Whether you are a foreigner visiting or living in Ukraine, or if you are an English-speaking Ukrainian looking to share information about Ukraine with foreign colleagues, family, and friends, we present to you our list of the best English-language resources currently available about Ukraine, in the wake of the 8 November closing of the 26-year-old Kyiv Post by its Odesa-based owner.
- Lviv Now: «English-language stories from Ukraine’s tech-friendly cultural capital»
Naturally, we must mention ourselves: Edited by American journalist Joe Lindsley, this website provides practical news for foreigners living in or visiting Lviv as well as in-depth cultural stories and interviews showcasing the talent, energy, and opportunities of Ukraine to the world. Lindsley was played by actor Emory Cohen in the 2019 Showtime television show The Loudest Voice, starring Russell Crowe.
Lviv Now is produced by Tvoe Misto («Your City») media-hub, Lviv, Ukraine’s main source of independent journalism, governed and supported by a group of citizens called Friends of Tvoe Misto. In addition to providing daily reporting about the city, Tvoe Misto hosts regular single-issue public forums to help citizens and officials solve problems democratically and methodically.
- Ukraine Business News: «Reliable, fact-based, news-you-can-use for investors and investment managers»
Founded by American journalist James Brooke, who previously worked as a long-time foreign correspondent for the New York Times, UBN sends every weekday at 6am Kyiv-time a brief, easy-to-scan daily roundup of the key business and geo-political news for the day. It is popular among foreign investors and diplomats. UBN also offers a sleek website with business news available in English, Ukrainian, French, German, Spanish, Polish, Turkish, and Russian. UBN is now run by co-founder Andrew Pryma, formerly of Goldman Sachs.
- Visit Ukraine Now: the government’s travel resource page with Covid travel requirements
Part of the government’s Ukraine Now promotional website, this page offers practical information on travel to Ukraine, including the latest coronavirus requirements.
- Facebook Groups: Where ex-pats find information, connect, and share ideas
In Lviv, the group Lviv Expats and Friends, with 2,400 members, is a private forum to discuss, share, and seek info about life in Lviv and Ukraine. Admission requires answering a few questions to prove you are indeed in Lviv or planning to be there. The group also welcomes Ukrainians who speak English, so it is a good opportunity not only to practice language skills but also to develop business connections.
In Kyiv – a city of nearly three million – there are several English facebook forums, including Kyiv Expats, with some 3,000 members, and Expats in Kyiv with more than 13,000 members. These are also private forums meant for long-term residents of Kyiv or those with close connections to the city.
And in the southern city of Odesa, on the Black Sea, English speakers can seek to join the private group Expats in Odessa, Ukraine. [Note: «Odesa» refers to the Ukrainian spelling and pronunciation of the name; «Odessa» is based on Russian.»]
- Kyiv Not Kiev: lively, well-produced videos about Ukraine
Hosted by Polina Boichuk and Tetiana Gaiduk, this YouTube show, also on Facebook, features well-produced interviews and mini-documentaries about foreign policy, domestic politics, and the culture and economy of Ukraine. It’s name refers to the fact that in English the proper transliteration of the capital city’s name is «Kyiv,» whereas «Kiev» refers to the Russian pronunciation of the city, which for 70 years was controlled by the Soviet Union.
What did we miss? Please let us know.
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Lviv Now is an English-language website for Lviv, Ukraine’s «tech-friendly cultural hub.» It is produced by Tvoe Misto («Your City») media-hub, which also hosts regular problem-solving public forums to benefit the city and its people.
