Society often encourages women in Ukraine to take the “traditional values” path in life: Get married, have children and take care of their breadwinning husbands. Those who choose to live differently, often independently, encounter judgmental attitudes or worse.

Stopfake.org, a group of researchers from the Mohyla School of Journalism in Kyiv, have identified two strong narratives in their study of Russian propaganda about the Euro Maidan: first, that it was a coup d’état directed by the U.S.; and second, that power was seized in Kyiv by a fascist regime. [...] With a lack of clear narratives and facts from the Ukrainian government, the Western media fell for the Kremlin’s skillful falsehoods.

“Well-behaved women seldom make history” was first the title of an article written in 1975 by historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich. [...] When looking at the role of women in the formulation of foreign policy, this phrase can also be relevant. The conclusions of a series of interviews with women who are foreign policy specialists overlap with what Ulrich wrote 40 years ago. 

Kateryna Smahliy, the director of the Kennan Institute in Ukraine and a moderator on one of the panels at the World Communication Forum Davos in Kyiv. Kateryna Smahliy reveals to the UT correspondent about the country's image abroad in the context of Ukraine's cultural diplomacy and a win-win strategy as a response to conflicts, which is the leading topic of the upcoming Conference.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards its Oscars on Sunday, and one of the nominees in the category of Best Documentary Feature is “Winter on Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom,” a chronicle of the 2013-14 protests in Kyiv.