Russia invaded Ukraine
30th months of Ukraine's heroic resistance against full-scale Russian aggression and the 10-year-long Russian occupation of Crimea and parts of Donbas
Why does this matter to the world?
Ukraine has endured, is alive, is fighting, and will win.
Ukrainian victory will be the victory of freedom, democracy, and international partnership over tyranny and terror.
And a powerful message to all people and countries: evil cannot thrive in this world, it will not escape its end or punishment.
After the Victory, I will go on a long dream trip through my native Ukraine to see all the unique and unsurpassed natural places,
architectural and cultural heritage monuments.
NATURE
The unique and unsurpassed natural places
SVITIAZ LAKE | Volyn region
Lake Svitiaz is a natural tourist attraction of Volyn. It is part of the Shatsky Lakes, a group of more than 30 lakes between the Pripyat and Zahidny Bug rivers.
Svitiaz is the largest lake in the group of Shatsky lakes, the deepest lake of natural origin in Ukraine. It is fed by underground waters and artesian springs.
The water here is extremely clear and soft. In sunny weather, the bottom is visible at a depth of several meters.
The area of Svitiaz is 2,622 hectares, length â 9,225 m, width â 4,000 m, maximum depth â 58.4 m, average depth â 6.9 m.
Photo: Yevhenii Chasovenko
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LAKE SYNEVYR | Carpathians
Lake Synevyr is the largest and deepest high-altitude lake in Ukraine. Located at an altitude of 989 m above sea level.
The lake was formed after an earthquake 10-11 thousand years ago.
The water in the lake is weakly mineralized, clean, and transparent.
There are three types of trout here - lake, rainbow, and brook trout.
It is forbidden to swim in Synevyr, in particular, the temperature of the water, which is heated to a maximum of only 13°Х, will not allow swimming.
The area of the lake is 4-5 hectares, and the greatest depth is 22 m.
Photo: depositphotos.com
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PINK LAKE SIVASH | Kherson region
Pink Lake Sivash is a huge strait of the Sea of Azov with shallow water bodies and peninsulas. The medicinal properties and salinity of the waters of Sivash are often compared to the Dead Sea in Israel. The water in Sivash is very saturated with salt and keeps the body on the surface, and the average depth is 1 m. But there is a feature that makes the Ukrainian pearl win over the Israeli one - it is the fabulous and unique color of the water. Dunaliella Salina lives in the lake - a single-celled alga that gives the water a pink color.
Photo: myukraine.org.ua
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DZHARYLHACH ISLAND | Kherson region
Dzharylhach is the largest uninhabited island in Ukraine and Europe with an area of 56 km².
A lot of legends and interesting stories are associated with it.
Many tourists call this beautiful place, hidden in the Black Sea (Kherson region), the âUkrainian Maldivesâ because of the snow-white sand,
wildlife, and crystal clear water.
Here, you can find amazingly beautiful seashells, see dolphins swimming along the shore, and cook delicacies such
as sea snails, mussels, and fish over a campfire.
Photo: Anna Paliukh
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OLESHKY SANDS | Kherson region
Oleshky sands - the largest sandy area, which only can be found on the territory of Ukraine. It has a natural origin and is formed by huge mounds of sand, the greatest height is 5 meters. Unusual Kherson attraction occupies about 160 000 hectares. In 2010, part of the officially taken under Mr. US National Natural Park. After 1.5 years, the unusual nature reserve called "Oleshky Sands" started its work. Various types of animals and insects are secured by the national park. The tourist profile of the park remains one of the most important for Oleshky sands.
Photo: Nataliya Shestakova
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BAKOTA | Khmelnytskyi region
Bakota is the territory and surroundings of the Bakota Bay on the Dniester, located in the south of the Khmelnytskyi region. Until 1981, there was a village here, which gave the name to the territory. Bakota occupies an area of 1,590 hectares, and thanks to its rocky shores, it has a warm and mild microclimate. Tourists are attracted to the place by fantastic views, several beaches and, of course, the remains of a rock monastery. There are three springs with healing water nearby - Northern, Southern, and Southernmost.
Photo: Serhii Zysko
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The significant cultural legacy
UKRAINIAN LANGUAGE
Ukrainian is the official state language in Ukraine.
In the Ukrainian language, 33 letters and 38 sounds are almost an ideal ratio for the alphabet.
