PEN Ukraine

PEN Ukraine is a cultural and human rights organization that unites Ukrainian journalists, writers, scholars, playwrights, publishers, translators, human rights activists, cultural managers, photographers, and illustrators. PEN Ukraine is one among 139 national centers of PEN International.

PEN activities in Ukraine are aimed at:

  • defending the freedom of speech and authors’ rights;
  • promotion of Ukrainian culture and literature;
  • preserving the values and standards of independent journalism;
  • establishing international cultural cooperation.

News

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Publications

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Popular tags

Стипендії Відчуття дому 100 Books to Help Understand Ukraine Letters to a Free Crimea The-Outpost-for-the-Future Our Being in the World Вільні голоси Криму RECвієм People of Culture Taken Away By The War Loss monitoring In Solidarity With Ukraine Незламні бібліотеки FreeSuleymanovRuslan Літературно-волонтерські поїздки The War Is Not Over Yet Я тут — за тебе Words and Bullets Інтелектуальні вечори у просторі ПЕН Власні назви PEN members' lyrics Victoria Amelina freeMaksymButkevych FreeAmetov FreeDanilovych FreeBessarabov FreeAsanAhtemov FreeNarimanCelal FreeBekirovRemzy FreeOsmanArifmemetov FreeAsanovSuleyman FreeAmetSuleymanov FreeSheykhaliyevRustem Regional meeting of PEN centers War Diaries Book fairs Stay in the profession Position Journalism of independent Ukraine Crimea. Summer season 30 years. Culture 30 years in 30 photos Who creates the future of Ukrainian media 100 Notable Books in Ukrainian 100 iconic novels and short stories Prostir with Myroslava Barchuk Map of Ukraine Empty Chairs Day Solidarity Days of Essayism War Dialogues on War BoycottRussia SolidarityWords Returning your names Price of the word We will wake up others PEN International Ukrainian language Human Rights New translations Losses Residences People with empty chairs Belarusian PEN Victories of PEN Members ReadWomenPEN Movies for the weekend The best books of the year according to PEN Book evening with PEN Ukraine What will give us strength? Kharkiv Literary Residence Freedom to be a woman Bridges instead of walls Lace Regulations PEN Center Discussions Online residence for German translators Culture in standby mode Focus topic of Ukrainian PEN PEN_TEN Prisoners of the Kremlin FreeYesypenko FreeSentsov FreeAseyev FreeMustafayevServer FreeTemeryanov FreeIbragimovTimur FreeSaliev 83rd Congress of the International PEN Peace and War

Thoughts

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Yermolenko Volodymyr Yermolenko Volodymyr
President of PEN Ukraine

Walls of Life

Mykhed Oleksandr Mykhed Oleksandr
Member of the Executive Council

The Language of War

Statements

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PEN Ukraine’s statement on the new violation of humanitarian law from Russia

PEN Ukraine’s statement on the new violation of humanitarian law from Russia

PEN Ukraine shares heartfelt condolences with those affected by Russia’s massive attack launched on 24 March 2026 and calls upon the world for a ...

Ukrainian literature and culture should be heard around the world: Resolution of the IX Regional Meeting of PEN Centres

Ukrainian literature and culture should be heard around the world: Resolution of the IX Regional Meeting of PEN Centres

Representatives of various PEN Centres – PEN Spain, PEN Basque, PEN Norway, PEN Slovenia, PEN International (WIPC), PEN Belgium, PEN Canada, and ...

Statement on the broadcast suspend of Voice of America and financial suspend of Radio Liberty

Statement on the broadcast suspend of Voice of America and financial suspend of Radio Liberty

We could have expected Radio Liberty, Voice of America, or other media committed to truth and democracy to be silenced by Russia or other totalitarian ...

freedom of speech

All materials
Journalists At War. The Monitoring of Russian Occupiers’ Crimes Against Independent Media in 2026

Journalists At War. The Monitoring of Russian Occupiers’ Crimes Against Independent Media in 2026

PEN Ukraine is documenting the losses among the media workers in the Russian war against Ukraine. As of February 3, 2026, 124 Ukrainian and foreign media ...

Journalists At War. The Monitoring of Russian Occupiers’ Crimes Against Independent Media in 2025

Journalists At War. The Monitoring of Russian Occupiers’ Crimes Against Independent Media in 2025

PEN Ukraine is documenting the losses among the media workers in the Russian war against Ukraine. As of December 22, 2025, 121 Ukrainian and foreign media ...

Radio Liberty journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko released after over 4 years of Russian imprisonment in Crimea

Radio Liberty journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko released after over 4 years of Russian imprisonment in Crimea

Vladyslav Yesypenko, a journalist for Krym.Realii, a project focused on Crimea under RFE/RL’s Ukrainian service, was released on 20 June after more ...

Awards

Vasyl Stus Prize
Yuri Shevelyov Prize
George Gongadze Prize
The European Union Prize for Literature
Drahomán Prize

Vasyl Stus Prize

The Ukrainian PEN has decided to take over the continuation of the Vasyl Stus Prize, founded in 1989 by the Ukrainian Association of Independent Creative Intelligentsia (UANTI) headed by Yevhen Sverstyuk (1928-2014), which was awarded annually on January 14 – St. Basil's Day.

Yuri Shevelyov Prize

The award was founded in 2013.

It is awarded once a year to a Ukrainian author for artistic and scientific essays published during the last year.

George Gongadze Prize

The award was established by PEN Ukraine in partnership with George Gongadze's family, Kyiv-Mohyla Business School, and the Ukrainian Pravda publication.

The European Union Prize for Literature

The European Union Literary Prize is an annual award designed to promote and internationally promote the work of not yet well-known but talented authors of fiction from various European countries.

Drahomán Prize

Award for translators from Ukrainian into world languages, founded in 2020 by the Ukrainian Institute, PEN Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Book Institute.

Support our work

We need your help to create projects and materials aimed to defend freedom of speech, popularize Ukrainian culture and values of independent journalism.

Your donation means support for discussions, awards, festivals, authors’ trips to regions and PEN book publications.

Support PEN

Projects

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Library of Ukrainian Pen

Dialogues on War
Dialogues on War
War 2022: Essays, Poems, Journals
War 2022: Essays, Poems, Journals
Life Went on Anyway: Stories
Life Went on Anyway: Stories
Anthology of young Ukrainian poetry
Anthology of young Ukrainian poetry
Words and Bullets
Words and Bullets
"Svitliy Shlyah": the history of one concentration camp
"Svitliy Shlyah": the history of one concentration camp
The future we strive for
The future we strive for
Treasures of Ukraine
Treasures of Ukraine
Bridges to replace the walls, or what will unite Ukrainians?
Bridges to replace the walls, or what will unite Ukrainians?
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