"The memory must remain for future generations. We want people to know what "russian peace" is in a few centuries," says Volodymyr Obodzinskiy. His wife, daughter, son, and grandchildren were killed by air strikes.
"We have evacuated from Irpin with our entire animal shelter. In this photo, I'm standing with 19 dogs," recalls volunteer Nastia Tykha. Her photo with the rescued animals circulated the world.
"My wardrobe and cockerel are signs that victory will be ours," believes Nadiya Svatko from Borodianka. Her belongings, which survived in the ruins of her destroyed house, have become symbols of Ukrainian resilience.
More than 100,000 stories of Ukrainian civilians about the war have been collected by the Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, the first and largest archive of stories of civilian victims of russia's war in Ukraine in the country and the world. This is a colossal amount of testimonies from survivors. These are the memories of those who are no longer here. These are honest, scary, real stories of pain, suffering, and horror. Stories of courage, faith, and hope.
The Museum of the Civilian Voice has become a primary source of the truth about the war, a chronicle of the tragedy the country has been experiencing since 2014, and a large-scale portal that preserves valuable components of Ukraine's national memory. It has created not only a crucial archive but also the basis for a fair condemnation of war crimes and a source of support for survivors who want to tell their truth.
The Museum is a dynamic platform that is actively developing and collaborating with the global community. The world's media interact with the Museum, helping to convey the truth about what Ukraine is going through. The Museum cooperates with foreign universities in the fields of education and science and organises events in Europe and Ukraine with the involvement of international experts. It also supports documentary filmmaking and shares stories with filmmakers to tell the world about the experience of Ukrainians.
The Museum's current partners are the Oral History Association (USA), the USC Shoah Foundation, the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, and the Museum of the History of Kyiv.
Every story about the war is important. To preserve the memory for a better future, tell your story on the Museum of Civilian Voices portal or on the free hotline 0 (800) 509 001.