‘Shakespeare can help us survive war’: Ukrainian academic toasts bard in UK visit

Nataliya Torkut likens Zelenskiy to Henry V at Agincourt as she visits Stratford-upon-Avon to mark playwright’s birthday

Ukrainians need not only weapons but culture and art in order to survive the onslaught of war, says Prof Nataliya Torkut, head of the Ukrainian Shakespeare Centre.

During a visit to the UK for Shakespeare’s birthday celebrations, the first time she has left Ukraine since Russia’s invasion, Torkut called for a greater awareness of the role of culture for people living through the trauma of war.