"ver the past three years, London-based photographer Mark Neville has been travelling around Ukraine to work on several wide-ranging projects: one about holidaymakers in Odessa, another about people at worship, and an extensive series depicting the 2 million people in the country displaced by conflict on the eastern front. His latest project saw him documenting folk songs, often sung by internally displaced Ukrainians." (Article)

Pastel-hued St Andrew’s Church, at the top of a steep hill in the historic Podil district of Kyiv, has wonderful baroque architecture. But what really sets this church apart from the many others is the viewing platform, accessed for a mere 60p, which affords magnificent 360-degree views of the city. You can gaze down upon the colourful old houses, domed churches and the cobbled street known as the Andriyivskyy Descent before turning around to discover the river and modern city. (List)

"The five-part miniseries dramatises the events surrounding the 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl, Ukraine. Over one-hundred and fifty sets were built and shooting took place across Ukraine, the UK and Lithuania. The ambitious project saw accuracy and detail as essential to its philosophy. To this end, second unit filming took place in Chernobyl’s exclusion zone, as well as principal production at a nuclear reactor plant in Lithuania." (LocationGuide)

"He was born in a Displaced Persons Camp in Austria just after the Second World War before moving to Winnipeg, where he grew up in the North End in the 1950s and 1960s. In the early 1970s, after studying photography in Toronto, Paskievich began turning his camera to the community of his youth, its inhabitants, wide streets and boulevards, warehouses and corner stores." (Interview)

This quaint city (pronounced Liv-eev in Ukrainian) looks like an old-school European destination, complete with cobblestone streets, classical music festivals and its wild celebrations of Ukrainian poets. Lviv — population 700,000, believed to have been founded in the mid-13th century — is known for its art and its culture. (Article)

"The opening statements of each Party’s Agent in the first round of oral pleadings will be made accessible to the public through an online stream available on the website of the PCA;

Members of the public, including accredited press representatives and members of the diplomatic corps, will be able to follow the opening statements at the Peace Palace, The Hague. The PCA shall in due course publish appropriate direction as to the modalities for attendance and accreditation." (Document)

"Following the victory of Volodymyr Zelensky in Ukraine’s presidential elections, the country will become the only one in the world besides Israel whose president and prime minister are both Jewish." (Full Story)

For five years, the Kremlin has encouraged the outside world to see Ukraine as a swamp of Far-Right Nazi extremism. Today, Ukrainians have overwhelmingly elected a Jewish Russian-speaker as president. It is now high time to stop viewing Ukraine via the distorted Russian prism. (internet)

As a reminder - Ukraine is the home country of prominent Jews such as Golda Meir, Sholom Aleichem and Simon Wiezenthal. 

New Israeli currency features notable Jewish people from Ukraine by the way. On 20- and 50-shekel banknotes. (Source)

There is a literary cult of Isaak Babel in Odesa, The Guardian says.

And city of Uman is the world's biggest, and all-male, Jewish pilgrimages, - Unian.

American actress Mila Kunis was born in Ukraine too.

"According to the report, IT service exports became the 2nd largest export industry in 2018. In 2015 Ukrainian IT exports made $2,6 billion, this number increased to $4.5 billion in 2018, showing a 20% year-over-year growth. According to UNIT.City, Ukrainian exports of IT services are expected to reach $5.4 billion in 2020 and $8.4 billion in 2025." (Source)

"Vasyl Lomachenko claims it would be "easy" to beat Conor McGregor in the boxing ring and would happily gain the required weight to take on the UFC superstar. 

The Ukrainian defends his world lightweight titles against the Mancunian in Los Angeles in the early hours of Saturday morning and is a heavy favorite to retain the belt." (Article)

"...there are some seriously cool things happening in the city. Things that is setting Kyiv up to have a moment (if it isn’t already). From secret speakeasies and world-class cocktails to social projects supporting progressive endeavors across the city, to the coolest neighborhood to stay in when you visit and where you can actually get behind the wheel of a tank (yes, a tank), there’s so much more to Kyiv than you could ever imagine. Here’s what’s making Kyiv Eastern Europe’s coolest capital city to stop overlooking." (Full Story)