On August 6, 2024, the Armed Forces of Ukraine launched a defensive operation in the Kursk region of russia. Within 10 days of the start of the operation, Director General Yurii Savchuk and photographer Roman Pupenko set off on a museum expedition to the Ukrainian-russian border to document the events on this part of the frontline.
It is how the idea for the project, which the Museum presents a month after the beginning of the operation, came about. The exhibition tells about the current course of the russian-Ukrainian war, particularly outside Ukraine, and recreates a historical portrait of the Sloboda Ukraine region based on artifacts from the 18th–20th centuries.
The exhibition showcases the history of Ukrainian colonization of the Kursk, Belgorod, and Voronezh territories since the second half of the 17th century when the Ukrainian settlements emerged in wild fields and on Tatar trails, with Cossacks being the driving force behind it.
For over two and a half centuries, the Ukrainian population has maintained its national distinctiveness and identity, particularly evident during the national revival in the early 20th century. The exhibition’s cartographic, material, written, and photographic sources from archival and museum collections confirm the deep historical connections of these territories with other parts of the Sloboda Ukraine region.
Rare archival materials, made public for the first time, vividly depict the little-known circumstances surrounding the demarcation of the Ukrainian-russian border from 1922 to 1928. The documents reveal that the will of the local communities was disregarded, leading to Ukrainians being integrated into the russian soviet republic, “beyond the borders of their native land.”
A separate part of this project is called “Edge.” It is a selection of 26 out of 6,665 photographs by museum photographer Roman Pupenko from a museum expedition to the controlled by the Armed Forces of Ukraine territories of the Kursk region, which lasted from August 15 to 19, 2024.
The exhibition attempts to cover the history of the Second World War and the russian-Ukrainian War through artistic reflections.
The project showcases works by 41 contemporary artists from various regions of Ukraine, including Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Lutsk, and Ivano-Frankivsk, as well as 40 artists whose works are part of the Museum's collections. More than 150 exhibits cover an area of almost 2,000 square meters inside the pedestal of the Motherland Monument.
Oleksandr Roitburd, Heorhii Senchenko, Arsen Savadov, Anton Logov, Roman Minin, Nazar Bilyk, Albina Yaloza, Matvii Vaisberg, Rustem Skybin, and others—each of them reflects on their present in their work. Next to them are the works of Ukrainian artists that depict everyday life and the consequences of the Second World War.
The exhibition is held in the halls where the permanent exhibition dedicated to the Second World War was located. The symbolic transformation of the museum space continues the Museum's tradition of rethinking Ukraine's traumatic past and finding national identity in it.
The project is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.
Partners: Nova Post, Sensor Systems of Ukraine, Re4Win (Recycling for Win), Morshynska, Bilyi Nalyv, LAW NET, Maria Prymachenko Family Foundation, State Enterprise “Ukrainian Studio of Chronicle and Documentary Films”, Central State Audiovisual and Electronic Archive, Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Centre, Odesa National Fine Arts Museum, Abramovych Foundation, Vakulenko Art Consulting, Eduard Dymshyts, Charitable fund "Hurkit"
The exhibition recreates the Battalion’s decades-long history, from a volunteer formation in the first weeks of russian aggression (2014) to a permanent combat unit of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It presents many heroic episodes and traces the military life of the 24th Separate Assault Battalion “Aidar.” The exhibition’s artifacts convey feelings and emotions, evidence of reliability, courage, and heroism.
After the formation of the Battalion many of its fighters received state awards, six of them were awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine (four of them posthumously).
The Battalion’s soldiers were featured in several media stories. One of the most popular stories was about their commander, Senior Lieutenant Oleksandr Kovalenko, known as the “dancing warrior,” who has become a social media sensation. Additionally, a video of Aidar soldiers transporting wounded individuals on ATVs in the vicinity of Bakhmut was widely viewed in Ukraine and worldwide.
It is impossible to imagine the Battalion’s combat history without ordinary human stories, traditions, symbols, and iconic items, so the exhibition features unique Aidar artifacts. Among them is the icon of St. Nicholas, which soldier Yurii Linkevych has been creating since 2017. The warrior-icon painter started working on it in 2017 and hopes to finish it after the victory. His comrades-in-arms consider it their talisman since it has helped them escape encirclement multiple times.
The exhibition will feature interviews with fighters of the 24th Separate Assault Battalion “Beyond the Front” (May 2024), made by Zoya Shu and Philip Caller.
The history of Aidar is an example of how volunteers with diverse backgrounds can defeat an increasingly numerous and dangerous enemy.
The exhibition tells the story of chaplaincy activities in Ukraine – a sincere spiritual service capable of supporting soldiers in difficult times, providing solace, and sometimes even saving lives. Today, more than 200 military chaplains serve in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. They wear uniforms and hold not only religious ranks but also military titles. Military chaplains possess military skills, knowledge of security measures, and various types of weaponry, although they do not carry weapons themselves.
