Society & Culture

Crimean activists Timur Yalkabov and Ruslan Suleimanov have been transferred to a penal colony located in Russia's Murmansk region. NGO Crimean Solidarity reported this on Facebook, according to Ukrinform. "Political prisoners Timur Yalkabov and Ruslan Suleimanov have been transferred to Penal Colony No. 17 in the Murmansk region," the post reads. The group said it learned of the transfer from Suleimanov's wife, Elzara, who received a call from her husband via the prison communication system, Zonatelecom. According to her, the transfer process lasted 45 days. Both activists are currently being held in quarantine cells. The distance from Crimea to the…

The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine (MCSC) congratulated the employees of publishing houses, printing and book distribution on their professional holiday and emphasized that the printed book becomes an instrument of cultural resistance during the war. According to Ukrinform, this is stated on the MCSC Facebook page. "Today, Ukraine celebrates the Day of Publishers, Printing and Book Distribution Workers - all those who, even during the war, work every day to ensure that the Ukrainian printed word lives and spreads around the world," the greeting reads. The MCSC emphasized that thanks to their dedicated work, demand for…

In July, the European Union will launch a new age verification application that will allow for more effective compliance with the rules for protecting minors on the Internet. This is reported by the Financial Times, Ukrinform reports. The application is a precursor to the EU's digital identity wallet, which is to be launched in 2026. The new application will allow users to confirm their age without disclosing personal information to platforms. Although the EU has not introduced a single requirement for age verification on online platforms, it has established legal obligations for sites that serve minors or contain pornographic or…

Today, Orthodoxy suffers from a lack of theological understanding of modernity, as well as a loss of unity. Viktor Yelensky, head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, said this in an interview with Ukrinform. "Orthodoxy suffers from a lack of theological understanding of modernity, from a lack of responsibility to creation and from the loss of true unity. The Ecumenical Patriarch insists that he has a special mission of service, that he is, in secular terms, a “gathering center.” The Moscow Patriarchate and some other Orthodox churches are undermining this mission and thus…

Someone tried to smuggle firearms and cold steel, gas canisters and ammunition into this year's Book Arsenal festival. According to Ukrinform, the State Protection Department of Ukraine reported this on Facebook and published photos of the seized items. "The larger the event and the more attendees it gathers, the higher the risks for the officials we are tasked with protecting. Add to this the realities of martial law, the number of reconnaissance and sabotage group members detected and apprehended by the Security Service of Ukraine, and the ongoing attempts to carry out terrorist attacks on our soil — and it…

111 residents have already left 11 border villages in Sumy district, where mandatory evacuation was announced today. This was reported on Facebook by the head of the Sumy Regional Military Administration, Oleh Hryhorov, Ukrinform reports. “111 residents have already left 11 border villages of the Sumy district, where the mandatory evacuation began today,” Hryhorov said. He noted that the villages in question are those of the Richkivsk, Bilopilia, Vorozhbianka and Mykolaivsk communities. The head of the RMA said that more than 2,800 people currently live in these settlements, including 367 children. The evacuation teams are visiting households, talking to residents,…

The Diia team took part in the international event Potential Interop 2025 in Vilnius, dedicated to testing the compatibility of digital wallets between the member countries of the consortium. According to Ukrinform, this was reported by the Ministry of Digital Transformation. It is noted that the event brought together more than 100 representatives from 14 countries to test the interaction of promising digital identification services. The purpose of the event is to ensure their effective functioning in an international format and on various technological platforms. In particular, during the testing, participants simulated real-life scenarios for using digital documents: confirming identity…

In a conversation with American podcaster Tucker Carlson, former MP Vadym Novinskyi voiced Russia’s traditional accusations against Ukraine, including regarding the war and the government’s policy in the field of religion. This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelenskyi. “It is difficult to call this an interview. Mr. Carlson simply gave Novinskyi the opportunity to speak up and answer questions that, apparently, he had himself formulated. About a third of the ‘interview’ is devoted to the religious situation of Ukraine – and this…

Pope Leo XIV spent a significant part of his life in Peru, in the part of the planet where the Catholic Church is growing most dynamically, and this was certainly taken into account during the Conclave. This was stated by the head of the State Service for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelenskyi, who spoke in an interview with Ukrinform. Commenting on the fact that this is the fourth Pope who is not a native of Italy, the official noted: "This indicates that Catholicism is losing its European face, although the election of Cardinal Ratzinger as Pope was a…

The issue of the ecclesiastical structure of churches is not a matter for the state, and the UOC should decide on its own how to build internal and external relations. This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by the head of the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnic Policy and Freedom of Conscience, Viktor Yelensky. When asked about the possible further subordination of the UOC if it refuses to break ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, the official replied: "It seems to me that this church will decide for itself with whom it will communicate, with whom it will not,…