Society & Culture

President Volodymyr Zelensky posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to National Guard soldier Nazarii Hryncevych. The corresponding decree No. 467/2025 was published on the website of the head of state, Ukrinform reports. "For personal courage and heroism in defending the state sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, and selfless service to the Ukrainian people, I hereby decree: to award the title of Hero of Ukraine with the Order of the Golden Star to Nazarii Hryncevych, junior lieutenant (posthumously)," the document says. As reported, combat medic Nazarii Hryncevych (call sign “Hrinka”) was the youngest defender of Azovstal. For three…

An 18-year-old Ukrainian student, Mariia Buhaiova, who had been missing for four days in southern Italy, has been found hanged. That is according to L'Unione Sarda, Ukrinform reports. The young woman was discovered hanged about one kilometer from the tourist village where she had been working. She had suddenly gone missing on Friday, July 4. Buhaiova was in Puglia as part of a European project with the University of Bratislava to do an internship in a tourist village, Meditur, located along the coast of Carovigno in the province of Brindisi. According to the publication, Italian authorities earlier found a note…

A breakthrough on the front lines could significantly shift Ukrainians' attitudes toward the war and the overall situation in the country. Yevhen Holovakha, Director of the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, said this in an interview with Ukrinform. "There was a shocking figure — 42% of people don't condemn draft dodgers. They criticize the military enlistment offices, but not the dodgers. And that's alarming. But there is one powerful remedy: if we achieve a serious success on the battlefield, public sentiment will immediately soar," Holovakha said. The sociologist noted that a similar effect was…

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew held a meeting in Istanbul with the families of Ukrainian prisoners of war and those missing in action, greeting them with the words "Glory to Ukraine." According to Ukrinform, Ukraine's Consul General in Istanbul, Roman Nedilskyi, announced this on Facebook. "We thank His All-Holiness for his blessing and prayers for our Heroes — may they return home to their loved ones alive and in good health," Nedilskyi wrote. He also noted that there are real stories of remarkable events in which, following the Patriarch's blessing, some POWs returned home or families received long-awaited news about their missing…

The hot phase of the war could end within 1–2 years, and about 30% of Ukrainian refugees may return home. This opinion was expressed in an interview with Ukrinform by Yevhen Holovakha, Director of the Institute of Sociology at the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. “I believe that if the war in Ukraine lasts another year or two, we can expect about 30% of refugees to return. I’m one of those experts who predict that the war will end in that timeframe,” said Holovakha. In his view, the broader conflict with Russia will continue as long as the political…

Semen Kryvonos, Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), acknowledged that Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration (KCMA), is his brother-in-law. He shared this in an interview with Ukrinform. “It’s something of an open secret — Head of the Kyiv City Military Administration Timur Tkachenko is married to the biological sister of my wife. He is my brother-in-law. Naturally, our wives are close and communicate, and Timur and I may occasionally see each other or talk at family events,” Kryvonos said. He also dismissed any suggestion of involvement in the high-profile Kyiv land corruption case,…

The key perpetrator behind the attack has been named. Reconstruction has finally begun, though the process has been overshadowed by bureaucracy and complications around tenders. Exactly one year ago, on the morning of July 8, 2024, Russia launched a massive missile attack across Ukraine. One of the primary targets in Kyiv was Okhmatdyt, the country's leading children's hospital, where 627 young patients were present at the time. The attack became not just another war crime, but a grim symbol of the aggressor's cruelty and cynicism — a moment seared into the nation's collective memory. The strike killed two adults, injured…

Semen Kryvonos, Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), disclosed how many cases the Bureau had closed over the past few years, even after suspects had already been officially notified of suspicion during the investigations. He shared this information in an interview with Ukrinform. “In 2021, the NABU closed six criminal cases with declared suspicions; in 2022 – eleven, in 2023 – six, and last year only one such proceeding was closed,” said Kryvonos. According to him, it is standard legal practice to initiate a case, examine all the facts, and close the case if no evidence of…

During the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, seven individuals involved in National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) cases were extradited. This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by NABU Director Semen Kryvonos. “We have already submitted 134 requests for extradition or temporary arrest of suspects and see positive dynamics in this process. Since the National Bureau began its work, nine people have been extradited, seven of them after the start of the full-scale invasion,” Kryvonos said. According to him, there is currently progress on the issue of extradition in certain jurisdictions with which there were previously some problems. “Things have really improved…

At the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), 40-50 detectives are working on exposing abuses in the defense sector. This was stated in an interview with Ukrinform by NABU Director Semen Kryvonos. In particular, when asked about the bureau's division that deals with exposing corruption in the Ministry of Defense, Kryvonos said that 21 detectives work there. "But the defense sector is not limited to the Ministry of Defense alone. It also includes the Ministry of Strategic Industries, the State Border Service, which also purchases weapons, and the National Guard. If we analyze the situation as a whole, we have 40-50 detectives…