“1000 Days. Thousands of Stories” — a special project of the the Museum of Civilian Voices by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation commemorating 1000 days of full-scale war.

On February 24, 2022, russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, killing thousands and causing widespread destruction.  Almost 1000 days have passed — 1000 days of tears, pain, despair, resilience, hope, and unbreakable spirit. Ukraine stands strong, resists, and believes in victory. The Museum of Civilian Voices by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation has collected over 120,000 stories from those affected by the war.

“1000 Days. Thousands of Stories” is a project by the Museum that reminds the world of the ongoing war in the heart of Europe. This collection presents 20 key events from 1000 days of full-scale war: the first day of invasion, the assault on Kyiv, millions of refugees, the tragedy of Mariupol, the abduction of Ukrainian children, the fortress of Bakhmut, the liberation of Kherson, the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP, and other pivotal moments—all told through the lives of Ukrainians whose stories are preserved in the Museum of Civilian Voices by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.

• Ilia, 10, from Mariupol, lost his mother, was injured himself, and endured a long journey from occupied territories to Kyiv: https://bit.ly/4fEYe1D
• Oleh, an MBA teacher from Kyiv, miraculously survived torture while held captive by Russian forces: https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/en/stories/u-poloni-mene-prosto-vbyvaly-zmishuvaly-z-zemleyu
• Natalia from Mariupol, witnessed her hometown in ruins, saw the dead in the streets, and barely survived a severe injury: https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/en/stories/ya-bachyla-vse-zruynovani-budynky-trupy-yaki-prosto-lezhaly-na-vulytsi
• Larisa, a doctor from Kyiv, saved newborns during a brutal rocket attack on the Okhmatdyt hospital: https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/en/stories/naygolovnishym-bulo-schob-dity-ne-postrazhdaly

These are just a few of the 1000 stories. Explore more at https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/en/expositions/1000-dniv

Natalia Yemchenko, member of the Supervisory Board of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation, said:  "I am convinced that the most important museums of this war and the main forms of memory in general should be dedicated not to events, but to people and human stories. People who participated in and witnessed those events. The Museum of Civilian Voices is already one of the largest in the world in terms of the number of civilian stories. It is here that hundreds of thousands of voices of those who lost their homes, loved ones, health, work, but did not lose their memory and ability to testify to the truth can be heard."

The Museum of Civilian Voices by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation has been collecting, preserving, and sharing testimonies of civilians about their experiences during the war in Ukraine since 2014. It is the world’s largest archive and a source of truth about the war, with over 120,000 stories and new ones added every day.