Society & Culture

Foreign nationals and stateless persons serving in the Ukrainian Armed Forces or the State Special Transport Service are eligible to obtain the status of a combat participant. The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine said this in a statement seen by Ukrinform. The ministry recalled that the granting of such status is regulated by several legal documents. Specifically, under the Law "On the Status of War Veterans and Guarantees of Their Social Protection," those recognized as combat participants include members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who defended the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine and directly participated in operations aimed…

Ukraine's representatives, the band Ziferblat, took to the stage of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 with their song "Bird of Pray," performing fifth in the lineup. According to an Ukrinform correspondent, the costumes for the performance were designed by Ivan Frolov, a fashion designer who has previously dressed Ukrainian Eurovision artists including Tvorchi, Jamala, and Tina Karol. He has also worked with international stars like Beyoncé and Sabrina Carpenter. The final costume designs will be revealed during the live performance in the first semifinal. Photo: Instagram / Eurovision Interestingly, last year's Ukrainian entrants, alyona alyona and Jerry Heil, also performed…

Ukrainian para swimmers won six medals at a prestigious World Series tournament in the French capital. According to the press service of the National Sports Committee for the Disabled of Ukraine, 214 Paralympic athletes from 46 countries took part in the competition. Ukraine was represented by 11 athletes, Ukrinform reports. Denys Ostapchenko won two gold medals for Ukraine (50m backstroke and 150m individual medley). Bronze medals were earned by Denys Ostapchenko (200m freestyle), Yevhen Bohodaiko (100m breaststroke and 50m butterfly), and Ihor Nimchenko (50m freestyle). Read also: Paris Paralympics: Ukraine finishes in Top 5 by number of medals In Paris,…

The 78th Cannes Film Festival will feature a special screening of three films dedicated to the war in Ukraine. The Ukrainian State Film Agency said this in a statement seen by Ukrinform. "Today, on May 13, on the opening day of the 78th Cannes Film Festival, a special screening of three films about the war in Ukraine will take place. This 'Ukraine Day' is meant to highlight the commitment of artists, authors, and journalists who continue to tell the story of a conflict at the heart of Europe that has now lasted for three years," the statement reads. During the…

The situation on the Ukrainian-Hungarian border remains stable, with no unusual incidents observed. This was Ukraine’s Mukachevo Border Detachment response to Ukrinform when asked to comment on a video circulating online that allegedly shows Hungarian armored vehicles moving near the border. "The situation directly at the border has not changed; no unusual activity has been observed," the detachment’s press service stated. Overnight into May 13, Russian media and Telegram channels began spreading videos claiming to show Hungarian military vehicles moving through Hungarian border towns such as Záhony, Beregsurány, Tiszabecs, Barabás, and Nagyhódos, all located near checkpoints along the Ukrainian-Hungarian frontier.…

On Sunday, May 11, the 2025 the BAFTA Television Awards ceremony took place in London, United Kingdom. According to Ukrinform, the full list of winners was published on the official website of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). The winner in the Best Single Documentary category was Ukraine: Enemy in the Woods — a powerful documentary filmed by British filmmakers Jamie Roberts, Kate Spankie, Jonathan Smith, Claire Walker, and Stanislav Strilets for BBC Two. The film tells the story of the soldiers of Ukraine’s 210th Berlingo Separate Special Battalion, a volunteer unit formed in March 2022. Also…

Lysychansk, the Russian-occupied city in the Luhansk region, remains without mobile communication or Internet access. Oleksiy Kharchenko, the head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration, said this in a post on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. "Mobile communication and Internet services in the city remain down. Residents can only contact emergency services via payphones or in person. Wired communication with the outside world, including neighboring cities, is impossible," he wrote. Read also: Russians appropriate over 114,000 real estate properties in occupied Luhansk region In addition, Lysychansk residents are deprived of basic utility services. Many remain uncertain about how to prepare for the…

Ukraine is witnessing a significant rise in the number of people seeking medical help for mental health disorders such as depression, sleep disturbances, apathy, and PTSD. Nataliia Husak, head of the National Health Service of Ukraine (NHSU), stated this during a program on Ukrainian television, according to Ukrinform. "Based on the volume of services being purchased by the state, we see that Ukrainians are increasingly visiting their family doctors or outpatient and specialized care providers with alarming conditions such as depression, insomnia, anxiety, apathy, PTSD, and substance abuse — all signs of diminished mental resilience. Since 2022, the number of…

President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that during the full-scale war, more than 110,000 Ukrainians from various branches of the Defense and Security Forces have been awarded state honors. The head of state said this in a post on social media platform X, Ukrinform reports. "To date, over the course of the full-scale war, over 110,000 Ukrainians from across the various components of our Defense and Security Forces have been honored with state awards. And this is only a fraction of our people's courage, just a part of the heroism that allows us today to say with confidence: Ukraine has earned…

Polish prosecutors have charged two Ukrainian citizens in connection with actions carried out on behalf of Russian intelligence services in the arson attack on the Marywilska 44 shopping center in Warsaw on May 12, 2024. According to Ukrinform, citing RMF24, both Ukrainians are accused of filming and photographing the fire at the shopping center and sending the footage to their Russian handlers. According to Poland's National Public Prosecutor's Office, Ukrainian citizen Danylo B. was tasked by Russia with filming the blaze and rescue operation at the Warsaw mall and forwarding the materials to Russia. Another Ukrainian national, Oleksandr V., allegedly…