France, March 2 -- As the war in Ukraine enters its fourth year, going to the theatre or visiting the city's newest bookshop provides a moment of refuge for the people of Kyiv. But culture has also become a powerful means of resistance and a way to assert Ukrainian identity.

As the war in Ukraine rages on and air raid alerts in Kyiv remain a daily occurrence, a somewhat surprising new trend has flourished on TikTok - young people are posting about the race to get hold of theatre tickets.

"Before, we used to announce new seasons a month in advance. Now we open ticket sales three months in advance and within two hours, everything's gone," said Victoria Bourkovska, the administrator of the Ivan Franko National Theatre - currently celebrati...