Ukraine's digital treasury

What does a Cossack do when the lights go out? He keeps his cool, lights a candle, and makes it look easy. Cossacks vs. Blackouts is a collection of seven scenes of dark folk humor about Ukrainian resilience. Humor has always been one of the ways Ukrainians cope with hard times, and these scenes follow that tradition: each is painted in rich candlelight and night colors, with gentle irony instead of gloom. The seven scenes Blackout Devil : a Cossack chases a sooty little devil who hugs a wall switch and a fuse box, wearing a tag "SCHEDULE: 2 HOURS ON / 4 OFF" Death Waits for 1% : the Grim Reaper waits politely in the doorway while the Cossack asks for one minute, because his phone is at 1% on a power bank The Two-Walls Rule : a calm Cossack with a pipe, a cat on his lap and a dog at his feet sits between two walls, with a lantern, a thermos and an air raid alert on the phone Return to Sender : under the Milky Way, the Cossack holds up a "NO ENTRY - RETURN T...

What if Kyiv's story reaches a thousand years into the future? Picture a rain-soaked night in Kyiv, year 3025. A golden glass pyramid crowned with the Tryzub glows over the city, bronze eagles guard the monuments, flying cars streak across the sky, and the Cossacks are still here, riding glowing motorbikes with their loyal dog and cat beside them. KYIV 3025: Cossacks of Tomorrow is a collection of six cinematic artworks where the ancient Cossack spirit meets a bright, hopeful, high-tech future. Every scene is full of neon, reflections, rain and Ukrainian symbols, with slogans of strength, unity and freedom on banners and billboards. The six artworks Sidecar Ride (A) : a laughing Cossack roars through the neon rain, his dog in aviator goggles and cat in a Cossack hat beside him (vertical) Sidecar Ride (B) : the same ride in a different mood, with a cat holding a "Together to victory!" flag (vertical) Crystal Plaza : a smiling Cossack lifts a glowing crystal ...

She arrived at midnight, like all who come uninvited. The Cossack did not even rise: he poured her a cup, nodded to the bench and lit his pipe. In Ukrainian folk tales, Death is rarely a simple villain. She can be tricked, bargained with, or, as in this series, invited to sit down. An old Ukrainian proverb captures the mood: "Двом смертям не бувати, а однієї не минати" , roughly, "There are no two deaths, and one cannot be avoided." A Drink with Death is a dark folk fantasy art pack built around that idea: four moonlit scenes from one Ukrainian night, where a laughing Cossack treats the Grim Reaper as a guest. The four scenes A laughing Cossack pouring a drink as Death looks on A toast across the table A quiet hour by the fire A long silence over a pipe Each scene is lit by candlelight and filled with traditional Ukrainian details: embroidered rushnyky (ritual cloths), icons, sabres, and a loyal old dog sleeping by the stove. Cossack sayings...

Not one heir. Six chains. Who ruled after Kyiv fell? Who kept the church? Whose law was it? Was there one language of Rus'? Who actually lived there? And who inherited it all? The full series Kyivan Rus in Six Chains is now complete. Each part follows one chain of the medieval world of Rus, a plain-language, source-checked guide that separates what is confirmed, what is disputed, and what is simply not verified. The series: Part 0: 5 Myths About Kyivan Rus (free) Part 1: Who Was Really Called "Rus"? Part 2: Who Ruled After Kyiv Fell? Part 3: Who Kept the Church of Kyiv? Part 4: Whose Law Was It? Part 5: Was There One Language of Rus'? Part 6: Who Actually Lived in Rus'? Part 7: Who Inherited Kyivan Rus'? Each part is 7 pages, PDF, with a status-labelled timeline, a list of where historians disagree, and a full source list, so you can check every claim yourself. Choose the English edition, the Ukrainian edition, or bot...

Six thousand years ago, a civilization on the black soil of Ukraine built some of the largest settlements of its age, painted spirals on its pottery, and then left almost no written trace. What do we actually know about it, and what is still unexplained? Little-Known Facts About the Trypillia Civilization collects the details that rarely reach popular accounts, and follows the story forward: what came after Trypillia, and how the steppe passed into the age of the Scythians. What's inside Part I — Thirteen Little-Known Facts , including: Towns built in rings Walls made of houses Weapons and the question of war The temple of Nebelivka Houses that were burned on purpose The Carbuna hoard The white gold of prehistory No cemeteries, but sacred caves Part II — From Trypillia to the Scythians , from a changing climate and meeting the steppe, through the age of kurgans, to the question of what remained of Trypillia. Original illustrations throughout, a clickable tab...