This is a tribute to the Ukrainian Defenders – participants of the Kursk defense operation
On December 6 at 2:00 p.m., the War Museum presents the publication "Historical Portrait of Sloboda Ukraine: Kursk Region". The event will take place in the space of the exhibition "...beyond the border of our native land" in the main building of the Museum.
Project partners: Central State Archives of Supreme Bodies of Power and Government of Ukraine, Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Kyiv, National Architectural and Historical Reserve "Ancient Chernihiv", M. F. Sumtsov Kharkiv Historical Museum.
The publication is a catalog of the exhibition "...beyond the border of our native land", which was opened on September 6, 2024, exactly one month after the start of the operation of the Defense Forces of Ukraine in Kursk region, and documented the events of the war on this special part of the front.
The exhibition highlights the realities of the return of war to the territory of the aggressor state. Using the language of museum artifacts and unique archival documents, it paints a historical portrait of the Sloboda Ukraine region, the northeastern part of which belongs to Russia.
The catalog, like the exhibition, has three sections:
✅ the first covers the period from the 17th to 19th centuries. In particular, it introduces the history of the Ukrainian colonization of the territories of Kursk, Belgorod and Voronezh regions from the second half of the 17th century, when Ukrainian settlements arose on deserted fields and Tatar paths, and the Cossacks were the driving force of this process.
✅ in the second, the formation of borders between two Soviet republics – the Ukrainian SSR and the RSFSR is highlighted. Of the 72 unique documents included in the catalog, a significant majority is presented in public space for the first time. They testify to the expression of will of local communities, which was ignored.
✅ a separate part of the project is called "Edge". This is a selection of 26 photos by museum photographer Roman Pupenko, supplemented with objects collected during the expedition that lasted from August 15 to 18, 2024, in the territories of Kursk region under the control of the Defense Forces of Ukraine. The museum gem of this section is a shot road sign that symbolizes the historical crossroads of Ukraine and the Russian Federation.
Most of the sources presented in the catalog have been published for the first time. They will be of interest both to the general public and to a narrow circle of specialists.
The publication is dedicated to the Ukrainian Defenders – participants of the Kursk defense operation, whose heroism and courage enabled the implementation of the project.
We invite you to the presentation of the publication. Entrance is free.
