KyivPride apologizes, reschedules its controversial Queer Propaganda Fest

Source: KyivPride

KyivPride organizers said on Friday they will be moving their “Queer Propaganda Fest” event to a later date after it was found the event can coincide with Holodomor Remembrance Day events scheduled for November 25.

Planned for November 23–24, “Queer Propaganda Fest” faced backlash over what many called out as a tone-deaf idea, it even made KyivPride issue an official apology.

“We regret that some perceived the festival as disrespectful to the Ukrainian tragedy. The event’s goal was purely educational and charitable. Yes, we acknowledge the mistake and sincerely apologize,” said the organization.

The story generated a strong public reaction. KyivPride  admitted  they had failed to check the calendar. Many were angered as it was initially reluctant about rescheduling the event.

Its apology also got mixed response. Some commentators on social media supported KyivPride for owning up to the mistake while others doubted their apologetic statement was earnest.

In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.

Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.

Internationally recognized brands and financial institutions should direct capital to Ukraine now, not waiting for the hostilities to end. This was emphasized by Rinat Akhmetov, president of FC Shakhtar, during a working visit to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where he met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.

In recent days, Moscow’s official rhetoric has been dominated by hysteria over the decision of…

In 2025, the deadliest year yet for civilians, Ukraine’s three largest charitable foundations raised a record 105.9 billion hryvnias. It is more than the years 2022–2024 combined. According to the UN, humanitarian aid in Ukraine was delivered by more than 450 organisations, reaching five million people over the course of the year. Civic foundations hold licences to purchase lethal weapons, which is a function states have monopolised for centuries. These record sums were underwritten by international government grants, which means foreign states now channel billions directly through Ukrainian civic funds, bypassing inter-state channels. It is hard to imagine a stronger institutional trust in civil society.