I’ve re-shared my conversation with Olivia Resenterra on Substack. Read it via the link below. And if you’re not yet subscribed, this is a good moment to do so: all my writing is free, and subscribing means new posts land straight in your inbox. olesyakhromeychuk.substack.com/p/where-hist...

It’s a short conversation, but Olivia Resenterra and I somehow manage to cover grief, dark humour, genre-bending, writing companions, and the need to honour lives lived and lost. Kyiv Desk is full of real gems! Check it out. Full text in English and French:
kyivdesk.com/2025/12/17/w...

What a warm and uplifting evening it was! The UIL Winter Fundraising Night brought a much-needed burst of light and energy in these dark times. A huge thanks to everyone who joined us and helped make the night a success. Together, we raised £3,000, and we are grateful to each and every one of you!

For my friends in Paris, I’ll be taking part in the roundtable discussion ‘La Culture Contre-Attaque’ as part of the Ukrainian festival in France on 11th Dec. It’s an honour to have my name appear in such distinguished company, and rather flattering to see it displayed on the streets of Paris! 1/3

The big night is almost here! There’s still time to join us for this fun evening with a meaningful purpose. Book your tickets here: www.tickettailor.com/events/ukrai...

Friends in Vienna, I’ll be speaking on this panel on 3 December. Do come along if you can! Details here: www.iipvienna.com/event-calend...

Today is my first day as the Lesia Ukrainka Senior Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences / Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (IWM), and I’ll be based in Vienna until the end of February. 1/3

In the lead up to Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainians shared lists of what should go into a tryvozhna valizka (an emergency bag). What would you put in yours? ✍🏼 @okhromeychuk.bsky.social

What would you put in your emergency bag in case you had to flee, known in Ukrainian as a tryvozhna valizka? @okhromeychuk.bsky.social writes movingly of preparing for war.

‘Rarely does a public talk I participate in go by without someone asking how to save Russia. Russia, not Ukraine. The assumption seems to be that the country of Pushkin, Tolstoy and Dostoevsky must somehow be rescued from the evil that has befallen it.’ 1/2

'Are you ready for war?' In my latest piece for @prospectmagazine.co.uk, I use Ukraine’s emergency bag—tryvozhna valizka—to explore what we as individuals and societies need to safeguard when we’re under threat. The text is free to access. www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/europe...

We were delighted to publish this beautiful writing from @okhromeychuk.bsky.social. Please read it! www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/europe...

What would you put in your emergency bag in case you had to flee, known in Ukrainian as a tryvozhna valizka? @okhromeychuk.bsky.social writes movingly of preparing for war.

Join us for our Winter Fundraiser on 5 December at The Garden Cinema in Covent Garden! It’ll be a fun night, and you’ll be helping to support the work of the @ukrinstitute.bsky.social. Today’s the final day for early bird tickets! Book here: www.tickettailor.com/events/ukrai...

I’m looking forward to delivering a keynote address at this year’s Berlin Conference! Friends in Berlin, join us on 6 November at Französische Friedrichstadtkirche. Check out the full programme here: www.stiftungzukunftberlin.eu/wp-content/u...

This piece has been simmering inside me for a while. I’d like it to be the final text I write about my cancer journey, but, of course, the end is never truly the end. Thanks for reading. If you know someone undergoing treatment, please consider sharing it with them. open.substack.com/pub/olesyakh...

We’re starting our online Istoria course on 28 October! I’m thrilled to see so many people already enrolled and can’t wait to meet you all soon. If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time. Just follow this link: www.tickettailor.com/events/ukrai.... Let’s explore Ukrainian history together!

I had the pleasure of giving a keynote address at the Aleksanteri Conference. Many thanks to Brendan Humphreys for his thoughtful and sensitive hosting, to the @aleksanteri-uh.bsky.social for the invitation, and to everyone who came along and joined the discussion. 📷 Miranda Jakiša.

Powerful talk yesterday by @okhromeychuk.bsky.social on Russia's war against Ukraine - against autonomy, identity and resilience of Ukraine - thank you for visiting Finland & @aleksanteri-uh.bsky.social

Friends in Helsinki, I’ll be giving a keynote this Thursday at the Aleksanteri Conference ‘Extremisms: Ambiguities, Ideologies, Agency’. Would love to see you there! Many thanks to the @aleksanteri-uh.bsky.social for inviting me! More details here: tapahtumat.helsinki.fi/en-FI/page/6...

Today’s your last chance to take advantage of our early bird discount for the Istoria course! From 28 Oct, we’ll be delving into Ukrainian history with an incredible group of scholars. It’s been such a joy to put this course together, and I know it’ll be just as rewarding to attend. 🔗👇

In her keynote plenary at #Aleksanteri2025 23 Oct 13:30-14:45 historian and writer @okhromeychuk.bsky.social explores how we decide what to carry into an uncertain future, and how we can carry it together. Find the abstract and the link to the livestream here: tapahtumat.helsinki.fi/en-FI/page/6...

🎙️ The new episode of our Ukraine Shelf podcast is out! Recorded at the @edbookfest.bsky.social in August, this conversation features Philippe Sands and Oksana Maksymchuk. I’m deeply grateful to our guests for not shying away from difficult questions and for speaking with such integrity. 🔗👇

I’m thrilled that @ukrinstitute.bsky.social's Istoria course is back! It’s been such a joy curating it and bringing together friends and colleagues who are leading experts in Ukrainian history. We start on 28 Oct, and there’s an early bird discount until 19 Oct. See you online! Link👇

This issue of the London Ukrainian Review holds a special place in my heart, and I can’t think of a better way to spend the weekend than reading it from cover to cover. The theme, culture as security, is one I’ve spoken about for years, trying to convey a simple truth: 🧵1/10

If you weren’t able to join our conversation with Elif Shafak, Hisham Matar, and Tanja Maljartschuk in person, you can now watch the full recording at your convenience on our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAZB...

