Society & Culture

Before the renaming process started, there were 128 streets in Poltava region named after Russian poet Alexander Pushkin. Oleh Pustovhar, a representative of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory in Poltava region, shared this information in an interview with Ukrinform. "To give you an idea of the extent to which the public space was marked by Russian enemy narratives, I’ll provide some figures. They show that the toponymy of Poltava region was not much different from that of Ryazan or Volgograd. The most common name was Yuri Gagarin (330 places), while there were none dedicated to Leonid Kadeniuk. Now, many…

On the eve of the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) has called on the international community to find an opportunity to allocate $255 million this year to support 2 million people affected by the war in Ukraine. This is said in a press release issued by the IOM, Ukrinform reports. “As the full-scale war in Ukraine approaches its fourth year, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is appealing for USD 255 million to support two million war-affected people in the country in 2025,” the document reads. It is noted that nearly…

The former CEO of a state-owned arms trading company has been exposed for laundering over UAH 387 million belonging to enterprises within the Ukroboronprom defense conglomerate through France. Ukraine's Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) announced this on Facebook, according to Ukrinform. The suspect previously led a company authorized by the state to act as an intermediary in foreign trade operations related to the export and import of military and specialized equipment and services. French law enforcement authorities transferred the case to Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and SAPO as part of international cooperation. Investigators established that the former director was…

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky honored the memory of the fallen Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred. The Head of State announced this in a message on Telegram, Ukrinform reports. “The Heavenly Hundred. Heroes who died defending freedom, dignity, and the right of our country to freely choose its future. Self-sacrifice that reminds us of the price of self-determination. Eternal honor to the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred!” - Zelensky said. Volodymyr and Olena Zelenska put lamps near the memorial cross on the Heavenly Hundred Heroes Alley in downtown Kyiv, which was installed in March 2014 at the site of the…

Ukraine is currently actively cooperating with European partners on legislation to regulate social media. This was announced by MP, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Freedom of Speech Yaroslav Yurchyshyn in a commentary to Ukrinform. “Now, as before, we are working as much as possible in the European track on the regulation of social networks, in particular Telegram. As far as I know, our colleague, the chairman of the Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy, Mykyta Poturaiev, sent a draft law on the regulation of social networks to the Council of Europe to get an expert opinion. The results…

On the Day of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky honored those who sacrificed their lives for the country's freedom. In a post on Facebook, Zelensky emphasized the significance of their sacrifice, Ukrinform reports: "February 20 is the day when we remember and commemorate those who made their choice -- to be free, to build a strong, European Ukraine, and to resist subjugation. They sacrificed the most precious thing -- their lives -- so that we could live in a free state," he wrote. Zelensky recalled that it was during these tragic days in 2014 that Russia launched…

As part of the Ukrainian President’s Bring Kids Back UA initiative, 15 Ukrainian children were returned from Russian occupation. This was announced by Daria Zarivna, an advisor to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine and operational director of the Bring Kids Back UA initiative, Ukrinform reports. “Within the framework of the President's initiative Bring Kids Back UA, we managed to return 15 Ukrainian children who were under occupation and their families were subjected to persecution and pressure,” said Zarivna. She said that among the rescued children is a family where the mother refused to receive Russian…

As of mid-February 2025, 57% of Ukrainians trust President Volodymyr Zelensky, according to a survey conducted by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) from February 4-9. The poll found that 37% of respondents do not trust Zelensky, resulting in a trust-distrust balance of +20%. KIIS noted that trust in the president has slightly improved compared to the last survey in December 2024, when 52% of respondents expressed trust, 39% did not, and the trust-distrust balance was +13%. The survey also found similar trust levels across all regions of Ukraine, with a consistently positive trust-distrust balance. KIIS said that Ukraine…

Women work in every unit of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Andriy Danyk, the head of the State Emergency Service, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.  “We support the gender equality policy. There are many women in our system, and they work in every unit. Yes, we also have female sappers, but their number is not very large. It turned out that female operators of unmanned systems are doing an excellent job of performing their duties,” he said. Read also: State Emergency Service receives over 3,000 pieces of equipment since full-scale invasion Furthermore, Danyk stated that a female…

The Ukrainian community, together with the Ukrainian Embassy in the U.S., representatives of the United States, and other countries supporting Ukraine's fight against Russian aggression, will gather on Saturday for a large rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. The mass gathering, which will include a march through the center of the U.S. capital, is dedicated to the third anniversary of Russia's full-scale genocidal war, as reported by the event organizers to a Ukrinform correspondent. "This event will be entirely dedicated to the need for continued support for Ukraine. In addition, participants will honor the memory of all those…