Society & Culture

There is no doubt that the Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Ukraine, but it is possible that some conditions will have to change. Ukraine's Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko said this at a press conference at the Media Center Ukraine – Ukrinform. "We have no doubt that it [the contest] should take place in Ukraine. The only thing is that no one has ever held Eurovision during the war. […] We are now looking for answers with our colleagues to the most important conditions set by the [European] Broadcasting Union, but I think that we…

Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and the Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, announced that Ukrainians arriving in Canada can now apply to receive transitional financial assistance.  That’s according to an Ukrinform correspondent in Canada. “Our commitment to Ukrainians fleeing Russia’s illegal war doesn’t stop once they’ve arrived in Canada. We will continue to help those seeking refuge live and thrive in communities across the country. This one-time financial assistance will be crucial in addressing the immediate challenges faced by Ukrainians who have left so much behind to find a safe haven in…

President Volodymyr Zelensky seeks to ensure the safe return of Ukrainian children who were forced to flee the country over the war unleashed by Russia. The statement came as the president spoke in a Wednesday meeting of the Council on Issues Related to the Life and Safety of Children in Wartime and talked with children in Ukraine and abroad, Ukrinform reports citing the president's press service. President took part in a meeting of the Council on Issues Related to the Life and Safety of Children in Wartime and talked with children in Ukraine and abroad On the International Children's Day,…

The International Committee of the Red Cross said that the video shot by the Russians in their Mariupol office and distributed by a number of media outlets was full of false accusations and groundless assumptions about the organization’s work. That’s according to an ICRC’s press release, Ukrinform reports. It is noted that one of the main goals of the ICRC is to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population in an armed conflict. Given this, a core ICRC programme is to increase awareness of the risks caused by mines and other explosive remnants of war, as well as to provide…

Ukraine’s First Lady, Olena Zelenska, has met with the President of Slovakia, Zuzana Caputova, to discuss the establishment of a Ukrainian Cultural Center in Slovakia. Zelenska wrote this on Facebook, Ukrinform reports. "The first woman president of Slovakia, the youngest leader in the country's history, an environmental activist and a human rights activist. She is the one who, together with the whole of Slovakia, takes care of Ukrainian refugees in this country. I was glad to talk to Ms. Zuzana Caputova. We discussed the establishment of a Ukrainian Cultural Center in this country - the second such institution after Lithuania.…

Since the Russian invasion, 2,679 newborns were registered in the Ukrainian capital. That’s according to the press service of the Kyiv City State Administration, Ukrinform reports. "Life goes on. Little Kyivans are born in the capital every day. They come to this world at a difficult time for our country, at a critical time in the fight for freedom and liberty. And we believe that they will grow up in a free and strong country!” said Mykola Povoroznyk, First Deputy Head of the Kyiv City State Administration. Read also: UNICEF: More than half of Ukraine’s children displaced after one month…

Ukrainian band Kalush Orchestra, the winners of this year's Eurovision Song Contest, have sold their Eurovision trophy at a charity auction for $900,000 and will use the money to buy three drones for the Ukrainian Armed Forces. According to Ukrinform, the band said this on its Facebook page. "Friends, you are incredible! We are grateful to each of you who donated money to this auction, and especially to the Whitebit team who bought the trophy for $900,000 and have now become the owners of our trophy. Subscribe to them, they really deserve it. Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the Armed…

Ukraine is launching a communication campaign "Embrace Ukraine. Strengthen the Union" that should ensure support for the country on its road to the European future, in particular obtaining the status of a candidate for EU membership. According to Ukrinform, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine said this in a statement posted on its website. "Today, all of Ukraine supports membership in the European Union. On the fourth day of the war, the President of Ukraine applied for membership in the European Union and we expect to receive candidate status. Ukraine is certainly ready for this step, and…

World-famous American writer Stephen King has called on the world to keep economic pressure on Russia. According to Ukrinform, he wrote this on Twitter. "Keep the economic pressure on Russia," he said, adding in Latin, "Slava Ukraini [Glory to Ukraine]." Earlier, he supported Ukraine, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin assumed he was dealing with a lapdog, but "what he got was a wolverine." He was also photographed in a T-shirt with the print "I stand with Ukraine." Photo: Angela Shoemaker, Special to CJ

Russian intelligence services are developing a system of covert influence on Russian-speaking residents of foreign nations, which will be integrated into the service platform. That’s according to Guildhall citing sources in the Ukrainian intelligence community, Ukrinform reports. The Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (SVR), acting under the cover of Rossotrudnichestvo, is developing a digital platform and mobile application, Sootechestvenniki (Compatriots), whose main goal is to boost Russian influence on policies of foreign governments, as well as to recruit Russians living abroad and foreign citizens. Read also: Russia retrieves bodies, classified documents from sunken Moskva cruiser - intelligence The…