On May 8, the Multimedia Martyrology "Children..." exhibition opened at the Narva Museum in Estonia. The project was created by the War Museum in cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.
The current official count of young Ukrainians killed by russian occupiers stands at 630. However, the actual number is likely significantly higher, as many cases remain unverified due to ongoing hostilities and the occupation of parts of Ukrainian territory.
The exhibition’s opening in Narva – a city on the border with the aggressor state – was attended by the Mayor of Narva, Katri Raik, who emphasized the importance of creating such projects.
Maria Smorzhevskikh-Smirnova, Director of the Narva Museum, stressed that tragic history is unfolding before our eyes, and a modern museum must show the horrors of real war to the world and preserve them for future generations.
The curator of the Martyrology "Children..." and War Museum researcher, Iryna Kotsabiuk, shared insights into the project’s creation and content. According to her, identifying deceased children is a complex process, but the most challenging part is speaking with their parents to collect information for the project’s database.
The Martyrology "Children..." is one of the War Museum’s key commemorative initiatives during the full-scale russian invasion. The first installation was presented in Kyiv on June 4, 2022, becoming part of a new culture of memory about the current war that is forming in Ukraine. Last year, the Martyrology was exhibited in Kaunas, Lithuania.
The War Museum expresses gratitude to its partner, the Narva Museum, for the opportunity to inform the international community about the crimes of russia against Ukrainian civilians.
Photographer: Illia Smyrnov
