Kate Tsurkan @TsurkanKate of @KyivIndependent highlighted three HURI Books titles to look out for in late 2026 and early 2027. The selection highlights: 🔸Myroslav Laiuk’s 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘐𝘴 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘥𝘦 (translated by Ali Kinsella)—a multi-generational saga about a family that, over two centuries, has faced challenges and strived to overcome them while remaining true to its values. 🔸Sophia Andrukhovych’s 𝘍𝘦𝘭𝘪𝘹 𝘈𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘢 (translated by Vitaly Chernetsky @globalrhizome ), a neo-Gothic novel depicting the peculiarities of human relations and the multiethnic world of the late Habsburg Empire. 🔸Yurii Yanovskyi’s 1928 modernist classic 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘩𝘪𝘱𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 (translated by Ian Ross Singleton @singleton_ian) captures the experimental energy of early cinema while reclaiming Ukrainian-language #Odesa from russian imperial narratives. Read the full feature via the link below! #HURIBooks #UkrainianLiterature #LiteratureInTranslation #ReadUkrainian #UpcomingReleases

No matter how much life might suck at the moment, there are always good books to look forward to (thanks @TsurkanKate for compiling this list!) kyivindependent.com/kyiv-ind…

"Not a safe space for revolutionary praxis" should be crocheted on a pillow.

Serhiy Zhadan is one of those poets that make me intensely happy that I'm a native speaker of Ukrainian, but I have a lot of appreciation for what John Hennessy and Ostap Kin are doing in their translations, esp. with assonances and internal rhymes circumferencemag.com/in-fort…

Submissions are now open for the Winter 2027 Issue of @apofenie. Read more at the link. 🪬 apofenie.com/winter-2027-sub…

Ukraine has imposed sanctions against the producers and distributors of the Russian animated series Masha and the Bear. This creates legal grounds to block the content in Ukraine and engage international platforms to restrict its monetization and distribution. Russian propaganda has no place on children’s screens — in Ukraine or anywhere in the world.

Russian attacks destroyed more than 1.5 million Ukrainian books in July alone. I spoke to some Ukrainian publishers who were affected, and why continuing their business is the only way forward. This resilient story is now online at @KyivIndependent. kyivindependent.com/ukrainia…

Where does “abroad” begin? Starting with his childhood in Vynohradiv, and moving through Germany, Hungary, and beyond, Andriy Lyubka's essay (tr. beautifully by @TsurkanKate) reveals that borders aren't merely geographical; they also exist in the mind. tinyurl.com/2sza86d4

The fate of hundreds of Ukrainian intellectuals during the Great Terror, after the subsiding of korenizatsiia, is proof of this. Stalin himself wrote that something “had to be done” with Mykola Khvylovy who advocated that Ukraine was more culturally in line with Europe.

Where does “abroad” begin? Starting with his childhood in Vynohradiv, and moving through Germany, Hungary, and beyond, Andriy Lyubka's essay (tr. beautifully by @TsurkanKate) reveals that borders aren't merely geographical; they also exist in the mind. tinyurl.com/2sza86d4

I have three (🫣) book translations coming out later this year, but until then, I thought it’s worth reminding you of three others that are already available by three very different—yet equally interesting—Ukrainian authors, exploring the war from different perspectives.

russia is destroying Ukrainian books. In July alone, russian attacks destroyed over 1.5 million copies and severely damaged printing houses and publishers. Ukraine supports book sector, we will restore damaged production, and ensure that new Ukrainian books continue to be published. Ukrainian culture and the Ukrainian word will endure.

Evhen Konovalets is a very intresting figure in Ukrainian ‘canon.’ An undeniable nationalist, in many ways a strongman, but who didn’t really wanted to strive for power or participate in political intrigue. During the revolution he led Sich Riflemen detachment, was fully loyal to the Republic and his soldiers. Withered and opposed all the coups and far-right attempts to destroy the Republic. For that he was highly respected amongst socialists and even communists, while still obviously he criticized socialists as unorganized mess without discipline, and socialists criticized him for bourgeois nationalism and his one-note approaches. In his memoirs Konovalets criticized socialists’ indecision to act against monarchist forces. He describes how their unit were ready to kill Pavlo Skoropadskyi, ‘hetman,’ before Germans overthrew Republican government and established puppet-monarchy. He writes that if they killed Skoropadskyi, Germans would be too disorganized and forced to deal with Republican government, as they did in Georgia, keeping Ukraine stronger and not letting Russian-German reactionaries in. I’d hardly call Konovalets republican. He was nationalist in a non-republican sense (but certainly not in anti-republican sense). He was a military men first and most. He was a leading figure in later anti-monarchist uprising that established Directory of Ukraine. When his detachment decided that they support council socialism as a vision for Ukrainian independent state, and wrote a resolution, Konovalets signed and supported it. After defeat of the Revolution and Polish occupation, he organizes veteran movement, which engages in partisan-like actions against occupational authorities. He established communication with Weimar Germany and envisioned veteran movement as something that would form an army. He was inspired by Irish Republican Army as a model. The organization he led was authoritarian through and through in the sense that military is authoritarian. However Konovalets leadership was treated as benelovent. When the veteran organization joined forces with fascist students, they formed OUN. Moderates were banded behind Konovalets and later Andriy Melnyk, while younger fire-headed youth found a new cult figure in Bandera. Banderites wanted to sideline Konovalets as they thought of him as ‘liberal’ and ‘soft.’ While Konovalets argued against trend of the youth to idealize ‘strength’ and ‘voluntarism’ of Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy. He argued against fascism as he treated as manipulative, and was anti-Nazi. Borys Levitskyi, Ukrainian leftist, described that on one of the OUN meetings Konovalets tried to persuade organization that ‘Germans if ever hear what are you speaking here about will kill all of you’ Russians killed him, and OUN went into disarray. The far-right separated, but surprisingly, due to being radical dumb students, OUN(b) become the force which fought nazis, while the moderates who left tried to negotiate and compromise. Ukrainian government wants him to be reburied. Im against reburials like that, it is a stupid practice. That post exists to inform about what is going on. Konovalets is idealized amongst the ukrainian nazi/far-right youth, however he is the opposite of them.

Syrsky may or may not be a great military commander, but it is no longer relevant. In a war where the nation as a whole is fighting and the army is made up of a million of yesterday’s civilians, the commander cannot be unpopular to the extent of sparking protests across Ukraine— including by veterans and even serving troops.

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A Russian photographer who has worked for Kremlin media was shortlisted for a German prize for his series on occupied Mariupol. Read my latest on this scandal at @KyivIndependent. kyivindependent.com/german-p…

Pretty embarrassing that the “great” Mearsheimer was basing his analysis off of some Idaho Nazi.

Tucker Carlson presents himself as an American patriot, but he just invited Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on his podcast to spread Kremlin propaganda. I unpacked some of their many lies for @KyivIndependent. kyivindependent.com/tucker-c…

I wrote about the rich, centuries-old Ukrainian history of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra — and how Russia’s barbaric strike on it is just the latest effort to destroy it. My latest for @KyivIndependent. kyivindependent.com/from-sov…