As part of the “CultResistance” project, the War Museum hosted an author’s evening with poet, serviceman, and UAV operator of the Mara Unmanned Systems Battalion of the 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Mstyslav the Brave, Oleksandr Kucherenko, better known by his literary name Sashko Obrii.
Students of the Volodymyr Melnyk Academic Lyceum from Obukhiv attended the event and had the opportunity to discuss literature, war, civic engagement, and creativity during military service with the poet.
Sashko Obrii is the author of five poetry collections: The Alphabet of Youth, I.D.E.A., BUSOL, The Axe of Satire, and SimpleStep. Since 2015, he has been a member of the National Writers’ Union of Ukraine.
The poet described his decision to join the military in October 2024 as a conscious choice. Today, he serves in the Armed Forces of Ukraine as a UAV operator.
During the meeting, Oleksandr Kucherenko spoke about receiving the Vasyl Symonenko All-Ukrainian Literary Prize and shared his experience in civic and environmental activism.
The highlight of the evening was a reading from his latest collection SimpleStep, in which he reflects on the landscapes of his native Mykolaiv region, as well as a performance of the satirical poem How You Stole Borshch from The Axe of Satire.
Responding to a question from moderator Olha Vorobei about what motivates him to defend Ukraine, Sashko Obrii emphasized that his greatest source of strength is his love for his homeland.
One of the most emotional moments of the event was the poet’s address to young people, in which he expressed hope that Ukrainian children would remain in Ukraine and help build its future.
During the event, Sashko Obrii donated personal items connected to both his literary work and military service to the War Museum collection. Among them were a guitar case, a night lamp used during service in Donetsk region, a copy of The Axe of Satire, a “Donetsk Region” T-shirt presented on Vyshyvanka Day in 2024, diplomas from the “Steel Word” Military Culture Forum, and other artifacts.
The evening concluded with performances of the author’s songs Ukraine of Dreams and Victory.
The War Museum sincerely thanks Sashko Obrii for the open conversation, poetry, music, and the artifacts donated to the collection, which will preserve the memory of the modern Russo-Ukrainian war and its cultural dimension.
