An exhibition of Sir Elton John’s photography collection will be shown in Kiev for the first time. ‘Chorus of Light: Celebrity Portraits from the Sir Elton John Collection’ will be shown at the Pinchuk Art Gallery at Arena from June 16 to August 12. Elton John began collecting photographs in the early nineties and is believed to have one of the largest private collections in the world.
Ukrainians will celebrate the end of World War II, ‘The Great Patriotic War’, on Wednesday May 9. As is traditional on this public holiday, veterans will march down Khreschatyk watched by thousands of onlookers. Ukraine saw some of the fiercest fighting of the war, with over 7 million Ukrainians losing their lives.
The International Festival of Body Art and Piercing starts today at the Kiev Expo Plaza. It will run until Saturday and features artists from the Ukraine, Russia and many other countries.
Boney M, the legendary 70’s disco stars, will headline Kiev’s New Year’s Eve celebrations on Independence Square. The fun begins at 10 pm. President Yuschenko and Mayor Leonid Chernivitsky will address the crowd.
Russia has banned Sacha Baron Cohen’s hit film Borat because of fears it could offend some viewers. The Federal Agency for Culture and Cinematography has refused to grant a distribution license to the film that pokes fun at neighbours Kazakhstan. Ukrainian audiences will be also miss out, as distributors Gemini generally purchase movies for both Russia and Ukraine.
Just a couple of thousand people turned out on Independence Square yesterday to celebrate the second anniversary of the Orange Revolution. Support for President Viktor Yushchenko has waned after his government has failed to live up to the expectations of most Ukrainians.
A gang of around 300 Ukrainian football hooligans attacked a group of Scottish fans gathering in Kiev’s Independence Square ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifying match between the two nations. Several Scottish fans were reported injured in the skirmish.
Ukraine won the match 2-0, with Chelsea striker Andriy Shevchenko scoring a late penalty.
Aswad, one of the UK’s top reggae bands, will be appearing at Kiev’s River Palace nightclub tonight. They gained fame in the 1980’s with hits like ‘Don’t Turn Around’.
Victor Pinchuk, one of the richest men in Ukraine and son-in-law of the former President Leonid Kuchma, has opened a contemporary art gallery at Arena.
A fire has destroyed several buildings at the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life. Police believe the blaze was started deliberately.