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Mark Raczkiewycz

Mark Raczkiewycz is a Ukraine-based journalist. A former RFE/RL news editor in Washington, he is the Kyiv correspondent for the New Jersey-based Ukrainian Weekly newspaper. He also contributes to the English-language Kyiv Post and has reported for Bloomberg, the Financial Times, the Associated Press, the Irish Times, The New York Times, and other publications.

Also by Mark Raczkiewycz

November 07, 2022
Pummeled By Russian Rockets, Ukraine's Power Grid Sputters And Ukrainians Struggle

Battered by Russian missile barrages, Ukraine's power grid has been pushed toward collapse. In Kyiv, city streets hum with the sounds of power generators as Ukrainians schedule their days around when water and electricity are available.
March 04, 2022
Molotov Cocktails And Refugees: West Of The Worst Horrors Of War, Ukraine's Lviv Has A Home-Front Feel

Lviv has so far escaped the brunt of Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. As the conflict rages across much of the country, the city is repurposing for the war effort, sheltering refugees flooding in from further east, and sending arms and supplies in the opposite direction.
February 14, 2022
As War Drums Beat, Ukrainians Find Shelters Converted To Strip Clubs, Tattoo Parlors

With Russian troops massing near Ukraine's borders, cities are taking stock of their bomb shelters. Many are being used for businesses such as barber shops, tattoo parlors, and at least one strip club. Others are too run-down to serve their purpose.
February 08, 2022
With Russian Guns Massed Near The Border, Ukrainians Ponder Private Firearm Ownership

With Russian troops near the border, a pizza-place promotion ties in to the tense situation.
August 22, 2021
In Fertile Ukraine, A 20-Year Freeze On The Sale Of Farmland Is Lifted -- With Uncertain Consequences

After a 20-year moratorium that created deep disincentives to invest in improvements, Ukraine is allowing agricultural land sales in a bid to boost farming communities, crop yields, and the economy of “Europe’s Breadbasket.” Will it work?
July 03, 2021
Bic Pics: Artist Draws Ukraine's Dark Side With A Ballpoint Pen

Serhiy Kolyada's unabashed drawings depict victimhood, vice, venality, and heroism in Ukraine. His brush is a ballpoint pen.
April 09, 2021
Ukraine's IT Boom Weathers The Pandemic But Questions Loom

Ukraine's IT industry grew by 20 percent in 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic hit hard but bolstered demand for digitalization. Can cash-strapped Kyiv find a way to tax the tech sector without scaring away "top talent"?
March 08, 2021
Flowers And Facades? In Ukraine, Critics Say Women's Day Needs A 'Rethink'

In Ukraine, not everybody’s celebrating International Women’s Day. One feminist blogger says it’s “deceptive and hypocritical,” and critics question what has happened to a holiday that was meant to emphasize women’s achievements and strengthen strides toward true equality.
February 19, 2021
Image And Identity In Play As Ukraine Tries Cultural Diplomacy

With a new website and a campaign of cultural diplomacy, Ukraine is seeking to raise its profile, improve its image, and shed the long shadow of Moscow. Will domestic developments diminish the challenge or raise higher hurdles to Kyiv’s latest effort to attract attention, investment, and support?
January 02, 2021
Ukraine's Health-Care System, Economy Struggle To Cope With COVID-19

Already struggling with a simmering conflict in the east and endemic corruption, Ukraine now confronts another challenge: containing COVID-19.
November 30, 2020
Lives On The Line: Ukraine Mental-Health Call Center Seeks To Lower The Human Cost Of War

As the war against separatists in eastern Ukraine simmers on, efforts to address its psychological effects are under way, with critics saying the state’s response has been slow. At a mental-health hotline in Kyiv, operators handle harrowing calls from veterans struggling with life after combat.
November 08, 2020
More Than Just An Onlooker, Ukraine Largely Relieved At U.S. Election Result

Ukraine was both a bystander and part of the story of the showdown between incumbent U.S. President Donald Trump and his challenger, Joe Biden.
October 25, 2020
Hold Your Tongue: School Incident Plays Into Sensitive Issue Of Language In Ukraine

An elementary-school art teacher in Odesa berated a pupil for speaking Ukrainian, not Russian, driving her to tears in front of her classmates. When the teacher was dismissed, it fit into what one analyst called a gradual role reversal between Ukraine's two most commonly spoken tongues.
October 24, 2020
'New Faces' For Ukraine: Local Elections Mark A Big Step Toward Decentralization Of Power

More than 1,400 Ukrainian communities will vote in local elections that follow key reforms aimed a dramatic restructuring of relations between local communities and the central government in Kyiv. Communities "will have more resources and decision-making power," one analyst said.
October 11, 2020
Not Just Soup: Ukraine Seeks 'Cultural Heritage' Listing For Borscht

A Kyiv-based chef, who cites neighboring Russia's proprietary feelings about one of the ultimate comfort foods as a motive, is helping cook up a bid for UNESCO recognition of Ukrainian borscht on an Intangible Cultural Heritage list.
July 25, 2019
Russia Labels Atlantic Council Think Tank In Washington 'Undesirable'

Russia's Prosecutor-General's Office says it is designating Washington-based think tank the Atlantic Council, formerly run by the U.S. ambassador to Moscow, as an "undesirable" organization.

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