Photo

• Anti-Government Protest Turn into Clashes Between Police and Demonstrators

  

• Ukrainians Fight for European Future

  Late in the evening, on November 21, a few thousand Kyivans gathered on Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Independence Square in English, in the protest against a decision by their government to freeze negotiations with the European Union over the signing of an Association Agreement on November 29. The first messages urging people to join the protest appeared in social networks at nearly 16:00 after the decision to start gathering was first announced in the media. Many Facebook and Tweeter users expressed disappointment in the opposition for calling people out to the Maidan only for November 24 rather than the day of the scandalous decision, so they agreed online to gather that night at 22:00.
  
  At first, the protest was mainly attended by students coming to the Maidan to express their support for Eurointegration in Ukraine. But a violent and unprecedented crackdown on peaceful protesters during the night of the 10th day of protests left scores of injured and hospitalized young men and turned the relatively small demonstration into a nationwide outcry. Soon there were hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians of all ages on the Maidan, from all over the country.
  
  

• Ukraine Independence Day 2013

  On August 24, 2013, Ukraine marked the 22nd anniversary of independence. On this day, Ukrainians celebrate the Declaration of Sovereignty of Ukraine, passed by the Verkhovna Rada, the country’s legislature, in 1991, which declared what was then the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, an independent state. Traditionally, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians, many dressed in vyshyvanky, the traditional Ukrainian embroidered shirts, gather in downtown Kyiv with their friends and families. The city organizes sporting events, exhibitions, concerts, and singing and dancing contests during the day, while at night there is a gala concert and an impressive fireworks display to officially end Ukraine's biggest annual party.

• Sevastopol

  

  Located on the Black Sea, Sevastopol was once a closed city because it was the naval base of the soviet Black Sea Fleet. Today, although it is on the territory of Crimea, it is subordinated directly to the central government and now harbors the Ukrainian Navy and the Russian Black Sea Fleet. But its location and mild Mediterranean climate make Sevastopol a wonderful seaside resort and it is gradually becoming a major tourist destination.

   

  The city became strategically important as a marine port after Empress Catherine II of Russia issued a decree in 1783 bringing the Crimean Peninsula under Russian control. That year, a sea captain by the name of Berseniev recommended that the town’s harbor be turned into a strategic naval base for the future Black Sea Fleet. Known as Sevastopol since 1784, the city’s historic roots actually go back to Classical Greece, when the settlement was a Greek settlement by the name of Sevastopolis, meaning the Venerable City. The territory of modern-day Sevastopol was occupied by the Greek colony of Chersonesos from the 4^th century BC and the traces of this settlement are still well-preserved and accessible to visitors.

   

  Through the centuries, the city remained a vital protection point, withstanding a number of wars, battles and attacks that are reflected in city monuments and its history museums today. The most famous museum, the Panorama, depicts the siege of Sevastopol during the Crimean War of 1853-1856. Visitors can also go to the Valley of Death or drop by the cozy harbor town of Balaklava that has managed to partly preserve its Greek architecture and atmosphere. A walk in the park on Sapun Hora or Hill allows you to explore more about Sevastopol’s role in World War II. As one of the 13 Hero Cities of the Great Patriotic War (WWII), Sevastopol has many soviet monuments. But the visitor who is interested in architecture will be delighted by some of the elegant 19^th century mansions and state buildings in the city.

   

  Most of the residents of Sevastopol are of Russian ethnicity and few of them speak English because the city was closed to the foreigners in soviet times. Still, Sevastopol is a melting pot of many cultures other than Russian and Ukrainian, being home to Jews, Moldovans, Tatars, Crimean Tatars, Armenians, and Azeris.

• Donetsk

  

  Known as the city of a million roses, Donetsk is the most developed city in Eastern Ukraine, giving an impulse to both the mining industry and the football business. The city and its resource-rich region, known as Donbas, form a major industrial hub in Ukraine and include one of the largest free economic zones or FEZs in the country called Donetsk.

   

  The history of Donetsk starts back in kozak times as a small settlement in the 18^th century. The official founding of modern-day Donetsk, however, is 1869, when a Welsh engineer by the name of John Hughes, built the first steel mill in the area, giving his name to the original town, Yuzivka. Over the decades, little Yuzivka grew into a major metropolis and its name was changed to Donetsk in 1924. Despite its heavily industrial base, Donetsk has strong green policies. In 1970, UNESCO named it the greenest among the world’s most highly industrial cities. Today, it is one of the least polluted urban environments in Ukraine.

