The Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation Has Collected 80,000 War Stories

Eighty thousand stories. Behind each of them is the voice and fate of a civilian person who suffered from the war in Ukraine. These are the stories about people who have suffered much, and about those whose lives were interrupted by the Russian aggression. Stories about pain, fear, and loss — and about hope, and faith in Victory. All of them were included in the archive of the Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.

The Museum has been collecting, preserving, and sharing stories since 2014 in order to understand life amidst the war for a better, peaceful future. Aiming to become a reliable source of such information, it collects stories told first-hand. In addition, it is also a psychotherapeutic project for people who are able to share their pain by telling their own stories and learning the stories of others.

The Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation strives to tell the world the truth about the events in Ukraine. This is implemented through large-scale international cooperation both with media resources and foreign educational institutions, the organization of thematic events in Ukraine, Europe, and the USA, through joint missions with documentarians, historians, thinkers, artists, and experts in preserving national memory. The Museum is the first and only representative of Ukraine in the international Oral History Association in the USA.

The stories contained in the Museum’s archive are living evidence of Russia’s war crimes in Ukraine. People who shared their stories with the Museum speak on international platforms, meet with influential people on the global scale, in particular the Pope. They talk about their experiences, drawing attention to the war and calling for help to Ukraine. Some of the Museum’s heroes have already acted as witnesses during the People’s Tribunal against Putin in The Hague. 

The Museum is a winner of some prestigious international awards, including The Drum Awards for Social Purpose and the Global Digital PR Award. In addition to working with stories and international cooperation, the Museum of Civilian Voices develops and presents some thematic collections. Its archive contains selections of stories from people who survived the horrors of Mariupol, survivors of Irpin and Bucha, collections about Ukrainian doctors, about saving cultural heritage, stories of celebrities, and children’s stories about the war. 

All this can be found on the online portal of the Museum of Civilian Voices of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation (https://civilvoicesmuseum.org/). Join in and share your story. You can do it both on the website and by calling the Foundation’s toll-free hotline 0 800 509 001 (the line operates from Monday to Friday).