In February 2022, our country found itself in an entirely new reality. As unfortunate as it may sound, the processes that preceded Russia’s full-scale invasion largely concerned only a passionate minority. Today’s events, however, affect everyone, for at stake is the very existence of the distinct Ukrainian people and a free Ukraine.
In conditions of a complete transformation of individual worldviews and collective consciousness, such state attributes as the Coat of Arms, the Anthem, and the Flag are not merely ceremonial elements but profoundly sacred symbols of national identity, for which blood is shed and, all too often, the highest price of freedom is paid.
It is symbolic that the first object to enter the museum’s collection during the all-out Moscow offensive was one of the largest national flags, which flew on the Memorial’s flagpole during the fierce days of 2022, when the enemy was advancing on the Ukrainian capital. This relic marked one of the most important stages in the 50-year history of our institution—namely, the fundamental redefinition of the Museum’s mission and vision as a national center for the study and representation of the Ukrainian people’s armed struggle for Independence in the 20th–21st centuries.
Another unique relic for the Museum is the blue-and-yellow banner from the very epicenter of the heroic resistance at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. This flag flew over the factory buildings until the very last days of the city’s defense. A fragment of an enemy shell, fused with the fabric, remains as a grim reminder of the so-called “Russian world.” The battle for Azovstal, one of the defining stages of Mariupol’s defense, lasted from March 18 to May 20, 2022. From April 10, Ukrainian fighters defending the plant, along with civilians sheltering there, found themselves under complete blockade. The flag was rescued from the inferno of the steelworks by officers of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, who, despite intense Russian shelling, managed to carry out several helicopter missions to evacuate civilians and the wounded.
On June 6, 2022, in the presence of the direct participants of those battles, as well as the families of the defenders of Mariupol, General Kyrylo Budanov handed over this "banner" – a symbol of the unbreakable spirit of Ukrainian soldiers – for permanent storage in the Museum. The event took place in the exhibition space of "Ukraine – Crucifixion", the first stationary exhibition in global museum practice dedicated to Russia’s full-scale invasion, which has been honored with prestigious international awards: special distinctions from the juries of the Museums + Heritage Awards (London, UK) and the European Museum Award of the European Museum Academy (Timișoara, Romania), as well as being nominated for the "European Museum of the Year 2024" competition by the European Museum Forum (Portimão, Portugal).
Today, this flag serves as the final chord of the exhibition, embodying the faith in the bright future of our UNBROKEN, PEACEFUL, HAPPY, and UNITED UKRAINE.