   

  Though geographically located in the steppe zone, Donetsk is rich in resources and minerals. In fact, nearly all the elements in the periodic table can be found here! Today, there are more than 40 operating coal pits within the city limits. To encourage the further development of the industry, Ukraine recently signed contract with Shell, the global energy and petrochemical giant, to explore the natural resources of the region.

   

  Nor has Donetsk left the cultural aspects of a great city behind. Today, 19 post-secondary institutions educate tens of thousands of young Ukrainians, with more than 100 museums, dozens of libraries, theaters and music performance venues at their fingertips. The opera house holds its own against the National Opera House in Kyiv and world-renowned dancer Vadym Pisarev hosts a major ballet festival every year. Donetsk’s new international airport has been named after another famous native son, composer Sergei Prokofiev.

   

  Most of all, the city is keen on sports, hosting one of the most famous national football clubs, FC Shakhtar, meaning “Miner.” Shakhtar’s newly-built home stadium, Donbas Arena, is in the city center and hosted some of the finals in EURO 2012. Other sights worth seeing in Donetsk include Sheffield Park, Shcherbakov Amusement Park, and the Park of Forged Figures. Or take a walk down bulvar Pushkina to Donetsk National University. Other attractions Donetsk offers include a Botanical Garden, a Planetarium, a Horseback Riding Center and its famous Museum of Arts and Train Museum.

• Dnipropetrovsk

  

  Named after the Dnipro River, the city of Dnipropetrovsk is located in south-central Ukraine and straddles the two banks of the river. Like many cities in the region, many of its residents still speak Russian rather then Ukrainian. Although all signage and documents are in the state language, print and internet media are split almost equally between Ukrainian-language and Russian-language. With an official population of nearly one million—999,557 in the 2012 census—Dnipropetrovsk is the 4^th largest city in Ukraine and one of the five “millionaire” cities.

   

  In soviet times, Dnipropetrovsk was the heart of the military-industrial complex, building rockets and airplanes and other heavy equipment. In those days, it was also a closed city and no foreigners were allowed to visit it without a formal permit, until Ukraine gained independence 1991. Today, it remains one of Ukraine’s vital industrial centers. The result is that the city is heavily polluted, although it is also generally well maintained and offers interesting insights into the real working life in Ukraine.

   

  Dnipropetrovsk is also one of the key financial, cultural and scientific centers of Ukraine. It headquarters a number of national banks, including PrivatBank, one of the country’s largest, and has two stock exchanges. The city also has eight universities and six institutes, many of which specialize in geotechnical mechanics, steel production, transport systems and technologies, natural resources and environmental studies.

   

  Since independence, Dnipropetrovsk has gradually transformed its grey soviet past into a welcoming modern city with a cozy new European square, monuments to Ukrainian heroes, urban views over the Dnipro, a beautiful avenue down its embankment and a number of museums. This vibrant atmosphere has given rise to numerous artists in the theater, literature, film industry, sculpture, sports, and science.  Dnipropetrovsk gave the country its second president, Leonid Kuchma, the fourth president’s nemesis Yulia Tymoshenko, and any number of colorful personalities in the current Verkhovna Rada!

• Ukraine hosts iForum 2013

  

  The biggest international conference for developers of internet technology in Ukraine took place on April 29 in Kyiv, gathering more than 7,000 people. The iForum 2013 was an excellent opportunity for Ukrainian IT innovators to network and establish connections with their foreign colleagues and to demonstrate their own achievements. 

  Conference participants were offered interactive desks that provided information about various IT companies, along with special sectionals representing different futuristic-looking products. People had an opportunity not only to watch know-how in action, but were actually allowed to test it by themselves.

• Ethnic Festival Kraina Mriy Welcomes Summer Solstice

  For the ninth time in a row, the international ethnic festival Kraina Mriy took place on the picturesque embankment hills of the Dnipro river in Kyiv. The festival promoted Ukrainian history and culture through ethnic music and art performances. “Being natural in everything” was the credo of the festival, which offered its numerous guests and participants the option of getting away from the usual challenges of reality and fast paced modern world filled with advanced technologies.

