The War Museum team—Director General Yurii Savchuk and researchers Iryna Kotsabiuk and Illia Lytvynchuk—has documented the very first moments of Oleshky residents stepping onto free Ukrainian soil. Oleshky has been temporarily occupied since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
We have witnessed an indescribably emotional moment, full of genuine joy, relief, happiness, and renewed hopes.
The return of every person is possible due to the extremely difficult, self-sacrificing work of the Office of the Ombudsman of Ukraine and its head, Dmytro Lubinets. Thanks to their efforts, the humanitarian mission achieved its goals, as hundreds of people, as well as their pets, have had a chance to live a new and safer life.
Embraced by Ukrainian flags, Oleshky residents were sharing what hurts them the most: memories of the abandoned houses and of the possessions accumulated over the years but lost now; of frightening realities of life with no drinking water and food; of ever-present hazard from Russian attacks lurking around; and of constant struggle between faith and despair.
“Even the air is different here; it’s easier to breathe here,” tell us the rescued people with tears in their eyes.
“One can seize cities, establish one’s order, fly their flags on the buildings, but no one can force people to love a foreign country,” says Iryna, who didn’t remove the blue-and-yellow bracelet from her wrist throughout the entire occupation.
Collecting evidence of this war is our primary duty. For the museum’s collection, we have documented a multitude of striking stories:
About a young artist named Kateryna, who poured her pain and unyielding faith into her drawings.
About Yaroslav, who could not attend school while living under occupation, but sought knowledge in encyclopedias and other books found in abandoned houses.
These stories and personal belongings of the returned Ukrainians will become an important part of the War Museum–a testament to the price of our freedom.
We believe that a day will come when forced evacuation will be nothing more than a reminder of history, and regular bus services will once again run to the liberated town of Oleshky, bringing people back to their homes.
