Society & Culture

Ukrainian children who were deported by Russia and managed to return to Ukraine report beatings and other punishments for refusing to sing the Russian anthem and even mentioning that they identify as Ukrainians. That’s according to Daria Gerasimchuk, the advisor to the President's representative on children's rights and rehabilitation, who spoke at the national telethon, Ukrinform reports. "The children who return say nothing good about what happened to them there. In general, it depends on their location because some were even beaten, which is very difficult to even talk about, but some of the children were physically abused for constantly…

Austrian authorities have automatically extended the validity of permits for asylum seekers from Ukraine. The Ministry for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. "Asylum seekers who have found refuge in Austria have their forcibly displaced person's identity card automatically extended," the report reads. The relevant body will send it by registered mail to the applicants' registration address. If no one is available to pick up the letter at the time of delivery, it will be deposited at the nearest post office. Read also: King Charles III visits center for Ukrainian refugees…

Regarding the foreign policy of the Ukrainian authorities during the war, 78% of respondents rated positively, while only 6% were negative. A director of the Razumkov Center Sociological Service, Andriy Bychenko, said this during a presentation of the sociological survey at Ukrinform. "Almost 80% of citizens rate the foreign policy of the Ukrainian authorities positively: 38.2% - positively, 39.9% - rather positively. Negative answers were given by 6% of respondents: 4.3% - rather negative, 1.5% - negative, 16.1% - difficult to answer," Bychenko said. According to the survey, citizens believe that the foreign policy of Ukraine is quite effective in…

A pensioner was detained in Simferopol, Crimea, for writing pro-Ukrainian slogans on a fence. "A 58-year-old woman was detained in Akmesjit (Simferopol) for writing pro-Ukrainian slogans on a fence," the Crimean Tatar Resource Center posted on Telegram with reference to the press service of Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. The woman said that she was writing slogans on various city infrastructure objects in Gagarinsky district of Simferopol in the evenings and at night over the past few months as a sign of her disagreement with the Russian Federation's "special military operation." In addition, the occupiers noted, the woman sent photos…

Dozens of activists holding Ukrainian and U.S. flags, posters and chanting slogans gathered outside the White House in Washington, D.C. on Sunday to honor the memory of the civilians killed by the Russians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha. The event was held by the charitable organization US Ukrainian Activists (USUA), an Ukrinform correspondent reported. "Bucha is one of the most affected Ukrainian cities, it became the epitome of Russian crimes of an unprecedented scale. After the town was liberated, when Ukrainian defenders discovered many tortured bodies of civilians, the whole world saw what the Russian Federation leaves behind," said…

Mayor of Mariupol Vadym Boychenko says that it will take about 20 years to fully restore the city. Mayor of Mariupol Vadym Boychenko says that it will take about 20 years to fully restore the city. "The issue of restoration, the revival of the half-million-strong city that we saw and imagined, a modern, European, Ukrainian city that we built for seven years, respectively, the two months of full-fledged Russian aggression which destroyed 50% of the city will take 20 years restoration. If we are talking about critical restoration, critical infrastructure, stabilization of the situation, restoration of all utility spheres and…

The National Information Bureau under the Ministry of Reintegration is collecting and updating data on Ukrainian children deported by the Russians. That’s according to the Ministry’s press service, Ukrinform reports. "General data is posted on the Children of War state portal. The Office of the President, Office of the Prosecutor General, Security Service of Ukraine, Foreign Intelligence Service, National Police, public organizations, etc., are involved in collection and analysis," the report reads. According to the latest NIB data, 19,514 Ukrainian children are considered illegally deported. Read also: Andriy Yermak, Orlando Bloom discuss deportation of Ukrainian children by Russia At the…

As the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee is expected to meet in the next few days, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland have issued a joint statement on banning Russian and Belarusian athletes from international sports competitions. The text of the statement has been published on the website of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, according to Ukrinform. "As we are approaching the next meeting of the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee on March 28-30, 2023, we wish to reiterate Ukraine's position on the IOC recent calls to explore the pathways for participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes…

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine called on the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to refrain from political assessments in its reports of the actions of Ukraine regarding the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). This is stated in the commentary by Oleg Nikolenko, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, regarding the OHCHR’s concern about the "discriminatory" searches in monasteries, offices, and educational facilities of the UOC (MP). "Ukraine is a democratic state in which freedom of religion is guaranteed. At the same time, freedom is not the same as the right to engage…

Today, culture has become that soft and at the same time powerful force capable of inspiring in the new wartime reality. The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in his address on the occasion of World Theater Day, an Ukrinform correspondent reports, referring to the Office of the President of Ukraine. “I sincerely congratulate the creators of theater art, everyone for whom the theater is not only a profession, but also the meaning of life and state of mind. Today, at a turning point in our country’s struggle for its freedom, independence and national identity, culture has…