• Kyiv Festooned With Tulips

  The nation’s capital presented its second City Tulip Exhibition at the hills of Spivoche Pole, a favorite attraction during the spring months of April and May. The flowering exhibition started April 21, transforming the Pechersk Landscape Park into a sea of multicolored slopes for all to enjoy. The tulip exhibition ran for three weeks, inviting the visitors and intrigued tulip-lovers to enjoy multiple activities and of course the tulips.

• Ancient Swordsmen Clash Their Weapons in Kyiv

  The International Tournament of Historic Fencing A Knight of Kyiv Dytynets started on March 24 at the Kyivan Rus Park. The competition will last until November 24, 2012. During these eight months, the most skillful swordsmen from Ukrainian as well as foreign knight clubs will demonstrate their art of fighting with medieval weaponry. They will also reconstruct the ancient craft of war.

• Kyiv’s Gallery Wunjo-Art Reveals The Secrets of Wool Artistry

  The local art gallery Wunjo-Art opened its door for a quite warming exhibition entitled Golden Fleece. With original pieces the exhibition showcased unique art pieces made with nothing but pure wool.

• Ukraine Burns Winter During Masliana

  With the winter season finally at its end, the unforgettable celebration of Masliana commences outside of the capital, as a farewell ceremony to winter, and the celebration of the awakening of spring. For the majority of Ukrainian population, this winter season started rather late. Snow hadn’t arrived until clear after Christmas, therefore ice fishing was not possible, and the hope of sledding was merely plausible. However, all of the impatience, hoping, and wishing, finally got the snow gods in gear, and Ukraine was hit with the coldest and unbelievably iciest snowfall in its last 20 years. Now more than satisfied, Ukrainians looks forward to spring more than ever.

• Winter Wonderland in Kyiv

  This year’s winter in Ukraine was the classic of the season – snowed in streets invite residents for outdoor activities and carry the sparkling magic of the coldest time of the year. The best way to spend your snowy winter day off in Kyiv would be skiing, skating, sleighing, making a snowman, or having a snowball fight in a park. If that is not extreme enough, one can engage in an unconventional picnic in the freezing temperatures, rolling downhill on a tire, and ice fishing.

• Ukrainian Christmas

  With kolyada (Christmas carols), vertep (traditional Ukrainian Christmas theater), kuttya (the main dish of the Holly Dinner that is prepared only for Christmas), pampushky (traditional Christmas donuts), varenyky (traditional dumplings) and an endless number of other foods, sweets, and goodies that stretch across Ukrainian dining tables during the biggest holiday of the year, a Ukrainian Christmas commences.

• Euro-2012

  Step by step Ukraine gets closer to an unprecedented event in its sports and cultural life. European Football Championship EURO 2012 will be here in less than seven months. As a co-host of the Championship, Ukraine has selected four cities with more than adequate arenas to invite these renowned football teams and their fans.

• Christmas Bazaar

  The 19th Holiday Bazaar organized by the International Women’s Club of Kyiv took place in the Ukrainian capital on December 3, 2011. Over 15,000 people and 38 foreign embassies participated in the event. The main purpose of the Bazaar was to raise charitable funds for the needy women, children, disabled and elderly people of Ukraine.

• Festival Chervona Ruta

  For the twelfth year in a row, the Ukrainian festival Chervona Ruta has opened the stage for the new talents performing Ukrainian music of different genres. The number of this year’s participants has set the record, bringing together 850 young musicians and performers. New to this year’s festival is the collaboration of performers from all regions of Ukraine.

• Lviv Arena

  The stadium seats filled quickly with spectators who came to watch thousands of performers in coordination with a myriad of lights, and music show featuring famous Ukrainian pop-star Ruslana and American singer-songwriter Anastacia. With the roar of the crowd and the explosions of confetti, the new soccer stadium of western Ukraine, built to host Euro 2012, was opened.

• Chrysanthemums in Kyiv

  The ten districts of Kyiv created flower compositions utilizing three thousand chrysanthemums. The flower exhibition was opened for several weeks welcoming city’s residents and guests of the Ukrainian capital. Along with professional works presented by the landscape designers, there were compositions created by the students from Kyiv’s schools.

• Major EURO-2012 Arena - Olympiysky

  The premium class sports complex Olympiysky in the heart of the Ukrainian capital reopens after a major reconstruction. One of the world’s largest sports venues will host the final match of the top level football event – the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship. The opening featured many high profile guests including the President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov, Ukrainian football star Andriy Shevchenko, boxing world champion Vitaly Klitchko, as well as pop diva Shakira, who gave a concert at the stadium.

