Society & Culture

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has released exclusive video footage of the prisoner exchange that took place on August 24, Ukraine's Independence Day. According to the SBU, the exchange was the result of coordinated efforts by the Joint Center for the Coordination of the Search for and Release of Prisoners of War, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, and other authorized bodies working under the instructions of President Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrinform reports. As a result, Ukrainian servicemen from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, National Guard, and State Border Guard Service, as well as several civilians, were…

Ukraine and Russia carried out another prisoner exchange, including the return of journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, who was abducted in Kyiv region in March 2022. This was reported by President Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. “Today, our people are coming home. Warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and civilians. Most of them had been in captivity since 2022. We are bringing home journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, who was abducted in Kyiv region in March 2022. At last, he is home, in Ukraine,” Zelensky said. He added that exchanges are ongoing. “And this is…

President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska, together with Canada’s Prime Minister Mark Carney, paid tribute to Ukraine’s fallen heroes at the Wall of Remembrance in Kyiv. The video of the event was published on the President’s Telegram channel, Ukrinform reports. [embedded content] “A place of remembrance and deep reverence. Here are the names of those who gave their lives for our independence and freedom. Today, together with First Lady Olena Zelenska and Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney, we honored the fallen defenders of Ukraine at the Wall of Remembrance. We cherish the memory of each and every…

On the occasion of Independence Day, a joint prayer for Ukraine took place at Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska participated in the prayer, Ukrinform reports citing the presidential press service. Prayers were delivered by Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Epiphanius, Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church Sviatoslav, Mufti of the Religious Administration of Muslims of Ukraine Sheikh Ahmed Tamim, Head of the Kyiv-Zhytomyr Diocese of the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine Vitalii Kryvytskyi, Head of the All-Ukrainian Union of Churches of Evangelical Christians-Baptists Valerii Antoniuk, Senior Bishop of the…

To mark Ukraine’s Independence Day, a giant national flag was raised at the Odesa Lighthouse. This was reported on Telegram by the Ukrainian Navy, according to Ukrinform. The event involved representatives of the Navy as well as community activists from the Vyshyvanka Festival. “The blue-and-yellow flag was raised at the Odesa Lighthouse as a symbol of statehood, national unity, honor, and the struggle for independence. Under this flag, we go into battle and fight for our freedom,” the statement reads. Read also: Ukraine celebrates Independence Day As reported, in temporarily occupied Crimea in the morning of August 24, activists from…

Ceremonial events took place in central Kyiv to mark Ukraine’s Independence Day. According to Ukrinform, President Volodymyr Zelensky and First Lady Olena Zelenska welcomed foreign guests in Sofia Square. The head of state personally greeted Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President’s Special Envoy Keith Kellogg. President Zelensky also announced that defense ministers from Sweden, Denmark, Romania, Lithuania, and Canada, as well as the UK Minister for Veterans, had arrived in Ukraine. The celebrations began with the Ukrainian national anthem and a moment of silence to honor fallen heroes. During the ceremonies, Zelensky awarded Keith Kellogg the Order of…

In the temporarily occupied Crimea, on the morning of August 24, activists of the Yellow Ribbon resistance movement flew the Ukrainian flag on Mount Kishka in Simeiz on the occasion of the Independence Day of Ukraine. The movement announced this in Telegram, Ukrinform reports. "Today at dawn, when the first rays touched the Crimean Mountains, activists of the Yellow Ribbon movement unfurled the Ukrainian flag on Mount Kishka in Simeiz. This is a sign that Crimea is waiting for Ukraine", the post says. "Every dawn reminds us: darkness is not eternal and the morning without occupiers must come", the activists…

On Sunday, August 24, Ukraine marks the 34th anniversary of the declaration of independence. The holiday was established to commemorate the adoption by the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR on August 24, 1991, of the Act of Declaration of Independence of Ukraine, a political and legal document that formalized the new status of the state, Ukrinform reports. Ukraine’s path to independence was long. Its origins date back to the Antian state and the unification of the Polian tribes of Rus, later forming Kyivan Rus. After the collapse of the Kyivan state, the traditions of statehood were inherited by the…

The Peace Tower of the Parliament of Canada in Ottawa was illuminated with Ukrainian national colors as a sign of solidarity with Ukraine. According to a Ukrinform correspondent, the relevant photos were posted by the Embassy of Ukraine in Canada on the Facebook account. “This evening, the Parliament of Canada shines in our national colors, reminding us of the unity shared by Canadians and Ukrainians", the post says. It is noted that the colors of the Ukrainian flag also illuminate the building of the Office of the Prime Minister of Canada, located across the street from the parliament. Note that, according to established…

Thanks to the assistance of the State of Qatar, a total of 83 Ukrainian children have been returned home. According to Ukrinform, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets reported this on Telegram. “Today I held a meeting with the Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Ukraine, Hadi Nasser Al-Hajri — our reliable and steadfast partner in the matter of returning deported and forcibly displaced children. Thanks to Qatar’s mediation, 83 children have already been brought back from the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine and from Russia,” Lubinets said. He recalled that only yesterday, thanks to Qatar’s support,…