teams;
— sports and interactive activities for participants and guests;
— children’s and recreation areas;
— live music and informal networking within the veteran community.

Dragon boat racing is an international sport. For veterans and military personnel, it serves not only as physical activity but also as an effective tool for psychological recovery, social reintegration, and returning to active life.

Journalists are required to obtain accreditation. The event will take place in Kyiv. The location will be disclosed to registered participants and media representatives.

Background: The event is organized by the Military Sport municipal enterprise, the Veteran Corps All-Ukrainian Association, and the Mala Flotyliia Children’s Sports and Recreation Club.

• culture
• Kyiv

A public discussion titled “Accessibility in Cultural Spaces: From Access to Inclusion” will take place at the War Museum on May 26.

The event is being held as part of National Accessibility Week and is part of the nationwide social change campaign “Accessibility Means Possibility,” implemented within First Lady Olena Zelenska’s “Without Barriers” initiative with the support of Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and partner organizations.

Participants will discuss practical approaches to creating accessible cultural environments — from physical accessibility to communication, language, and service solutions that ensure inclusion for visitors.

The program includes the opening of a poster exhibition dedicated to inclusive language, as well as two panel discussions featuring representatives of Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, the National Philharmonic of Ukraine, the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, the European Business Association, and accessibility ambassadors.

Speakers:
— Anastasiia Bondar, Deputy Minister for Digital Development, Digital Transformation, and Digitalization;
— Lesia Khemraieva, Head of the Department for Accessibility Policy, Gender Equality, and Mental Health at the Ministry of Culture;
— Alona Lebedka, Accessibility Program Manager at the European Business Association;
— Mykhailo Shved, Director General of the National Philharmonic of Ukraine;
— Olena Zemliana, Director General of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine;
— Yurii Ivaskevych, Accessibility Ambassador at the Ministry of Culture.

The discussion will be moderated by Iryna Uzhakova, Head of the Cultural Rehabilitation and Accessibility Unit at the War Museum.

Background: Project partners include UNICEF, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, the Presidential Commissioner for Accessibility, and the NGO Bezbariernist (“Barrier-Free”).

The project is implemented with support from Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the KfW Development Bank and the Government of the United Kingdom.

• culture
• Kyiv

Participants:

– Oleksandra Romantsova, Executive Director of the Center for Civil Liberties;

– Kateryna Rashevska, Expert on International Justice and Legal Analysis at the Regional Center for Human Rights;

– Roman Koval, Head of Research at the non-governmental organization Truth Hounds;

– Hanna Rassakhamina, Head of the “War and Justice” Department at the Media Initiative for Human Rights.

Moderator:

– Scott Jacobsen, independent reporter.

Topics for discussion:

– Documentary evidence of human rights violations;

– Promising avenues for implementing reparations;

– Victim-centered justice: civilians, prisoners of war, torture victims, missing persons, deported children;

– Key areas of cooperation between institutions on human rights issues.

• casualties
• Kyiv

The National Museum of the History of Ukraine will officially open the large-scale exhibition project “THE PATH OF HEROES. In Memory of Symon Petliura” on May 25, featuring unique artifacts from the era of the Ukrainian People’s Republic.

The exhibition marks the 100th anniversary of the tragic death of Symon Petliura, head of the Directorate of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and Supreme Otaman of the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic.

The exhibition is based on artifacts from the collection of the Military Historical Museum and Archive of the Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences (UVAN) in Canada. For decades, the Ukrainian diaspora preserved these items in exile with the intention of transferring them to Ukraine after the restoration of independence.

In accordance with the founders’ “Testament,” the collection was transferred to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine. The return of this heritage has become an event of historical significance, representing not only the repatriation of museum artifacts, but also the restoration of the continuity of Ukrainian historical memory.

The exhibition features more than 200 artifacts illustrating the Ukrainian liberation struggle of the first quarter of the 20th century. Among them are personal belongings of prominent military and political figures of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917–1921, including:
— the “Corona” typewriter that belonged to Symon Petliura;
— the officer’s bayonet of Volodymyr Salskyi, a lieutenant general of the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic;
— elements of the military uniforms of Yevhen Konovalets and Andrii Melnyk.

Journalists are required to obtain accreditation for the event.

Background: With support from the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, the exhibition space on the museum’s second floor has been renovated and equipped to host “THE PATH OF HEROES. In Memory of Symon Petliura” as a permanent exhibition.

• culture
• Kyiv

The theme of the event is: “Ukraine 2035 — A Country Where People Want to Live.”

The discussions will focus on the draft National Human Rights Strategy through 2035, Ukraine’s European integration, and the future of human rights in Ukraine during and after the war.

The event will take place in Kyiv on May 27–28. The location will be disclosed to registered participants. The format is offline only.

Over the course of two days, participants will discuss:

— human rights as part of Ukraine’s EU accession negotiations;

— restrictions on human rights during wartime;

— the National Human Rights Strategy through 2035;

— civil law reform;

— freedom of peaceful assembly during wartime;

— personal data protection;

— the rights of foreigners, migrants, and refugees.

Participants will also discuss whether Ukrainian legislation meets EU standards, how to reconcile the logic of war with democratic principles, and what reforms Ukraine is realistically expected to implement on its path toward EU membership.

Journalists must obtain accreditation to attend the event.

• Kyiv