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Tagged: ukrainian history

A group of women wearing folk attire and headscarves.

Is Folk Music a Flashback to the Past or a Promise for the Future?

By Ganna Goncharenko. Folk music and folklore preserve collective memory, traditions, and values of a people, combining the past, the present, and the potential of the future. Today, folklore includes not only songs and tales, but also ritual practices, urban legends, anecdotes, and even internet memes. Its remarkable ability to preserve historical experience and remain a support for the community will be further examined in this article.

Street art of two birds with text reading "Stop war in Ukraine".

“Russia is Unequivocally a ‘Cannibal Country’”: How Ukrainian Officials Talk About the ‘Russian World’

By Liudmyla Pidkuimukha. What is the ‘Russian World’ – russkij mir – and how is it understood today from a Ukrainian perspective? Officially, this doctrine is built on a mix of shared language, culture, Orthodox Christianity, historical memory, and reverence for the so-called ‘Great Patriotic War’, often framed as the Soviet Union’s greatest victory. In Ukraine, this ideology has taken on a very different meaning in the shadow of the full-scale Russo-Ukrainian war. Ukrainian officials draw on powerful imagery to make sense of violence, occupation, and loss – and to challenge the narratives coming from Moscow.