Society & Culture

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell has said that he does not support the proposal to ban Russians from entering EU countries. According to Bloomberg, Josep Borrell said this at a press conference in Spain. “To forbid the entrance to all the Russians is not a good idea. We have to be more selective,” he said. Borrell said the EU shouldn’t open its doors to oligarchs but that “there are many Russians that want to flee the country because they don’t want to live in this situation.” As Ukrinform reported, the EU is set to…

In the context of the 20th anniversary of entrusting the world to the Divine Mercy by John Paul II, Pope Francis has wished the Ukrainian people God’s grace and mercy. The relevant statement was made by Vatican News, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. On Sunday, the pontiff greeted the people who came to St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City and, having noticed the Ukrainian flags, recalled the pilgrims who had gathered in the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy in Kraków’s Łagiewniki. “A special thought goes to the many pilgrims who today gathered in the Sanctuary of the Divine Mercy in Kraków,…

In the temporarily captured City of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, workers brought in from Russia on promises of high wages have not been paid. That’s according to a report by the Mariupol City Council, seen by Ukrinform. "The occupiers bring workers from Russia to work in the occupied territories. They are promised high salaries, but in fact they get duped. Local residents are not hired for these jobs," the report says. The City Council noted that bricklayers, decorators, and electrical installers were brought to Mariupol from St. Petersburg. They were told they would be paid twice as much…

Mass naturalization of Ukrainians living in the Russian-occupied areas is a failure for Russia because the world perceives holders of such IDs as a valid security threat. That’s according to Mykhailo Podolyak, advisor to the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office "Why are Russia's efforts to issue passports in the occupied Ukrainian territories completely unsuccessful? The reason is simple: the Russian passport is perceived in the world as the most toxic one. This is the label by which any civilized country determines a potential bearer of the ‘Russian world’ values, hence a reputational and security threat," Podolyak wrote on Telegram.…

Kherson residents are agitating to boycott a pseudo-referendum scheduled by Russian invaders in the region. The yellow ribbons, used as a symbol of the Public Resistance Movement, are appearing on streets in the occupied settlements of Kherson Region. The relevant statement was made by the Yellow Ribbon Public Resistance Movement on Telegram, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. “Kherson residents are agitating to boycott the so-called ‘referendum’! Brave activists continue to work within the occupied territory,” the report states. The Public Resistance Movement activists are calling on people to tie yellow ribbons to poles, streetlights, hand rails and bus stops. A reminder…

The city council of Zaporizhia has denied rumors of preparations for a mass evacuation of local residents. Anatoliy Kurtiev, the City Council Secretary, addressed the issue on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. "Since yesterday, panicky rumors started spreading in the city that people would be evacuated from Zaporizhia. I’d like to reassure you right away – there are no reasons for a mass evacuation of citizens as of today," Kurtiev said. According to the official, an information campaign was indeed launched to raise awareness of the action protocol for the population in case of emergencies, including during evacuation. However, for now, these…

The relatives of the Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs), who were defending Mariupol-based Azovstal steelworks against Russian invaders, have held a rally near Lviv National Opera. They called on the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to come to the correctional facility in Donetsk Region’s Olenivka and inspect the confinement conditions of Ukrainian defenders, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. “This day a week ago, Russia committed a terrorist attack in Olenivka, where our relatives are held. They killed many heroes we had been waiting for at home. Today we have come here, because Olenivka cannot be…

There are approximately 4.2 million students in Ukraine, with about 641,000 of them currently staying abroad. Ukraine's Education and Science Minister Serhiy Shkarlet said this during a nationwide telethon. "Approximately, there are 4.2 million participants in the educational process. According to our estimates, 641,000 [students] stay abroad today. But there is a certain trend, because at the beginning of May there were 671,000 children [abroad], today there are 641,000. That is, 30,000 children have already returned to studies," Shkarlet said. He noted that currently there are many internally displaced persons in Ukraine, but all children will be provided with educational…

  A total of 110 countries have joined the United24 fundraising in support of Ukraine. "The fundraising platform is almost three months old. During this time, United24 managed to raise more than $161 million from 110 countries," the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine posted on Telegram. Donations to Ukraine are made across the globe from the USA, Germany, France, the UK, Canada, Australia, Sweden, Switzerland, Ireland to Antigua and Barbuda, Anguilla, Nicaragua, Honduras, Côte d'Ivoire, Niue. As the Ministry noted, this is a vivid example of how people in any corner of the world can contribute to defeating evil…

Some 79% of Ukrainians believe that there should be closed borders with visas and customs between Ukraine and Russia, according to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS). Only 11% believe that Ukraine and Russia should be independent but friendly states with open borders and without visas and customs. Only 1% of respondents are in favor of the two countries merging into one state. According to sociologists, compared to the period before Russia's all-out invasion of Ukraine (as of February 2022), the share of those who believe that there should be closed borders with visas and…