Society & Culture

Russian media claims that Ukraine has switched to steam locomotives due to power problems Russian media and Telegram channels are spreading a fake that Ukrzaliznytsia has begun to massively use old steam locomotives to transport passengers. Propagandists claim that Ukrainian railway workers are forced to switch to technologies "from the beginning of the last century" due to power outages. Ukrzaliznytsia really launched a steam train, but as part of Christmas-New Year tours. During the winter holidays, the festive retro train will run on holidays in Kyiv on December 24, 25, 31, January 1, 7 and 8. Russian propaganda simply used…

The European Commission is investing EUR 100 million to rebuild Ukrainian schools destroyed by the Russian aggression. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote this on Twitter, Ukrinform reports. “The future of Ukraine begins with its children. We are investing €100 million to rebuild the schools destroyed by Russia’s bombs. Sending school buses so children can go to and from school safely. Collecting and delivering laptops, so pupils can keep learning,” she wrote. According to the European Commission, Russian strikes have damaged or destroyed over 2,800 education institutions in Ukraine so far, impacting 5.7 million school-aged children. As Ukrinform…

The Danish-Ukrainian-Swedish documentary "A House Made of Splinters" was shortlisted for the Oscars. This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian State Cinema Agency, according to Ukrinform. "Simon Lereng Wilmont's documentary "A House Made of Splinters", filmed with the support of the State Cinema Agency, was shortlisted for the Oscar award. The picture is presented among 15 candidates in the "Best Documentary Feature Film" category. Five nominees out of 15 will be selected in January 2023," the statement reads. Read also: ZLO: Filming of movie about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine begins in Irpin The film tells a story…

Only Pushilin could be used as a non-anonymous source to promote well-known narrative  In an interview with one of the Russian state news agencies, "DPR" leader Denis Pushilin said that Ukraine resells the weapons it receives from Western partners on the black market. The statement made by Pushilin is fake. First, the United States confirmed that there are no signs of Ukraine handing over weapons to third countries. This was recently stated by Pentagon Press Secretary Patrick Ryder. "At this point, we have no credible information that would indicate that there's been any diversion of Ukrainian assistance into illicit means,"…

Russia trying to make Russian-speaking Ukrainians distrust Orthodox Church of Ukraine A photo "announcement" allegedly posted on the door of a temple of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is circulating on Russian news sites and Telegram channels. The text says that parishioners who have not repented for "slandering themselves with an enemy language" will not be allowed to attend the New Year and Christmas services. The coat of arms of the Volyn Diocese of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine is depicted on the top of the announcement. This announcement is fake. "It never existed and could not exist," Archpriest Vitaliy…

A minor boy whom the invaders deported from Donetsk region to Russia returned to Ukraine. "Miracles happen on St. Nicholas Day. Today, such a miracle happened to 16-year-old Serhiy, who returned to Ukraine almost eight months after he was deported to the Russian Federation," Dmytro Lubinets, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, posted on Facebook on December 19. According to Lubinets, the boy lived near Mariupol, he lost his parents shortly before the war, but he has a sister, and now he also has caring compatriots who are ready to help him. After his native village had been captured by…

The Government plans to allocate 1-2% of the funds earmarked for Ukraine’s restoration, amounting to $3.8 billion, for the reconstruction of cultural institutions. "When it comes to the general restoration plan – $38 billion that the Government is talking about – it is assumed that 1-2% will be allocated for the culture sector. This is quite a large sum – about $3.8 billion. This is a more or less realistic estimate of damages suffered by cultural institutions during the military aggression," Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko said at a briefing at the Media Center Ukraine-Ukrinform…

It is impossible to fight Russian propaganda without international support, and France is ready to act as a leader in matters of information security. The Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, Oleksandr Tkachenko, said this at a briefing entitled "Strengthening international support for culture and media in Ukraine: the results of a visit to France" at the Ukraine – Ukrinform Media Center. "We see from the results of research by our colleagues in Europe that Russian narratives continue to spread. For this, there is not only an offline format, traditional for television, but also online platforms, OTT platforms.…

Ukrainian artists are working to financially support the Armed Forces through auctions. That’s according to Ihor Hryshkevych, a Ukrainian artist who received a Derehus award at the War Museum, Ukrinform reports. "As of now, almost 50 auctions have been held by the Lviv organization of the National Union of Artists of Ukraine. The latest on was run on December 17 when we raised UAH 200,000. The next auction will be held on December 20," the artist said. Read also: Peace Light of Bethlehem handed over to Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhnyi Hryshkevych emphasized that the organization has been helping soldiers since the first…

The authorities of Estonia’s capital, Tallinn, will transfer over 20 buses to Zhytomyr, a regional center northwest of Kyiv. That’s according to Zhytomyr Mayor Serhiy Sukhomlyn, who delivered the news on Facebook, Ukrinform reports. "During the official business trip to the Republic of Estonia, People's Deputy of Ukraine Arseniy Pushkarenko, deputies of the Zhytomyr City Council Viktor Yevdokimov, Iryna Gladka, and Viktor Kliminskyi held a meeting with Tallinn Mayor Mihhail Kõlvart. At the request of our deputies, understanding Zhytomyr's problems with energy infrastructure, they agreed that 20 buses from Tallinn's fleet will be handed over to our city in January,…