Nouvelle lecture, "La mort d’un frère" par @okhromeychuk.bsky.social paru au @editionsduseuil.bsky.social. Un livre touchant et d’une grande finesse à mettre entre toutes les mains. #Ukraine

What an honour to share the stage last night with Elif Shafak, Hisham Matar and Tanja Maljartschuk. The conversation will stay with me for the depth of thought, and for the rare, courageous vulnerability each of them brought to the room.

Delighted to be featured in this month’s Meet the Haymaker series. Read the interview here: www.hayfestival.com/internationa... And join us tomorrow for ‘Fighting forgottenness – stories of hope and resilience’ with Tanja Maljartschuk, Hisham Matar & Elif Shafak: www.hayfestival.com/p-24382-figh...

On 30 September, join us for a powerful discussion on the experiences of Ukrainian political prisoners past and present, featuring Maksym Butkevych, Stanislav Aseyev, and Oksana Kis, moderated by Samantha Knights. Registration: www.tickettailor.com/events/ukrai...

🎬 Got your tickets yet? The Ukrainian Film Festival is coming to the heart of London, 18–21 September! Don’t miss this powerful lineup of films. Watch the trailer and get your tickets 🎟️ in the thread🧵below.

A podcast not to be missed by anyone who wants to understand #Ukraine. I've just devoured all 5 episodes. Thank you @okhromeychuk.bsky.social & @uilleamblacker.bsky.social for this crucial contribution. I particularly liked the fascinating episode on Crimea! www.olesyakhromeychuk.com/projects/the...

I spoke on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme about Ukraine’s Independence Day: what happened 34 years ago, and how that history explains the determination to defend the country’s statehood and independence today. Listen in full (from 22:50) here: www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m....

Friends in London! Tickets for our annual film festival are now on sale. They usually sell out quickly, so don’t wait! We have a brilliant line-up of films and post-screening conversations, including in-person Q&As with Mstyslav Chernov and Andrey Kurkov. Full programme and tickets below.👇

Looking for something uplifting today? The latest Ukraine Shelf episode explores food: how it nourishes, connects, and helps overcome trauma. @uilleamblacker.bsky.social and I chat with chef and activist @oliahercules.bsky.social, and journalist and volunteer Felicity Spector. 🎧 Link below.

Predictably, the Alaska summit didn’t produce anything even worthy of a footnote in the history books — no peace deal, not even a token ceasefire. The only thing that will be remembered is that a red carpet was rolled out for a war criminal on American soil. 1/2

When @okhromeychuk.bsky.social heard Trump speak of swapping territories, she couldn’t help but wonder: could the Hutsul’s prayer be answered at last? www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/europe... in @prospectmagazine.co.uk

Perhaps Trump should give Alaska to Russia in exchange for peace in Ukraine. It sounds absurd. But it’s no more absurd than swapping Ukrainian land for Ukrainian land, writes @okhromeychuk.bsky.social.

'The Alaska summit won’t go down in history as a “Munich 2.0”. That ship sailed out into the Black Sea in 2014. [...] If this summit does make it into the history books, it will be remembered as an act of great betrayal. Europe, however, need not be complicit.' New piece for @prospectmagazine.co.uk👇

New Ukraine Shelf episode out now! @okhromeychuk.bsky.social and I spoke to @oliahercules.bsky.social and @felicityspector.bsky.social about Ukrainian food culture, how food sustains in wartime, the implications of the war for global food supplies and more. youtu.be/lwODG8kdTrM?...

The Edinburgh International Book Festival is always rich with meetings of minds and sparks of inspiration! I’m deeply grateful to my fellow panellists, Philippe Sands, Oksana Maksymchuk, Jen Stout, Roxani Krystalli, and Uilleam Blacker, for speaking with honesty, vulnerability, and generosity. 1/2

The theme of this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival—Repair—speaks deeply to both panels I’m part of: a live recording of The Ukraine Shelf with Philippe Sands, Oksana Maksymchuk and my co-host Uilleam Blacker, and a tribute to Victoria Amelina with Jen Stout and Roxani Krystalli. Links👇.

Where there are citizens, there will be a state. When I was invited to reflect on how hope sustains democracy, I turned to the history of Ukrainian protest. Here's a reminder: Ukrainians defend their democracy in times of peace, and in times of war. 1/2

If you read nothing else today, read this.

'What better way to disguise a lack of courage than to frame it as the pursuit of peace?' I wrote about the cost of abstract pacifism, and why choosing comfort over courage comes at the expense of real lives. Read via @bylinetimes.bsky.social (no paywall): subscribe.bylinetimes.com/edition/75/o...

I’m really looking forward to speaking at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival. Together with Uilleam Blacker, I’ll be recording a new episode of the Ukraine Shelf podcast, with guests Philippe Sands and Oksana Maksymchuk. 1/2 www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...

Writer Olesya Khromeychuk‬ @okhromeychuk.bsky.social spoke last week at @debalie.bsky.social. It was a great pleasure to host her. You can listen back to what she said.

I had the pleasure of speaking at European Literature Night recently, in a discussion about the role of culture in resisting indifference. Here’s a clip of me reflecting on why culture is always political, but I’d highly recommend watching the full recording on YouTube: youtu.be/oK9QlhCKq24?.... 1/2

The latest issue of The Byline Times features a piece that’s especially close to my heart. It explores war & love, but also the perils of peace & the healing power of hatred. It’s rooted in Lesia Ukrainka’s reflections on courageous love for one person versus the cowardly abstract love for all. 1/2