The Ukrainian language is one of the sweetest languages in the world. In 1934, at a linguistic congress in Paris, leading experts recognized the Ukrainian language
as the third among all languages (after French and Farsi) in terms of melody, lexical and phraseological richness, enormous word-forming possibilities, and syntactic
flexibility. At a similar forum of linguists in Switzerland, where the main evaluation criteria were the euphonic system of the language, its melodiousness,
and melodiousness, the Ukrainian language was named second after Italian.
The Ukrainian language is often called a nightingale.
VYSHYVANKA
Vyshyvanka is an embroidered shirt that is part of the Ukrainian national costume.
For a Ukrainian, vyshyvanka is not just clothing. This is something very special: personal, family, holy.
Vyshyvanka is a symbol that preserves one's roots, identity, and self-understanding.
This is our history: mythology, religion, the ancient art of our ancestors, the soul of our people.
Our genetic code is encrypted in the vyshyvanka.
Vyshyvanka is the pride of the Ukrainian people, the traditions of which are passed down from generation to generation.
This national symbol has a thousand-year history and unique patterns in different regions.
Vyshyvanka have long been worn by men, women, and children.
The oldest materials from which Ukrainians made their own vyshyvanka were fabrics made of sheep's wool, linen, and hemp.
On May 18, Ukrainians will celebrate Vyshyvanka Day 2023, dedicated to our national clothing.
BORSCH
Borsch is the main first course and a symbol of Ukrainian cuisine, cooked from a variety of vegetables, including beets.
Borsch has more than 250 recipes! It is prepared in all regions of Ukraine.
Borsch is part of the Ukrainian cultural code. Ukrainians consider it a subject of national identity.
On July 1, 2022, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Protection of Intangible Cultural Heritage added the culture of making Ukrainian borsch
to the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in need of immediate protection.
The initiator of the official recognition of borsch as a Ukrainian national dish was chef Yevhen Klopotenko.
HERITAGE & ARCHITECTURE
A mix of traditional Old World Europe and modern urban life
SWALLOW'S NEST | Yalta, Crimea
The Swallow's Nest is a decorative castle located at Gaspra, a small spa town between Yalta and Alupka on the Crimean peninsula. It was built between 1911 and 1912, on top of the 40-meter-high Aurora Cliff, in a Neo-Gothic design for the Baltic German businessman Baron von Steingel. The Swallow's Nest is one of the most popular visitor attractions in Crimea, having become the symbol of Crimea's southern coastline.
Photo: depositphotos.com
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NATIONAL ACADEMIC AND BALLET THEATRE | Odesa
The Odesa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre is the oldest theater in Odesa. The Theatre and the Potemkin Stairs are the most famous edifices in Odesa. The modern building was constructed by Fellner & Helmer in a neo-baroque style and opened in 1887. The architecture of the luxurious audience hall follows the late French rococo style.
Photo: depositphotos.com
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ST.ANDREW'S CHURCH | Kyiv
St Andrew's Church is an Orthodox church in Kyiv, constructed between 1747 and 1754 to a design by the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Situated on a steep hill, where Andrew the Apostle is believed to have foretold the great future of the place as the cradle of Christianity. Since 1968, the building has been a museum, part of the National Sanctuary "Sophia of Kyiv" as a landmark of cultural heritage.
Photo: reddit.com
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KAMIANETS-PODILSKYI CASTLE | Kamianets-Podilskyi
Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle located in the historic region of Podolia in the western part of the country. Historical accounts date Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle to the early 14th century. Initially built to protect the bridge connecting the city with the mainland, the castle sits on top of a peninsula carved out by the winding Smotrych River, forming a natural defense system for Kamianets-Podilskyi's historic Old Town neighborhood
Photo: Anna Paliukh
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RYNOK SQUARE | Lviv
Rynok Square is the central square in Lviv, the historical heart of the modern city, typical of the medieval architecture of European cities. The center of the historical district of Sredmistia. The square was created during the reign of Lev Danylovych in the second half of the 13th century as a result of the regular planning of buildings on the model of medieval Western European cities, as the center of trade and social life of the new city, which was confirmed by archaeological excavations in 2017.
Photo: ua.igotoworld.com
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CHERNIVTSI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY | Chernivtsi
Chernivtsi National University is a public university in the City of Chernivtsi in Western Ukraine. One of the leading Ukrainian institutions for higher education, it was founded in 1875 as the Franz-Josephs-Universität Czernowitz when Chernivtsi was the capital of the Duchy of Bukovina. Today the university is based at the Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans building complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2011.