Society & Culture

On November 21, Ukraine commemorates the Day of Dignity and Freedom. This day was established by a presidential decree on November 13, 2014, to honor two significant events in recent Ukrainian history: the Orange Revolution of 2004 and the Revolution of Dignity in 2013. The Day of Dignity and Freedom replaced the earlier Freedom Day, which was celebrated from 2005 to 2011 to mark the Orange Revolution. In December 2011, then-President Viktor Yanukovych canceled Freedom Day and combined it with Unity Day. On November 21, 2013, protests began on Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kyiv. These protests were a response…

Head of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine Serhii Deineko and Chief Commander of Poland’s Border Guard Robert Bagan met in Chełm to discuss the situation at their shared border, its security, and measures to combat cross-border crime. This was reported by the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, according to Ukrinform. “The parties noted that the situation along the shared state border remains fully under control,” the report stated. During discussions on the functioning of border checkpoints, both sides emphasized that while border traffic is generally stable, its specifics have been influenced by increased intensity due to Russia's…

About 143,000 war crimes were recorded during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Yuriy Belousov, the head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in Conditions of Armed Conflict at the Prosecutor General’s Office, said this during the conference “Strengthening Ukraine's efforts to investigate, prosecute,” according to an Ukrinform correspondent. “About 143,000 war crimes were recorded during the full-scale invasion. That's a lot of crimes. It's hard to imagine that number. On average, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies register 200-300 new crimes every day,” Belousov said. He also recalled that if one opens the Rome Statute, which defines the crimes that fall…

The Russians have not provided any information to the Ukrainian side on the Ukrainian journalist, Dmytro Khliuk, whom Russian forces abducted during the occupation of the part of Kyiv region in March 2022. That’s according to Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, who spoke in a comment to Ukrinform. "As of now, nothing has changed. Yes, they still do not provide (any new information about the journalist - ed.)," the ombudsman said. Read also: RSF demands from Russia proof abducted Ukrainian journalist Khyliuk still alive As reported earlier, on May 31, one of the Ukrainians who was…

The Russians are attempting to incite panicky moods among Ukrainians against the backdrop of today’s shutdown announcements by several embassies amid a possible Russian strike alert. That’s according to Andriy Kovalenko, head of the Center for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defense Council, Ukrinform reports. "The Russians had been preparing for strikes in the cold season – this is their tactic," Kovalenko admitted. "They stocked up on missiles, prepared their aviation and navy. Their bet is on cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as drones, to deplete our air defense. These plans come as no surprise, we are…

In New York, a prayer service was held at St. George's Church to mark the 1000th day of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, attended by diplomats and representatives of the Ukrainian community. According to Ukrinform's own correspondent in New York, Sergiy Kyslytsya, Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, read out an address from Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who called on the global Ukrainian community to actively support Ukraine's struggle “for the hearts of the free world.” “Now, more than ever, we are counting on your active participation in defending Ukraine's interests,” the minister said. He especially appealed to the…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen have visited a hospital where wounded Ukrainian soldiers are receiving treatment, according to the presidential press service. During their visit, Zelensky and Frederiksen spoke with warriors, including those wounded during battles in the Kursk region and the Kupiansk and Lyman sectors, Ukrinform reports. The president awarded the defenders the Orders "For Courage," II and III classes, the statement said. "Thank you for your service, for defending our state. Get well as soon as possible," Zelensky said. Read also: Zelensky, Frederiksen inspect Ukrainian long-range drones procured with Denmark’s support The head…

UNESCO has condemned a large-scale Russian attack on the night of Thursday 14 to Friday 15 November, which damaged several historical buildings and schools in the Historic Center of Odesa, which is the World Heritage site. This was stated in a press release on the organization's website, as reported by Ukrinform. "Preliminary reports indicate damage to around twenty buildings, including historical and religious buildings, and some educational buildings. UNESCO condemns these strikes which contravene international law and expresses its support for the victims, the population and the local authorities," the press release reads. UNESCO representative in Ukraine, Chiara Bardeschi, met…

First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, kicked off her visit to Slovenia, where she met with the country's President, Natasa Pirc Musar, and her spouse, Ales Musar. Zelenska reported this on Facebook, Ukrinform saw. The President's spouse arrived at the invitation of the country's First Gentleman to participate in a meeting of the Enhancing Human Security Foundation, a humanitarian organization established by the Slovenian government in 1998 to restore and develop states affected by conflicts. She was joined by Yuliia Svyridenko, First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy of Ukraine. At the Foundation’s meeting, Zelenska will present important projects…

Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov has announced that a candidate for the position of military ombudsman will be announced soon. The role of the military ombudsman is to protect the rights of service members. He shared this information during the briefing “MoD. Digitalization. Results of 2024”, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. "We have been working on proposing [the post of] a military ombudsman. This year we focused on finding out how many complaints and lawsuits there were. If I'm not mistaken, we have processed several thousand. We are currently preparing several candidates to make an announcement on who will be the…