In February 2017, a unique artifact entered the Museum’s collection – a “Ford Scorpio” riddled with shrapnel from artillery shells. Shortly thereafter, the car became a focal and deeply symbolic exhibit of a landmark exhibition realized together with our partners from Amuseum, titled Ukrainian East.
This project offered a comprehensive representation of the Russian–Ukrainian war up to the point of the full-scale invasion. The exhibition, the result of painstaking documentation of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine since 2014, confirmed our commitment to presenting these events as an integral element of the Museum of War’s social mission.
Amid Russia’s full-scale assault, the battles of the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) and Joint Forces Operation (JFO) may seem somewhat overshadowed. Yet the scope of those hostilities and the experience gained by the Ukrainian Army at the time (and still today) had no precedent in Europe for decades after the end of the Second World War.
In 2017, one of the most difficult sectors of the Donbas front was near Avdiivka, where soldiers of the 72nd Separate Mechanized Brigade named after the Black Zaporozhians held their positions under the command of a young and daring officer with the callsign Orel – Andrii Kyzylo.
Captain Kyzylo almost never parted with his “iron horse,” as he called the Ford purchased by volunteers, using it to move across the Avdiivka industrial zone. On the fatal morning of 29 January 2017, he drove it to his last mission. Leading a group of fighters, Andrii’s unit forced pro-Russian militants out of the “Almaz-2” position, organized its defense, and repelled several enemy attacks. However, the adversary launched a heavy artillery barrage. Captain Kyzylo and three soldiers were killed, and the car was torn apart by shellfire.
Just days later, Ukraine’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Volodymyr Yelchenko, sought to draw the world’s attention to the war in Ukraine and stop Russian aggression. Holding Andrii’s photograph at a UN Security Council meeting, he addressed Russia’s representative Vitaly Churkin with the following words:“...This is the photo of 23-year-old officer Andrii Kyzylo, killed on 29 January near Avdiivka. Look into his eyes, Mr. Ambassador. It was your weapons and your compatriots who killed him. The death of every soldier or civilian is a scar on Ukraine’s heart. Our people honor their fallen defenders on their knees, while Russian occupiers are buried in nameless graves.”
The video and photos from the UN Security Council meeting of 2 February 2017 soon spread through leading world media. Even after his death, the 23-year-old Ukrainian officer continued to fight against Ukraine’s enemies.
By his heroic deed, Andrii Kyzylo inscribed his name into the annals of modern military history as a representative of a new generation of Ukrainian commanders. He became an example for today’s and future generations of Ukrainian defenders. For exceptional bravery and heroism in defending Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, and for his loyalty to the military oath, Captain Andrii Kyzylo was posthumously awarded the honorary title Hero of Ukraine.