Society & Culture

Russian Education Minister Sergey Kravtsov has launched an initiative to rewrite the history of CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) countries in order to remove the “negative portrayal” of the Soviet past. The Center for Countering Disinformation (CCD) under Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council posted this on Telegram, as cited by Ukrinform. “Russia is taking historical revisionism to a new level by pressuring CIS countries. Minister Kravtsov has stated that there are ‘problems’ with how history is taught in those countries — specifically, that the Soviet past is portrayed negatively in school textbooks. Moscow is already in talks with education…

The book War & Justice Diary: Looking at Women, Looking at War by Ukrainian author Viktoria Amelina has been awarded the 2025 Orwell Prize in the Political Writing (nonfiction) category. The announcement was made on the Orwell Prize’s official account on X and reported by Ukrinform. “An unforgettable picture of the human consequences of war,” said Kim Darroch, Chair of Judges. Darroch added that Amelina “brings to her narrative the acuity of a journalist and the artistry of a born writer, making her a true heir of George Orwell.” According to The Guardian, this book — Amelina’s only nonfiction work…

There are currently 270,600 civilians remaining in the Donetsk region controlled by the Ukrainian authorities, 19,900 of whom are children. This was announced at an online briefing by Sergiy Honcharov, head of the Department of Civil Protection, Mobilization, and Defense of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, according to a Ukrinform correspondent. "From February 26, 2022, to June 20, 2025, approximately 1,231,000 civilians, including 192,200 children and approximately 46,700 people with disabilities, were evacuated from the Donetsk region to safer areas during all types of evacuation operations... As of June 20, 2025, 270,600 people remain in the territory of the region…

Ukraine's Permanent Representative to the UN Andrii Melnyk called on the Security Council to impose sanctions against states and individuals responsible for serious violations of children's rights during armed conflicts. This was reported by Ukrinform's correspondent in New York. During an open debate in the UN Security Council, Melnyk noted that Secretary-General Guterres' report for this year showed the highest number of violations of children's rights since they began to be recorded. According to the diplomat, the number of serious violations committed by Russian troops in Ukraine has increased by 105%. The Russian Federation has intensified its attacks on densely…

Pope Leo XIV, at the invitation of Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav, will meet with Ukrainian pilgrims on June 28 at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. According to Ukrinform, this was announced on the official website of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC). On June 28–29, a jubilee pilgrimage of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to the tomb of Saint Peter the Apostle will take place in Rome. “On June 28, all pilgrims are asked to be inside St. Peter’s Basilica no later than 12:45 to ensure they are seated in time for the meeting with…

The evacuation of Ukrainian citizens from Iran took place in several stages. According to Ukrinform, the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine reported this on Facebook. According to the report, on June 24, on the instructions of President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Main Intelligence Directorate, together with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, evacuated 31 Ukrainian citizens from the territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This concluded a comprehensive evacuation operation, during which 164 Ukrainian citizens were successfully transported out of Iran and Israel. “The operation in Iran took place in several stages. After the security situation…

As part of the final stage of a joint operation of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ukrainians evacuated from Iran arrived in Kyiv by bus. That’s according to Suspilne, Ukrinform reports. The GUR reported that 31 people had been evacuated from Iran during the final stage of the operation. Among them are 12 women, five men and 14 children. GUR representative Olha Mosiondz reported that the total number of Ukrainians evacuated from Iran and Israel is 164. Read also: Intelligence and MFA evacuate 31 Ukrainian citizens from Iran "This is…

In Hola Prystan, located in the temporarily occupied part of Kherson region, Russian forces looted the local hospital, taking valuable medical equipment and furniture. This was reported to Ukrinform by Svitlana Lynnyk, Head of the Hola Prystan Military Administration. “Now there are weeds growing around the hospital, about two meters high. Yet in 2022, right after the occupation, the hospital was still functioning. Gradually, access was restricted as Russians occupied the upper floors and slowly began removing equipment. Where it went — who knows. Some said to Skadovsk, others to Zaliznyi Port. The exact destination of the hospital’s property is…

The Ukrainian delegation has taken part in the Kiel Munition Clearance Week, presenting the domestic underwater mine clearance development, Toloka unmanned torpedo drone. The relevant statement was made by the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry on Facebook, an Ukrinform correspondent reports. “For the first time, Ukraine has joined the Kiel Munition Clearance Week, an international forum dedicated to offshore munition clearance and critical infrastructure protection. Underwater mine clearance is one of the most challenging, expensive and least regulated topics in the security sector. For Ukraine, it is also critical,” the report states. At the forum, the Ukrainian delegation showcased the domestic…

Warsaw expects exhumation work for Polish soldiers killed in 1939 and buried in the former village of Zboiska (now within the city limits of Lviv) to begin in the second half of this year. This was announced during a press conference on Monday in Warsaw by Poland's Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Hanna Wróblewska, Ukrinform reports, citing PAP. Wróblewska stated that exhumations in Lviv area will be possible in the second half of the year. “Permissions in this matter were received by the Institute of National Remembrance. It is up to it – in cooperation with the Ukrainian side…