For America’s 250th Independence Day, I chose a Ukrainian painting. Serhii Vasylkivskyi, Guarding the Zaporizhzhian Free Lands (1890). Freedom must not only be declared, but also guarded. Happy Independence Day, America, from Ukraine.

A bust of Ivan Mazepa now stands inside the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. I went there to document the moment and explain why this location matters. My first Explanatory Note is open to everyone: www.patreon.com/strategywoma...

Greetings from Kyiv. A day of mourning in the city. Even the rain feels heavy today. 30 people were killed in the latest russian attack on Kyiv.

The International Booker Prize will be renamed after Dmitry Bukhman, a russian-born billionaire. His foundation will fund the prize for the next ten years. Meanwhile, russia is destroying Ukrainian books, libraries, and archives.

800,000 books by the Ukrainian publisher Bookchef were destroyed. The warehouse where the publisher stored its books was ruined in a russian attack. Yesterday, I bought a Bookchef book. Or, more accurately, saved one.

Kyiv. Morning. So glad to see it. As of now, 13 people have been killed and more than 80 injured in the night attack, according to Kyiv’s mayor. I made a cup of strong warcoffee. Life has a different taste here.

Drones over Kyiv. I thought of this painting I saw recently. Stas Zhalobniuk M-03. Road of Life 2026 M-03 is a major Ukrainian highway connecting Kyiv with eastern Ukraine.

Greetings from Kyiv. It was a hot day here. We were warned about a possible attack. Meanwhile, here’s a moment from today. Calm. Beautiful.

Sunset at the Dnipro River in Kyiv today. One of those moments I wanted to keep.

The number keeps growing. According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, russia has damaged 1,949 cultural heritage sites and 2,576 cultural infrastructure facilities since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.

Greetings from Kyiv. Just a moment in the city today. It’s hot, but windy. Power outages are expected this evening. The heat increases electricity consumption.

Continuing to introduce you to Ukrainian art. 🇺🇦 Ruslan Ivashchenko Born in 1986 in Yalta, temporarily occupied Crimea. Lives in Kyiv. Seen at the exhibition Ode to Joy in Kyiv.

What weather in Kyiv. Perfect after a hot day. I was planning to go to the Dnipro River to read. A change of plans.

I’m glad to see UNESCO taking action. With EU support, UNESCO will allocate €2 million to help preserve Ukraine’s documentary heritage. The programme will support archives, libraries, and other memory institutions, including in frontline regions, as well as digitisation efforts.

Why are some Orthodox churches in Ukraine still linked to moscow? I answer in my new Sunday Letter. Free to read: www.patreon.com/strategywoma...

Kids’ festival in Kyiv on Constitution Day. The future is here, laughing and playing.

Ukraine’s Constitution was adopted 30 years ago. But our constitutional tradition is much older. Ruska Pravda (11th century, reign of Yaroslav the Wise) The Constitution of Pylyp Orlyk (1710) The Constitution of the Ukrainian People’s Republic (1918)

Night in Kyiv. Explosions woke me up. Nothing unusual, actually. russia launched missiles at Kyiv.

Today, I read something that made me stop.
 There are only 13 lavras in the world.
Five of them are in Ukraine. A lavra is an Eastern Christian monastery of exceptional spiritual and cultural significance. After the recent russian attack on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, it feels even more important.

Greetings from Kyiv. 30°C/86°F outside. Partly cloudy. I’m having a warcoffee and a book to read. I realize that after the winter we had here, I find the heat much easier to handle. It’s better than sitting in a dark, cold apartment during severe frost.

I couldn’t believe it was ballpoint pen on paper. 🇺🇦 Oleksii Revika 2025 Seen at the exhibition Ode to Joy.

You rarely hear about these impacts of war. Ukraine has evacuated about 700,000 museum objects from frontline areas to safer locations. Now the country is working on specialised storage facilities and digital records for museum collections. According to Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna.

Greetings from Kyiv. I’m sitting on a bench with a new book, enjoying this calm view. The book was recently translated into Ukrainian: Odd Arne Westad’s The Coming Storm: Power, Conflict and Warnings from History.

