18th-century paintings. An entire wall. Gorgeous. Metropolitan House, Kyiv.

A painting by Caravaggio — The Taking of Christ (also known as The Kiss of Judas). Stolen from a museum in Odesa in 2008. Found years later, seriously damaged. Restored piece by piece by Ukrainian restorers. I saw it today at the Metropolitan House on the grounds of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.

We are so tired of winter here in Kyiv that even the smallest signs of spring make us happy. Crocuses on the grounds of Saint Sophia Cathedral today.

Greetings from Kyiv. It’s a sunny, calm day. I stood at the bell tower of Saint Sophia Cathedral, filming a small scene of life. What a beautiful city it is.

Today’s Hidden Ukraine letter went to supporters. Early access as a thank you for helping me show Ukraine beyond the headlines. A grey forest. Snowdrops. And places where nature and history meet.

Today is Annunciation in Ukraine. In Christian tradition, this is the moment when the angel tells Mary she will give birth to Jesus. In Ukrainian culture, it is also seen as the beginning of spring, the day when the earth awakens. Oleksandr Murashko, Annunciation, 1909

Greetings from Kyiv. I’m having a warcoffee after finishing a Hidden Ukraine letter. From now on, I’ll add small scenes of life to these greetings.

Lviv was under attack today. In this city, Olena Kulchytska worked. During her life (1877-1967), she preserved Ukrainian culture from being erased. This culture is under attack again.

I’m having a warcoffee. It was a day of drone attacks. Kyiv was not damaged. But other cities were: Lviv, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk. There are casualties, wounded and damage. 💔

Greetings from Kyiv. I’ve been writing for almost five hours in a row. Then I went outside. Air defence is shooting down drones. Perhaps I need a little rest.

We were warned of a possible massive attack on Ukraine. I can only say: okay. It’s not an indifference sigh. Just four long years speaking.

Some photos from yesterday’s trip. Just a bit of peaceful Ukraine in your feed.

Like a sweater eaten by moths. I keep coming back to the Dnipro embankment. The ice is still there. Negotiations between spring and winter go on in Kyiv.

Greetings from Kyiv. Working on a new letter for Hidden Ukraine. Even warcoffee insists on creativity.

I found spring today. It lives far from Kyiv. I packed it into my eyes and took it with me.

Behind this fence stands 1,100 years of history. Another story for Hidden Ukraine. A hint for the first one is already on Patreon.

This is Ukraine. Hidden behind the headlines of war. Beautiful. Rich in history and culture. I want to show you this Ukraine.

Passing this on the road today 🇺🇦 The Kremenchuk Reservoir under a soft sky. This water appeared in the 1960s, when a dam was built for hydroelectric power and irrigation. It covered entire villages.

Greetings from Ukraine. Travelling today. This warcoffee at a gas station was awful, but it helped me wake up. The words on the cup read: donate plus, drone minus.

You may have heard of Zaporizhzhia as a city under frequent attacks. But even this city is more than the war. Olha Hrechukha creates dolls. She founded her own doll gallery in Zaporizhzhia. Yesterday, I saw one of her dolls.

Three paintings I loved the most from the exhibition I visited yesterday in Kyiv. So many were good. Most were created during the war.

Greetings from Kyiv. I’m having a warcoffee at the railway station (it’s close to my dentist). This morning, I was getting ready to go there when russia attacked Zaporizhzhia. A man and his wife were killed. Their two children were wounded. Life is fragile.

This is Ukrainian art. From the exhibition Portrait of a Woman, visited today.

I don’t know if what I do is right. But seeing beauty, focusing on something good, helps me live through these long years of war. I want you to see that life in Ukraine goes on, despite everything russia does to break it.

Greetings from Kyiv, where I saw a girl singing a French song beautifully near the Golden Gate.

After planning another short trip not far from Kyiv, I felt that something needed to change. I want to show Ukraine differently. Today, I begin Hidden Ukraine www.patreon.com/posts/153416...

“Words are most frightening when they fall silent.” Lina Kostenko, a great Ukrainian poet. 96 today. Still with us. Ukrainian voices must be heard.

Greetings from Kyiv. The Dnipro embankment still holds on to the ice. Like winter’s final cry. No fishermen anymore. Spring winks from the corner.

The Dnipro River and its ducks. I stood and watched them, and once again felt how beautiful this planet is.

Kyiv. We haven’t had central hot water since January 9. Today, it came back. Yes, we have a boiler, but it runs on electricity. Not every home has a boiler. Tonight, our district will have a small feast — hot water.

Kyiv. The Dnipro River has thrown off its winter coat. Only a thin layer of ice still clings to the water. Spring has won.

Greetings from Kyiv. A grey morning filled with spring, drones and the hum of generators. Victory (still a cat) busy with her morning rituals. Life goes on.

“I thought it was lost,” my mom said. It is a vyshyvanka my grandmother embroidered more than 50 years ago for my mom. Now it is mine.

Sometimes I wonder if what I do reaches you. Life, culture, beauty, history of Ukraine. I show you the country behind the bars of war. This work exists because of your support on Patreon. I continue.

🇺🇦 Tetiana Yablonska created it in 1988. She sought freedom in painting after decades of Soviet ideological pressure. “November”, one of her late works and one of my favourites.

Greetings from Kyiv! This is the Independence Monument on Maidan Nezalezhnosti. Maybe you haven’t seen it up close.

I began writing this letter leaning against my pine tree. It is a bit poetic, my supporters say — a quiet piece with a forest breeze www.patreon.com/posts/war-th...

Early spring in Kyiv. Life wins.

A gentleman with a trumpet. I saw him again after a long winter pause. A symbol of Kyiv’s eternal resilience.

Greetings from Kyiv and our morning with drones, explosions and missile threats. Later, after the workout, I’ll go look for beauty. Because the only way to fight darkness is to bring light.

Ukraine from the train. The connection is slow. “I haven’t been home for four years,” she said. A woman with a tender smile and tears in her eyes. “I’ll stay at my son’s place. There are no windows left in my flat.” She is going to Kharkiv.

A five-minute walk and I’m in the pine forest of my childhood. Today I’m heading back to Kyiv. Let’s take a short stroll among the pines together.

Greetings from Ukraine. When the full-scale war started, we spent nearly a month at my mom’s place in Western Ukraine. That’s where I discovered cherry warcoffee. I had it almost every time I visited. Then I forgot about it… Today’s cherry warcoffee 🔻

If you missed our live walk in my hometown today, the recording is now available. Exclusive for supporters. For safety. With gratitude. www.patreon.com/posts/153027...

Each place in Ukraine, big or small, has its wounds. The Flowerbed of Hope in my hometown. For heroes missing, in captivity, or killed. 🇺🇦

Warcoffee time. Thank you to everyone who joined today’s live walk in my hometown. P.S. Yes, the coffee is pretty awful, but I love the way it’s served.

There is so much tenderness in these first spring flowers. Ukraine is beginning to bloom, despite everything.

Greetings from a small town in western Ukraine. This calmness contrasts sharply with the night Kyiv had. Another attack. I barely slept, worrying about my son and Victory (still a cat) at home.

The view of my childhood. And what a sunset today.

To sit on a bench by the river. To catch a glimpse of life in a small town in Ukraine. Tomorrow I’m inviting my Patreon supporters to join me for a short live walk in my hometown. The time has been sent by email. If you’d like to walk with us next time, you know where to find me.