The exhibition features 15 personal profiles of military chaplains, including those who recently received mandates and signed contracts with the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as those who have been volunteering to bring God's word to the frontlines since 2014. Three of the represented chaplains have passed away – Father Maksym Kozachyna and Father Oleh Marinchenko were killed by the enemy, and Father Marian Dyus died of severe illness.
The exhibition is created on an interfaith principle, allowing visitors to become acquainted with the stories of military chaplains from different religious denominations, including the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine, Protestants – Baptists and Pentecostals, imam-chaplains, and the only Jewish chaplain in Ukraine.
The motivational banner of the Military Chaplaincy Service of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is a symbol of the interfaith service. That is why the motto “To be near” is written in Ukrainian, Arabic and Hebrew. The symbols – motivational banner, sleeve badge, and coin – contain nine silver rays converging at the top on a blue field, symbolizing the rays of God's grace.
Chaplains are an integral part of our state's defense and are warriors thanks to whom Ukraine will achieve victory.
A project-warning about the danger posed to Ukrainians by the enemy drones, which are targeting defense forces, civilian objects, including critical, economic, socio-cultural infrastructure, etc.
At the same time, it serves as a reminder of the need to help Ukrainian defenders, specifically, to provide them with the latest means of detecting and destroying targets, among which UAVs play an increasingly important role. The exhibition presents various types of unmanned aerial vehicles used by Russian aggressors for reconnaissance and defeating ground targets.
This museum exhibition is organized in the tight connection with the nationwide project “Trident of the Motherland”, which is purposed for replacement of the Soviet symbols on the shield of the Motherland Monument with the Ukrainian state symbol of Trident. In broader context, the exhibition resounds with the general reinterpretation of the War Museum and the monument as its dominant object.
In the exhibition space, over 200 authentic artifacts are displayed, covering more than a millennial period of Ukraine’s history. The exposition reveals the most interesting facts from the Trident history, draws attention to the most important stages of its evolving into the state coat of arms. This is a peculiar response to the actual public questions related to the reproduction of the Trident on the shield. It highlights the connection of this process with renaming of the Motherland Monument and the Museum in general.
Especially for this project, the Museum has prepared the new exposition space in the Exhibition Center that consists of three halls. Each of them contains the relevant chapter of the exhibition.
Chapter “State Sign” is dedicated to the past of the Trident as a dynasty sign of the Kyiv princes, as well as the establishment of the sign of Prince Volodymyr the Great in the high status of the State Coat of Arms of the Ukrainian People’s Republic. A hereditary link between statehood symbols of the princes’ age and the period of the Ukrainian state building in the early 20th century is emphasized.
Chapter “National Symbol” reveals the distinct tradition of the national sign usage in the folk life of the Ukrainians between the First and Second World Wars. Through depictions of the Trident in the interwar Ukrainian decorative art, the role of the sign in forming and strengthening of Ukrainian people’s national identity is highlighted.
Chapter “Sign on the Shield” illustrates the essence of the monuments’ reinterpretation and reveals the preconditions of this process, as well as connection of the actual historical time with the centuries-long heraldic tradition.
“Ukraine – Crucifixion” is the first-ever exhibition in Ukraine and around the world about the ongoing war and in the time of the ongoing war. It contains 1 776 authentic exhibits, collected by the Museum’s team without delay in the areas of hostilities and the newly liberated settlements of the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions from April 3 to May 6, 2022. Exhibition’s total area is approximately 900 square meters. Idea and curation by Yurii Savchuk, the Director General of the War Museum. Designer is Anton Logov.
The exhibition consists of the two antagonistic chapters – “Horde” and “Ukraine – Crucifixion”.
The first part briefly reveals the Russian propaganda, the full-scale invasion, and displays the military equipment, armament and the everyday-life items of the invaders from the “Russian world”.
The second chapter of the exhibition has two locations: “Ukraine – Crucifixion” and “Shelter”. The first one is based on the preserved spiritual and cultural objects, burnt window frames, remains of the house electronics and even training equipment, discovered on the ashes, as well as the children’s things, drawings and toys... The dominant core includes the saved treasures of the Ukrainian Nation: the entrance gate of the Virgin Mary Nativity Church in the village of Peremoha, the dome and the crucifix from the Jesus Ascension Church in the village of Lukianivka, Kyiv region, the damaged icon “Descent from the Cross” from the ruined St. Dimitry of Rostov Temple (town of Makariv), the destroyed carcass of the wall, on which the paintings of the world-famous artist Maria Pryimachenko were displayed in the burnt Ivankiv Regional History Museum... The second part reconstructs in details the realities of the Life and Time in different shelters under the shelling and bombardment by the hordes, and reveals 37 days of life in one of the Hostomel shelters... In the smallest details...
The exhibition is especially popular among the Museum’s visitors and attractive for the medias. By June 7, 2022, 7 812 visitors had seen it, 63 media publications, reviews, comments, covers and interviews on it had been prepared, in particular, in the leading international press The New York Times (USA), The Guardian (United Kingdom) and Le Monde (France).
