Patriarch Kirill of Moscow, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC), presented a "revolutionary" order on March 27: “The Present and Future of the Russian World.” The order claims: “From a spiritual and moral point of view, a special military operation (Russia’s term for its war against Ukraine) is a Holy War, in which Russia and its people, defending the single spiritual space of Holy Rus’, fulfill the mission of "Keeper," protecting the world from the pressure of globalism and victory o

Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed in the op-ed section are those of the authors. The withdrawal of the Russian forces from the northern part of the Kyiv Oblast was great news to hear. The Ukrainian capital of more than three million people at last felt relatively safe – with the noticeable exceptions of the long-range missiles hitting buildings here and there. But what Ukrainians and international journalists saw in the liberated territories shocked even the most experienced ones. That was

Editor’s Note: Victor Tregubov is a Ukrainian columnist, political blogger and the former editor-in-chief of Petr and Mazepa online news outlet. He is also a co-founder of the Democratic Axe (Demokratychna Sokyra) political party. Some foreign friends have asked what they can do for Ukrainians, to help us survive this struggle. For normal people rather than influential politicians there are still many ways. Here are a few: 1. Share our news. Knowledge is power. Our adversary in the Kremlin m

Jumping in the ice holes during Epiphany peaked its popularity in Ukraine during the 2000s. President Viktor Yushchenko loved to do this — and officials mimicked it, making the event more and more widespread. However, ethnologists, medics, and even priests shared their doubts about this tradition. Now, these doubts sound loud and clear. The doctors' argument is pretty obvious: exposing your body to extreme temperatures once a year is a shock for your health. The opinion of priests — this action