Matvii Smirnov

Matvii Smirnov is a Ukrainian poet based in the United Kingdom. Born in Lviv, Ukraine, in 1974, he has lived in London since 2004. His Ukrainian poetry and English translations have been featured in various Ukrainian and international literary magazines and anthologies, including Dzvin (Lviv), Dnipro (Kyiv), Khreschatyk (Germany), Of Poets & Poetry (US). Matvii is the author of the poetry collection Shibboleth (Шібболет, Kyiv, 2024). Beyond his literary work, he is engaged in industrial innovation, and serves as the founder and director of Shield UA, a non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Translations in London Ukrainian Review:

Tetiana Vlasova, ‘dance my little bird, right in the middle of town.’

Contact: matveysmirnov@yahoo.com

Cover Image for Legacies of Chornobyl

Legacies of Chornobyl

• Issue 6 (March 2026)

The explosion that destroyed the Chornobyl nuclear power plant on 26 April 1986 also reshaped political, ecological, and cultural landscapes around the world. This issue of the London Ukrainian Review marks the fortieth anniversary of the disaster and examines its evolving global impacts.

Sasha Dovzhyk
Cover Image for Nuclear Roulette: Serhii Plokhy in Conversation

Nuclear Roulette: Serhii Plokhy in Conversation

• Issue 6 (March 2026)

Author of The Nuclear Age, historian Serhii Plokhy, discusses how Chornobyl catalysed Ukrainian independence and reveals the nuclear industry’s structural vulnerabilities. The conversation explores how nuclear disasters transform politics across decades and geographies with a focus on the weaponisation of civilian nuclear infrastructure during Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Sasha Dovzhyk
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