Recently, our team undertook a field trip to the city of Zaporizhzhia, aiming to locally document the full-scale stage of the Russo-Ukrainian war and replenish the Museum’s collection with artifacts representing the daily life of this frontline city.
During the trip, extensive video and photo documentation was carried out to record the consequences of systematic Russian strikes, which, unfortunately, in many cases resulted in numerous human casualties. This includes the destruction of residential areas, critical and social infrastructure, particularly industrial objects of strategic importance such as "Motor Sich" and the Dnipro Hydroelectric Station (DniproHES), educational institutions of various levels (kindergartens, schools, "Zaporizhzhia Polytechnic"), and medical facilities like the "Retina" ophthalmology clinic, among others. Damage to historical and cultural monuments as well as spiritual and religious centers was also chronicled, including the 1904 building of the "Zaporizhzhia II" railway station, the 1913 architectural ensemble of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Local History Museum, the Taras Shevchenko House of Culture built in 1949, the "House of Gospel", and others. Even public transport stops, which likewise became targets for the aggressor, were documented.
Separately, the museum staff noted the experience of organizing the network of underground schools, modular and permanent shelters, "Points of Invincibility," spaces for recreation and inclusion, and commemoration sites. They interviewed people called upon to ensure the vital functions and reconstruction of the large city. They documented the work of emergency and municipal services that dedicatedly perform their duties every day, despite all the risks.
The highlight, however, was a frank conversation with Ukrainian warriors who, despite all the frantic pressure from the Moscow horde and beyond all limits of human strength and capability, have been holding the front line for years, preventing the enemy from advancing toward the heart of the glorious Sich region.
The collected materials will become an important part of the museum collection and a primary source base for scientific studies and museum projects. Most importantly, they will serve to preserve the memory of today’s events. For us, wartime Zaporizhzhia will forever remain a place that faces daily threats brought by the Russian invasion. Yet, defiantly, like a single organism where the Ukrainian heart beats at full strength, it fights, works, believes, and remains worthy of Cossack freedom and valor.
We sincerely thank the Department of Culture, Tourism, Nationalities, and Religions for assisting in the documentation and collection of artifacts for our funds; the teams of the Y. P. Novytskyi Zaporizhzhia Regional Local History Museum, the Zaporizhzhia Specialized Boarding School "Sichovyi Kolegium", the Zaporizhzhia Academic Lyceum "Elint, and the Preschool Education Institution (Nursery-Kindergarten) No. 155 "Kalynka"; representatives of the Operational Command "South" and personally Ivan Demchenko as well as the management and employees of Ukrhydroenergo, the Dnipro Hydroelectric Station, JSC "Motor Sich", and everyone else for their openness, support, and help. Together we record history. Together we preserve memory.
