The Motherland Monument and a café by the Golden Gate: an American artist and volunteer on his Kyiv routine
Kyiv discoveries of an American volunteer.
Frank Cano is an American artist who came to Ukraine in July 2026 to support the country and volunteer. In that short time, he’s visited Kyiv several times, started working on a documentary about Ukrainians’ lives during the war, and even settled into his own everyday routine in the city.
In an interview with Visit Kyiv, Frank talked about how he got into volunteering, his first impressions of the capital, and the places that have become part of his daily life in Kyiv.
Frank’s picks:
- Independence Square — Kyiv’s central square and a symbol of Ukraine’s independence. It was here that the Revolution of Dignity took place in 2014. Today you can stroll through the square, stop by the bars and cafés, do some shopping at the Globus mall, and pay your respects at the makeshift memorials for fallen Ukrainian soldiers.
- The Motherland Monument — the tallest monumental statue in Europe, symbolizing the strength and resilience of the Ukrainian people. The monument has two observation decks offering sweeping views of the Dnipro River and the left bank. Underneath the monument, the War Museum features exhibits chronicling the Ukrainian people’s fight for freedom from World War II to the present day.
- Kharms — a cozy café-bookshop tucked into a quiet courtyard near the Golden Gate, where Frank likes to spend time over a cup of coffee. The menu includes specialty coffee, desserts, breakfasts, salads, soups, pasta, sandwiches, and vegan options.
- Park of Eternal Glory — a spot along the Dnipro hills where Frank likes to walk the quiet paths and take in the view of the golden domes of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. The park is also home to the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide, dedicated to the memory of the millions of Ukrainians who died during the Holodomor of 1932–1933.