On June 15, a russian attack heavily damaged the roof of the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. The roof has now been conserved to protect it from further damage. I continue to follow the repair work. Photos: State Emergency Service of Ukraine in Kyiv

I do love it. 🇺🇦 Olha Oliynyk Ignis Cordis (Fire of the Heart) Digital print on canvas, textured paste, 2026 Seen at the exhibition Ode to Joy.

Greetings from Kyiv. Today, I visited an exhibition on the grounds of St. Sophia. (I’ll show you some of the paintings I found interesting.) But for now, stay with me for a moment. Look at the Bell Tower and listen to summer.

🇺🇦 Poltava was long defined by the russian imperial victory of 1709. I went there to see how a Ukrainian city lives with that past and how it is reclaiming its own history. Read the full members-only story on Patreon: www.patreon.com/strategywoma...

Kazymyr Malevych’s Head of a Peasant (1911) has just sold at Sotheby’s for £3,018,000. The rare gouache exceeded its estimate of £1,500,000-£2,000,000. I hope its new owner knows that Malevych was born in Kyiv and was deeply shaped by Ukrainian culture.

Greetings from Kyiv. It was another warm day here. Not as hot as in some other parts of the world, though. I hope you are doing well. Today, I went to the Dnipro River again. Reading time by the water.

World heritage in Ukraine needs protection. St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv now has seismic sensors. They will monitor how explosions, missile strikes, drones, and other vibrations affect it. 20 sensors were installed on the cathedral and 8 on the bell tower, with UNESCO support.

Greetings from Kyiv. After a day spent finalizing a new letter (now on Patreon), I came to the Dnipro River. I love to sit by the water and listen to the sounds of life.

Ukrainian beauty. Vyshyvanky (traditional embroidered garments). 19th-20th century. Seen at the exhibition of Ukrainian embroidery.

One more piece of Ukraine’s cultural heritage is gone. A historic estate in Zaporizhzhia region was destroyed by a russian drone attack. The Myklashevsky estate dated back to the 19th century. Photo: Suspilne Zaporizhzhia

Greetings from Kyiv. Day of Remembrance of the Victims of War in Ukraine today. I felt that the right place to be was here, at the flag memorial on Independence Square. Surrounded by the memory of those who fought for Ukraine.

I find it important to document what Ukrainian art shows during the war. Seen at the exhibition “New Military Landscape.” 🇺🇦 Stas Zhalobniuk Morning, 12 May 2026

Greetings from Kyiv. Every Sunday throughout the war, people gather for Free Azov solidarity actions. Every time, I feel enormous respect and sorrow.

A short video recap from my live walk at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is now available for members on Patreon. We walked through the partially reopened territory after the attack. Here: www.patreon.com/strategywoma...

It’s been a day of alerts in Kyiv. All the signs of a coming attack. I hope I’m wrong. Moments like the one I saw today feel especially precious.

Greetings from Kyiv. Grateful to everyone who joined today’s live walk at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. A video recap will be available for members on Patreon later. I’ll let you know.

Museum collections are hidden during the war. But museums keep arranging temporary exhibitions. Seen at the Poltava Art Museum: Iryna Bankovska. Drawings made with coffee.

Access to the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra has been partially reopened after the attack. The Dormition Cathedral remains closed. I’m planning a live walk there for Patreon members. The invitation will be sent by email.

Greetings from Kyiv. Back home. Already having a warcoffee in my favourite place. My research trip to Poltava has ended. The real work has just started.

My trip to Poltava is almost over. Kyiv tomorrow. I’ve done everything I planned. Need time to gather what I found into words.

Every time I see it, I’m in awe. One of the most important buildings of Ukrainian Art Nouveau. Poltava Local Lore Museum named after Vasyl Krychevskyi.

Greetings from Poltava. After the night attack, parts of the city are without power. The familiar sound of generators is back.

Sunset in Poltava 🇺🇦

White Rotunda, Poltava. Built to commemorate the russian empire’s victory in the Battle of Poltava. In 2026, the Ukrainian trident blooms in front of it. Some moments deserve to be documented.

I’m in Poltava for the next two days. This time, I’m here to explore, observe, and document. I’ll share interesting fragments as I go.

My small reward during a temporary evacuation from the train because of drones. This painting-like view. ❤️ We are continuing our trip. Everything is fine.

On my way to Poltava. We were evacuated from the train because of a drone attack. Everyone is calm.