Culture

“Happy Chanukah” and a menorah stitched on cloth during a children’s gathering at the Mygdal Jewish Centre. © Zhenia Pedin / IWPR

Light Over Darkness: Hannukah in Odesa

As Russian shelling plunges Ukraine into blackout, the Jewish community celebrates a miracle that has particular resonance amid the war.

22 Dec 22

The inauguration of the trident, one of Ukraine's most significant symbols, which was installed in the tenth-century castle in Muchakevo, in the westernmost region of Zakarpattia in mid-October. © Iryna Breza/IWPR

Ukrainian Trident Replaces Hungarian Eagle in Country’s West

The move sparked local controversy and diplomatic protests from Budapest.

12 Dec 22

Simple wooden crosses with numbers mark graves in Pishchanske cemetery on Shakespeare Street in Izyum’s outskirts, where Russians buried most of the residents who died during the occupation. © Danil Pavlov

Ukraine: “I Want My Mother to Have a Grave”

Painful wait for Izyum residents as war crimes investigators collect evidence to identify the dead.

29 Nov 22

Georgians in Abkhazia’s Gali district account for 98 per cent of the population. Yet, students struggle to study in their native language as authorities have imposed Russian as the language of instructions in all grades. © Monica Ellena/IWPR

Abkhazia: Erasing the Georgian language

Russian is now mandatory in all schools in Gali district.

24 Nov 22

Gedatsi is a beer bar in Zugdidi, western Georgia. The name means "to drink'' in Mingrelian. Zugdidi is the administrative centre of the Samegrelo region, where most Mingrelian speakers are concentrated. © Lana Kokaia/IWPR

Georgia Risks Losing its Language “Treasure”

The lack of official status and the fear of separatism have drastically eroded the use of Mingrelian and Svan.

21 Oct 22

Oleksandra Protsenko-Pichadzhi headed the new organization of Ukrainian Greeks in Greece. © Photo courtesy of Federation of Greek Societies of Ukraine

Ukrainian Greeks Face Twin Perils

An ongoing battle to preserve culture is further endangered by the devastating impact of the war.

19 Oct 22

The troupe of the Drama Theater of Mariupol at the end of the play. © Sergey Hudak

Mariupol Theatre’s Actors Interpret the Cry of a Nation

Although the iconic cultural centre lies in ruins, those who kept it alive for decades are trying to revive its legacy.

21 Jul 22

Eugene Kravets and Anna Nimayer on stage with fellow actors in Mariupol.

Mariupol: Life After the Drama Theatre

Actors from the venue that became a symbol of the horror of war reconsider their future.

14 Jul 22

Dismantling of the Russia-Ukrainian friendship monument in Kyiv.

Ukraine Rewrites its Russian Past

Ongoing reconsideration of the use of Russian language, culture, and music gathers new momentum following Russia’s full-scale invasion.

11 Jul 22

Infographic 1/3: The disappearing of Belarusian – how Lukashenko’s rule is erasing Belarus' language.

Belarus’s Fading Mother Tongue

UNESCO lists Belarusian as vulnerable due to the domination of Russian in daily life.

21 Feb 22

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