#Ukrainian culture

In the early hours of July 20, Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk defeated Britain’s Daniel Dubois and once again became the undisputed world champion. This is the third time he has held all the major boxing belts—something no one has ever done before. But this is far from the first record set by Ukrainian athletes in boxing.

Putin is trying to erase Ukrainian culture — and some Western museums are still complicit. Four years into Russia’s invasion, institutions like MoMA, Tate, and the Pompidou still label Ukrainian artists like Malevych, Ekster, and Tatlin as “Russian.” Despite activists’ calls to correct this, many rely on outdated sources, ignoring Russia’s broader information warfare.

Ukraine during wartime is a striking example of how an entire society can learn to save lives. Ukrainians have taken first aid courses en masse: from soldiers in the Armed Forces and volunteers to taxi drivers and teachers. Even thousands of kilometers from the front line, that knowledge is already saving lives.

Deep in a dugout near Ukraine’s front lines, a soldier sits with a book. It is not a tactical manual or a thriller, but Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations . His call sign is Stoic, and he lives by this philosophy.