Despite being around for a while, it’s only been in the last couple of years that Instagram has really started to take off and gain an audience in Ukraine. And while a lot of profile pages are self-promoting or hawking a new business venture, there are also a fair share of original and creative ones that are well worth a follow. The Kyiv Post has picked out seven Ukrainian Instagram profiles that catch the eye.
@dukhovnoe_litso 87.3 k followers
Maria describes herself as a visual artist and trendsetter. She creates animated videos made of a series of photographs by combining them into fast-changing slideshows. Each video is a masterpiece, and often involves Maria herself as a model with original hairstyles and accessories. Maria also worked on advertising and promotional videos for several Ukrainian companies, and even shot a music video for singer Svitlana Tarabarova.
@annaremarchuk 237 k followers
Kyiv-based Anna Remarchuk has in the past been noticed by the Instagram team, who posted one of her designs on their official account. After that, Anna gained many new followers, and she has created numerous new compositions, made of envelopes and flowers and posted under the hashtag #envelope_series. She also has another photography series – #natureinthehands – combining flowers and human hands. Flowers on their own? Beautiful. Flowers artfully combined with other objects? Enchantingly beautiful.
@mustangwanted 120 k followers
There are probably very few people in Ukraine who are not familiar with Mustang Wanted, i.e. the daredevil climber who painted the upper half of a star on top of a Moscow building blue – to make it resemble the Ukrainian flag, and then attached an actual flag on top of the star. Grigoriy (his real name) is an urban climber who travels all over the world to find the tallest constructions to conquer. His photographs, taken atop skyscrapers and posted on his Instagram account, are certainly worth checking out.
@undervoodoo 55.8 k followers
Cate Underwood is a photographer, a model and a DJ, which probably explains why her profile stands out, being edgy and unique. Cate has modeled for the world’s most prestigious magazines, including Harper’s Bazaar Netherlands, Vogue Australia and V Magazine. She has also shot editorial spreads herself for Vogue Ukraine magazine. Vogue Italia named Cate a “voguette” – a promising style icon of the next generation – and these guys know what they’re talking about.
@sofia_stuzhuk 356 k followers
Kyiv resident Sofia Stuzhuk has a one-year-old son, David, but that doesn’t mean her lifestyle revolves solely around motherhood. Quite the opposite – the young mother lives an active life: working out and maintaining an athletic physique, coaching others in healthy eating and fitness, and she even designs maternity clothes.
@karishashasha 63.5 k followers
Sea, sky and seagulls are the main themes in Karisha Bulavskaya’s Instagram profile, which could all well be metaphors for freedom. Living in the coastal resort city of Odesa probably helps to maintain her profile’s aesthetics, but Karisha likes to travel a lot too.
@anamarkovych 49.3 k followers
Anastasia Markovych is a food blogger and a coffee-lover. She started the hashtag #adventuresofmycoffee for her photographs of coffee mugs juxtaposed with nature, and it has since been picked up by other Instagram users. Anastasia lives in Kyiv, and her profile will be of interest to anyone who loves food and nature (so, basically everyone).
