Four representatives from Ukraine and two writers from Israel were included in the list of nine laureates of the Order of Peace of the Victorian Book Club for 2026. The award was announced on October 24, 2026, by the Ukrainian publication SKNews. Among the awardees are Chernihiv writer Serhiy Dziuba, Valentyna Chaikovska from Rishon LeZion, and Rimma Ulchina from Ashdod.
Author: Anton Pshedynsky
However, this is not a British state order: the award was established by literary and public organizations. There is no reliable published history of its awarding yet.
Two Israeli writers — two different biographies
Valentyna Chaikovska was born in Lutsk, a city in northwestern Ukraine, the administrative center of the Volyn region. She graduated from the Lviv Polytechnic Institute and worked as an engineer and teacher.
In 1998, she repatriated to Israel. In Israel, repatriation refers to the relocation of Jews and their family members under the Law of Return.
In Rishon LeZion, she continued her literary work: from 2008 to 2016, she led the “Rishon” association, which held meetings and literary evenings.
Her poetry and prose have been published in Israel and beyond. In 2024, the German publishing house Stella-Verlag released her collection of stories “Love Her” with a volume of 197 pages.
Rimma Ulchina was born in Moscow and moved with her family to Israel in 1990. She is connected with the literary life of Ashdod, writing prose and journalism.
Among her books are “Mystical Novel”, “Berenice, or Leap in Time”, and “Message from Heaven, or Unreal Detective”.
In “Berenice”, the story of a modern heroine intertwines with the fate of Princess Berenice, a representative of the Herodian dynasty who lived in the 1st century in ancient Judea, on the territory of modern Israel.
In 2011, in Ashdod, Ulchina received a special “Golden Pen” award for a series of journalistic interviews “Vis-a-vis”.
It is important not to confuse their biographies: Chaikovska is a native of Ukraine, Ulchina is a native of Moscow. Both represent Israel in the list of current laureates.
Ukrainian laureates and books about the war
Serhiy Dziuba is a Chernihiv journalist, poet, prose writer, and head of the International Literary and Artistic Academy of Ukraine. He is a co-author of the documentary series “Chernihiv in Flames” about the resistance to the Russian invasion.
Chernihiv is a regional center in northern Ukraine that the Russian army attempted to capture in the spring of 2022.
The first volume was released in 2022. The fifth, “Outpost: People Who Hold Ukraine”, was published in the summer of 2026. According to the catalog of the Chernihiv Regional Library, it contains 1035 pages of testimonies from military personnel, volunteers, and residents of the region. The presentation took place on September 18 in Chernihiv.
Yuriy Rabotin is a journalist and writer from Odesa, an honored journalist of Ukraine. In August 2026, he turned 70 years old. He has worked in journalism for over half a century; since 1996, he has headed the Odesa regional organization of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine.
His biography is unusual: in his youth, he worked at a shipbuilding plant, graduated from a maritime school, sailed on the passenger ship “Maxim Gorky”, and then became a newspaper correspondent.
Oleh Dryamin is a poet, prose writer, and artist associated with Odesa. He was born in 1956 in Sarapul, has been publishing poetry since 1974, and has been a member of the National Union of Writers of Ukraine since 1997.
Among his collections are “Lilac Grove”, “Colored Mirrors”, “Springs and Strings”. He is also a laureate of the Konstantin Paustovsky Literary Prize in 2013. In October 2026, the Odesa City Library named after Franko dedicated a video material to him for his 70th birthday.
Tetyana Muntyan is a Ukrainian poetess participating in international literary projects. Her poem about the early days of the Russian invasion was published in the Ukrainian collection “Poems about the War”.
Muntyan’s name is also among the participants of the international anti-war literary anthology. In March 2026, the organizers of another literary competition announced her as the laureate of the Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Prize. There is still little detailed independent biographical information about her.
NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency
What is known about the Order of Peace and its history
The initiators of the award in the organizers’ message are named as the Academy of Literature, Arts and Communications, the World Association G.L.O.R.I.A. from Frankfurt am Main, and the representation of the Victorian Book Club in Ukraine.
The order is declared as an encouragement for contributions to peace, humanism, preservation of cultural values, and support of creative people.
But a documented history of the award — the year of establishment, the list of past laureates, an open regulation on the competition, and the composition of the jury — could not be found.
Exact places and dates of ceremonies have not been published, although the organizers report awards in five countries. The word “Victorian” does not prove a connection with the era of Queen Victoria or the British state award system.
Elena Ananyeva heads G.L.O.R.I.A., named among the founders, and is simultaneously listed among the laureates from Germany. This does not indicate violations, but the selection process for awardees remains unclear.
The list includes nine people from four countries: besides Ukrainians and Israelis, Elena Ananyeva from Germany, Joanne Bouchard, and Martin Godreau from Canada.
The fifth country — the United Kingdom — is mentioned only among the places of ceremonies.
Reports from SKNews and the National Union of Writers of Ukraine are based on a single text from the academy’s press service, not on independent award protocols.
Why this story concerns Israel
Israeli literature has long had authors with biographies that began in Ukraine.
For example, Haim Hazaz, a native of Ukrainian Sidorovychi, became the first laureate of the Israel State Prize for Literature. His story was told separately by NANews.
Comparing this state award with the current public order would be incorrect.
However, the books of the two Israeli writers and the documentary work of the authors from Chernihiv deserve attention regardless of the status of the award. It is their content and accessibility to readers that should be evaluated first and foremost.