• Roshen Dancing Fountain

  A unique musical illuminated floating fountain opened in the Western Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia on September 4, 2011. The fountain is the world’s only floating fountain mounted in the natural body of water and by its technical parameters can only be compared to one such water facility in the world – the Dubai Fountain.
  

• Lviv

  

  Among Ukrainians, Lviv is known as the cultural capital of Ukraine. And for good reason: with its elegant architecture and lively atmosphere, Lviv charms all comers.

  The city was officially founded at the beginning of the 13^th century by Danylo Halytskiy, the king of the Halych-Volyn principality, and named for his son, Lev, meaning “lion.” First the capital of Halych-Volyn, Lviv became an important trade center in the Middle Ages, leading to its being frequently conquered and passed off from neighboring state to neighboring state: it was a part of Poland and called Lwow, part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and called Lemberg, the capital of the Western-Ukrainian National Republic (ZUNR), and finally occupied by the USSR as Lvov. Once Ukraine became independent, Lviv was able to revert to its original name as the City of Lions.

  Despite the bad times, wars, attacks and occupations Lviv has suffered through, it has managed to preserve its 18^th and 19^th century architecture and cobbled streets, neatly complimented today by its famous networks of thematic cafes. In fact, the entire historical center of the city has been placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list as hosting the largest number of historic monuments in Ukraine.

  The city’s dense population of over 700,000 includes not only Ukrainians, but also Germans, Poles, Jews and Russians. Due to its demographics and geographic location, many locals speak Polish quite well. But Lviv is also a major intellectual center, with the tradition of universities going back to the 17^th century with the establishment of the oldest continuously operating institution of higher education in Ukraine, Ivan Franko National University, also known as Lviv University.

  Lviv has produced many major public figures, such as the first president of an independent Ukrainian state in 1917, historian Mykhailo Hrushevskiy; opera singer Solomiya Krushelnytska; contemporary actor Bohdan Stupka; theater director Roman Viktiuk; singer Sviatoslav Vakarchuk of Okean Elzy. It also has its share of oddball historical figures, such as Leopold von Sacher-Masoch, who even has a themed restaurant to his name.

   

• Kharkiv

  

  is the second largest city in Ukraine, former formal capital and cultural capital of the Soviet Ukraine, founded in the end of the 17th century. Kharkiv is a very dynamic city with important branches of industry, such as aviation and military equipment, many leading research institutions. Though the city is quite young, it has some architectural monuments that could be of interest. These include Pokrova cathedral, the oldest of the surviving building, which was built in 1689, and represents a typical Ukrainian church style. Second biggest square in Europe is located in Kharkiv, which has the length of 670 meters and width of 96 meters. The famous Ukrainian Law Academy of Yaroslav Mudryy is located in Kharkiv. Another important architectural building is the Uspenskyy Cathedral, which was built in the Russian Baroque style. To honor the victory of Russian forces over the French army, a new bell tower with a golden dome was erected. It still remains the tallest building in Khrakiv and has a height of 89.5 meters. Each hour from the tower bell people can hear the sound of the chimes. The hall of the cathedral has the organ installed, which hosts the concerts of the organ and chamber music. Kharkiv is a young but beautiful city and could be of interest to any traveler.

• Yalta

  

   

  is a resort city located in the south of Crimean peninsula, a tourist attraction that has its origins from 12th century, located in the area of other Ancient Greek remnants. It has been attracting tourists from many countries during the summer holidays. The Greater Yalta combines several smaller resort towns that offer great summer vocational opportunities, beaches and mountain recreation. There is the longest mountain trolley-bus line in Europe, which connects Yalta with Simferopol (85 kilometers), above which located are the lands of the wineries, among which the most known is “Massandra.” The most known street of Yalta is the Lenin’s shore drive, which nowadays is the most important street of the city with many cafes, restaurants, and shops. Within the area of the Greater Yalta there are several castles, among which “Swallow‘s nest” draws a lot of attention, as it is a very beautiful made of white stone castle located at the seashore. Though Yalta is not that big, it offers great opportunities for business in recreational sphere and great vocational deals at the seaside and in the mountainous area.

