2022 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The European Parliament has awarded the brave people of Ukraine, represented by their … More

1. Ratification of the Istanbul Convention On 20 June 2022, the Parliament of Ukraine ratified the Istanbul Convention. Without a … More

1. 30% of publishing houses’ production capacities have been fully or partially lost  ‘Due to the lack of funding for … More

Photo: Efrem Lukatsky Fact-sheet as of August 2022 Ukraine authorities estimate that due to Russia’s military aggression, 900 protected natural … More

This year August 24 carries double significance for every Ukrainian – it’s the 31st anniversary of Ukraine’s independence. At the same time it’s 6 months of Ukraine’s resistance against Russia’s full-scale invasion. 

In 2022, the Russian army wiped the Ukrainian city of Mariupol off the face of the earth. They indiscriminately destroyed residential quarters, industrial enterprises, and even a drama theatre. An aerial view of the theatre, with the word CHILDREN written in front of the building in huge block letters, circulated in U.S. and French media. That warning, though, didn’t stop the pilot from activating the launch button and bombing the theatre. He was just following orders, right?

If asked to name colonialism’s dominant trait, I’d say it is unification. An empire is a patchwork, with each piece having its distinct cultural, political, and administrative features and mindset. A colonial repressive mechanism promotes the illusion of a homogeneous space where everything is common: the language, the cultural norms, the traditions. Every feature, once forced upon a given group of people, must be taken by that group as something primordial and familiar.