The Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation has gathered 130,000 stories from Ukrainians. This is the world’s largest collection of testimonies from civilians affected by Russia’s war against Ukraine, spanning from 2014 to the present. The Museum continues to collect these firsthand accounts. You can explore the stories here: https://civilvoicesmuseum.org
People from all walks of life and across generations, including children and adults, artists, performers, athletes, doctors, and scientists have entrusted their stories to the Museum of Civilian Voices. Their accounts serve as a vital source of truth about the war and as evidence for future legal proceedings against the aggressor state.
Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 radically changed the Museum’s work. Before then, most stories came from residents of Luhansk and Donetsk regions. Now, the war has left its mark on every Ukrainian, and the number of collected testimonies has grown exponentially. The Museum has also started publishing War Diaries – firsthand accounts written by Ukrainians during sieges, occupation, and shelling.
“After 2022, unfortunately, many people have endured new and horrific experiences. Many were forced to flee their homes twice. People needed to speak out. The Museum began receiving harrowing stories that had been rare before – accounts of surviving the hell of Mariupol, the abduction of Ukrainian children, the widespread use of torture, captivity, and entire families or apartment buildings being wiped out,” said Olha Huk, Editor-in-Chief of the Museum of Civilian Voices.
In response, the Museum has intensified its focus on psychological support. It regularly holds webinars and shares expert advice to help adults and children process war-related trauma. To ensure the safety of contributors, the Museum has introduced an option for anonymous story submissions. Importantly, the act of sharing a story often has a therapeutic effect, giving people an opportunity to speak out, process their experiences, and find the inner strength to move forward.