• Odesa

  

  is a city that is considered a capital of the south of Ukraine. It is a big seaport and Seagate to Ukraine. It was founded in the end of the 18th century and bears the architectural influence of the east in its buildings as well as Mediterranean style influenced by French and Italian styles. It is famous for its Potemkin Stairs, which lead from the seaport up to the ensemble of buildings of Classicism style with the statue of Duc de Richelieu. This ensemble changes into the Primorskiy Boulevard – a favorite place with tourists and city inhabitants as it is full of architectural ensembles and is considered one of the most beautiful in Odessa. Another favorite place is Deribasivska street, which was named after the first city mayor. The Greek square adjoins the street and is closed for traffic, which makes them a favorite place for pedestrians and hosts many restaurants, clubs, cafes and other attractions. There is also the City Gardens, which is a usual place for meeting of the artists. Odessa seaport also features the ultra-modern style hotel, which is located right on the pier and for some seems a perfect fit whereas for others a building out of place. In addition to all this, Odessa has many popular entertainment districts, among which the most famous is Arcadia. This district is full of hotels, sanatoria, disco clubs and cafes, which are open 24/7 during the summer time, and of course there are beaches, which attract tourists in the summer. Odessa is a city to conduct business and have a pleasant sea city vacation.

• Kyiv

  The capital of Ukraine is the country’s largest and possibly oldest city. Its history goes back at least to the 5^th century AD, but its legendary founders, the princely brothers Kiy, Shchek and Khoryv and their sister Lybid emerged from the mists of the distant past. By the 9^th century, Kyivan Rus was a major eastern Slavic state, nurturing the religious and cultural traditions of modern Eastern European states. In 988, Prince Volodymyr Velykiy, the Great, christened the city state. His son, Yaroslav Mudriy, married his daughters into so many of royal houses that he earned himself the nickname, “the father-in-law of Europe.” The most famous of these daughters, Anna Yaroslavna, married Henry I of France. Kyiv flourished until the 13^th century, when the Mongol hordes finally overran it.

   

  Over the centuries, this city witnessed many a battle, attack and revolution, and these influenced the outlook of its residents, who built up a new, modern Kyiv with ancient traditions that have been preserved in the heart of the city to this day. Many of these major historical events have been memorialized in monuments and architecture. Among others, the World War II Memorial Complex is considered one of the best museums of its kind in the world.

  Kyiv is home to one of the oldest educational institutions in Eastern Europe, Kyiv Mohyla Academy, which opened its doors in 1615 and became a college in 1632. However, it was shut down by the Russian Tsar in 1817, only to reopen when Ukraine became independent. Today, it is one of the smaller universities in Ukraine, with 3,000 students, but also one of the best-reputed.

  Kyiv is also a very diverse city, offering the visitor a wide range of thematic tours: Literary Kyiv, the Churches of Kyiv, Artistic Kyiv, Botanical Kyiv, Kyiv on the Dnipro, and more. A casual stroll in the downtown streets and alleys of Kyiv provides a feast of architectural masterpieces: churches, cathedrals, theaters, parks, monuments, government buildings, and universities. A walk from Pechersk to Podil brings to life the atmosphere of the bustling commercial heart of Kyiv in the 18^th and 19^th centuries.

  Leisure and entertainment are available in Kyiv to suit every taste and budget. Sports fans can enjoy games in the country’s biggest stadium, the Olympiyskiy, which was upgraded for EURO 2012. Contemporary art buffs will enjoy the Arsenal Art Gallery and the PinchukArtCenter, while traditionalists will find the Museum of Art a delight. Kyiv boasts numerous museums of various kinds and themes, theaters, opera and ballet theaters, and operetta. Those more inclined towards the nightlife will enjoy exploring the myriad restaurants, bars, pubs, and dance clubs offered in Kyiv.

   

• Lutsk

  

  is a city with great significance to the history of Volyn' principality, which after union with the principality of Galychyna became the successor to a state and glory of Kyivska Rus. Lutsk is a small city with interesting history, founded in 11th century. It was an ancient Lithuanian King Lubart's castle, in which royal family resided at the same time. Also of interest can be St. Peter's and Paul's Cathedral and Dimitry's church, which is one of the oldest monuments of the Christianity. There is also neo-gothic Lutheran church and synagoge. Lutsk is a city of historical and religious trends that interwined in a small place, as here you can see religious buildings of orthodoxy, Catholicism, Lutheranism and Judaism next to each other.