27 July 2025
(Photo: Intent/Natalia Dovbysh)
The third festival of Ukrainian culture, Videlkafest, took place in Odesa on July 27 and featured, among other things, an evening of combatant poetry with the participation of military personnel and veterans of the war with Russia.
This year's VydelkaFest literary stage featured performances by Valeriy Puzik, Mariana Savka, Oleksandr Irvanets, Ostap Slyvynskyi, Tetiana Vlasova, Yulia "Tyra" Payevska, Olena Herasymiuk, Ostap Ukrainets, Artem Polezhaka, Olena Pavlova, Bohdana Romantsova, Rostyslav Semkiv, Oleksandr Mymruk, Yuriy Roketskyi, and Fedir Rudyi.
The audience also saw a musical and poetic performance by Witnesses, and the director Iryna Tsilyk spoke about documentary animation as a genre and about her new film.
Artem Polezhaka gave a solo performance of his poetry.
Artem Polezhaka is a Ukrainian poet. He is the author of the poetry collections Poems about Life (2016) and Hanging Songs (2018), People in Search of Happiness (2020), and Normal Poetry (2024). He writes in Ukrainian and Russian.
Together with the Dignitas Charitable Foundation, Vydelkafest is raising UAH 3 million for evacuation robotic ground systems for the infantry of the 56th Mariupol Separate Mechanized Brigade.
Last year, a Chornomorsk court acquitted singer Khrystyna Soloviy, who had used obscene language about the city's old name on stage at Videlkafest. In July 2024, while performing at Videlkafest in Chornomorsk, Khrystyna Soloviy asked whether the city's residents remembered the city's former name and was told that it was "Illichivsk." "Complete bullshit," the singer said.
This phrase outraged many of the townspeople. After a while, law enforcement officers drew up a report on an administrative offense for disorderly conduct against Solova. Namely, for foul language in public places that violates public order and peace.
Photo: Intent/Natalia Dovbysh
Кирило Бойко