Ukraine's annual National Unity radio dictation reaches the Antarctic and Russia's Kursk Oblast – photos

Ukrainians across the country and beyond have been taking part in the 25th annual Radio Dictation of National Unity. This year’s text, titled The Magic of Voice, was written by author Oksana Zabuzhko and read aloud by poet, musician and soldier Pavlo Vyshebaba, and the aim was to transcribe it with as few spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes as possible.

So how did people in different corners of Ukraine and beyond take up the challenge? We have been gathering people’s reactions from social media.

For Yevhenii Zolotukhin, it was the first time he had written the dictation outside Ukraine.

Quote: "This event is a wonderful opportunity to feel connected to your origins. Today’s text was noticeably shorter – my hand is unused to writing and definitely felt it! Pavlo Vyshebaba’s reading was almost perfect – no complaints. After the first few sentences with their complex punctuation, I abandoned all hope of an error-free dictation, but still, it was a joy," Yevhenii shared.

The dictation was written on trains as well. 

Details: Natalia Litvin said the train conductors had offered passengers paper and pens for the occasion. "Hyphens and dashes are crucial, but what a beautiful text! Both read and written perfectly," she noted.

Ukrainian soldiers also joined the radio dictation. 

Details: Troops from the 118th Mechanised Brigade wrote the dictation from their trenches for the second time. Members of the 44th Artillery Brigade named after Danylo Apostol took part at their firing positions – near their guns, combat vehicles and command posts. Some of the Ukrainian soldiers in Sudzha, Kursk Oblast, Russia, also joined in.

Quote: "As holy water drives out evil spirits, so our warriors drive out Moscow’s darkness with the Ukrainian word," one post read.

Ukrainian polar explorers at the Vernadsky Research Base took part for the fifth time. Although it was early — around five in the morning — they all gathered in the dining hall. 

Quote: "Everyone wore traditional embroidered shirts, some of which were decorated with penguins and whales for an Antarctic twist," the polar scientists reported. "However, at the last minute, ozone meter operator Serhii Yakushchenko had to ‘move’ his dictation to his office due to a surprise ‘gift’ from the weather: [he had to take] multiple ozone level measurements instead of the usual five."

The polar explorers found the text challenging but engaging, and three of them — doctor Ivanna Koturbash, cook Nazarii Tsupka and geophysicist Oleksandr Bohomaz — sent their work in for review.

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