Culture

Families in the East of Ukraine lived through a war long before Russia’s 2022 invasion. In  5k from the Frontline , a digital platform and short film, British-Swedish photojournalist Anastasia Taylor-Lind and Donetsk native Alisa Sopova captured the everyday lives of civilians in towns like Avdiivka and Toretsk before the Russian army wiped them off the map.

The war turned Vladyslav Krasnoshchok, a Kharkiv surgeon and underground artist, into one of Ukraine’s most provocative war photographers. His language is raw, and his images even more so—together they capture a truth that goes beyond what the eye sees.

If you can’t travel to Ukraine but have always been curious about its culture, France just launched its “Ukrainian Season.” For the next four months, Paris and other cities will bring Ukraine’s cultural heritage to life—a vibrant, living testament to the cultural power of Ukraine. Led by the French Institute, this four-month event challenges outdated Soviet-era narratives and reclaims Ukraine’s often misunderstood identity.

French musician Salomé Gasselin’s first journey to Kyiv offered a clear view of Europe’s cultural imprint in Ukraine. As the centuries-old sound of the viola da gamba filled the National Philharmonic, the concert was described as a “small miracle,” affirming Ukraine’s deep cultural ties to Europe in the language of music.