On November 7, 2025, at 2:30 PM, an educational event within the framework of the museum project “How the War Began” will take place at the Exhibition Center of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. The event is dedicated to honoring the courage and resilience of Ukrainian defenders and to reflecting on the events that preceded the full-scale russian aggression in 2022.
The event will bring together school pupils, students, cadets, and trainees for an open dialogue with Hero of Ukraine Volodymyr Zhemchuhov — a participant in the russian-Ukrainian war and a member of the resistance movement in the occupied Luhansk region, who endured captivity and, following his release, became a prominent public figure and advocate of veteran initiatives and patriotic education for youth.
At the center of the discussion is the hybrid occupation of Donbas, which began immediately after russia established control over Crimea. Participants will have the opportunity to trace how the understanding of these events has evolved — from the first days of aggression to the present, as Ukraine continues to endure a full-scale invasion.
The event program includes:
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a screening of the presentation video for the documentary “How the War Began. Chronicles and Witnesses. Episode 2: The Invasion. Donbas”;
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an address by Volodymyr Zhemchuhov, followed by an open discussion about his personal experience — choice, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit.
At the conclusion of the event, participants will have the opportunity to ask the Hero their own questions and share reflections on the price of freedom and the importance of memory in times of war.
