This photo exhibition tells the story of a trip to the Kherson region. In October, our team of documentarians from the Human Rights Education House in Chernihiv conducted a monitoring mission in the Kherson region as part of the project “Education under fire” (Kherson and Sumy regions).” Our goal was to document attacks on educational institutions.

During the 7-day visit, our team managed to document 15 educational institutions. Most of them are either completely destroyed and beyond restoration or significantly damaged. Russian occupiers lived in many institutions, turning them into torture chambers and ammunition depots, deploying military equipment. Some schools were systematically targeted by Russian forces.

These photos of educational institutions in the Kherson region reveal the truth about what Russia is doing to education in Ukraine.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Zarychenska branch of the primary and preschool education institution “Archangelsk supportive institution of general secondary education” of the Vysokopil village council, Zarychne village.  

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village. 

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village. 

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Novovoskresensk Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village.

Novovoskresensk Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village.

Liubymiv Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village. 

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village. 

Novovoskresenska Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village. 

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.  

Novovoskresenska Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Zarychenska branch of the primary and preschool education institution “Archangelsk supportive institution of general secondary education” of the Vysokopil village council, Zarychne village.

Zarychenska branch of the primary and preschool education institution “Archangelsk supportive institution of general secondary education” of the Vysokopil village council, Zarychne village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village. 

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village. 

Novovoskresenska Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village. 

Novovoskresenska Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village. 

Liubymivska Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka  village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

Novovoskresenska Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Novovorontsovsky district, Novovoskresenske village.

“Novovoskresenska Secondary School I-III Levels, Novovoroncovsky District, Kherson Region, Village Novovoskresenske”

“Novovoskresenska Secondary School I-III Levels, Novovoroncovsky District, Kherson Region, Village Novovoskresenske”

Zarychenska branch of the primary and preschool education institution “Archangelsk supportive institution of general secondary education” of the Vysokopil village council, Zarychne village.

Liubymivka Comprehensive School I-III degrees, Ivaniivska village council, Henichesk district, Liubymivka village.

The author of the photos: Tetyana Symonenko.

As part of the project ‘Education under fire (Kherson and Sumy Regions),’ with financial support from the Czech organization People in Need, as part of the SOS Ukraine initiative.

Love always wins because it is impossible to overcome. But nothing breaks people’s lives like war. Because war is the most terrible crime that requires condemnation and punishment.

In the village of Priputni, the invaders entered on February 25, 2022. Here, the Russians shot and tortured seven local residents. In addition – looting, mockery, destroyed, burned, and looted houses.

Grandfather Hrytsko and grandmother Valya, local residents, witnessed numerous crimes of Russian inhumanity. We are in a partially rebuilt residence of the elderly couple. Here is their story.

Hidin g in the cellar

On February 25 at 11:00, a column of tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other enemy equipment passed through the village. At first, the old man did not understand what was happening because the military, like sparrows, sat on armored vehicles, even waving their hands. When grandfather and grandmother realized that these were occupiers, they hid in the cellar. Columns continued to move one after another, two or three a day, and Valya, sitting in the cellar, began to count the number of vehicles by sound. One hundred fifty-seven… The next one – one hundred forty-seven… Another ninety-six… There was a very small one – thirty-eight.

At first, the Russians didn’t touch anyone, but when the Ukrainian Armed Forces pushed them back, beaten and angry, they began to vent their anger on local residents. They broke into houses, killed dogs and cattle, robbed houses, destroyed and burned.

From February 25, every day rockets, helicopters flew over the house, explosions echoed around. And every time Valya, to hide in the cellar, dragged her semi-paralyzed husband. It was very scary, but despite this, they didn’t want to leave their home until the end.

On the night of March 21-22, 2022, occupiers entered their yard. When no one opened the door for them, they broke the lock, burst into the house, and started shooting. They wounded a dog, leaving piles of casings, puddles of blood, chaos, and terrified people to death.

The next day, the chief transported Valya and Hryts to the center of the village, where it was a bit safer. It turned out that he practically saved their lives because the next day a plane landed on their yard and damaged the house’s foundation. The neighboring house burned down, and the fire spread to their barn. But the villagers who were nearby managed to extinguish the fire.

They cried and hugged

In general, people, despite terrible circumstances and constant threats to life, took care of and helped each other. With tears in her eyes, Valya remembers the day when she persuaded her grandfather to let her go to church. The old man, with a heavy heart, let her go, but begged her to ride her bike through the gardens.

At that very moment, when Valya was in the church, a tank with a machine gun on the roof drove up to their yard. The old man quietly looked out from behind the curtain and saw the barrel of the machine gun aimed at his window. At that moment, he had only one thought – happiness that his Valyusha was not at home because her heart would not have withstood this horror.

Two invaders jumped off the armor and headed towards the house, and thank God, they passed by. Out of fear, the grandfather hid in the corner of the far room. Later, he heard the sound of the departing armored vehicle. When Valya returned from church, she saw a deep track from heavy equipment near the fence. With a horrifying thought that they had executed her husband, she rushed to the house, began to knock on the door and shout.

Realizing that the door was locked from the inside and not hearing an answer, she was seized by a new horror, that her beloved Hryts had completely paralyzed and died. And when he opened the door, they cried and hugged each other.

Listening to the story of this loving couple, one thought comes to mind: no matter how Russian occupiers try to intimidate, torture, and kill our people, they will never achieve victory over our dignity, our love for our land, freedom, and each other!

The material was prepared by Serhiy Ivushkin and Tetiana Vasilyeva as part of the educational course “Truth through Stories.”

The project is implemented by the Educational House of Human Rights in Chernihiv with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic within the framework of the local transformation project “Ukraine and Ukrainians: Modern Chronicles of Struggle for Freedom and Democracy.”

How a resident of the village Kolychivka in Chernihiv region overcame her own fear and crossed a mined crossroads to help people.

Bright and sunny Lyudmyla Mykolaivna, a resident of the village of Kolychivka in the Chernihiv region, has been a retiree for six years. According to Mrs. Lyudmyla, before February 24, 2022, she was engaged in her home, household, and enjoyed time with her grandchildren. She lived well, content with her life.

“I remember this day. My child made the first call at 6 in the morning and told me terrible news. I was shaken; I didn’t know what to do or where to go… I was alone. After some time, my children came to me.”

Former Activists Never Fade Away

Lyudmyla started going to the stores (at that time, there were still three working), buying whatever she could find. In the first days, the queues were endless, and people were grabbing whatever they could because everyone was in shock. Soon, the stores closed due to a lack of goods.

At the beginning of the invasion, realizing that something needed to be done, Mrs. Lyudmyla began calling the village mayor, asking to organize bread delivery. While the bridge was not yet destroyed, bread was delivered from Chernihiv to the village. Lyudmyla Mykolaivna collected bread for the entire street, carried it, and distributed it to everyone. And when they stopped supplying bread, she partially coordinated when people organized themselves and started baking with what was available.

“Farmer Tkachenko, he brought us milk… we made ends meet as best we could.”

After the occupiers left Ivanivka, life in the village began to recover. Humanitarian aid started arriving in Kolychivka, and Lyudmyla Mykolaivna helped distribute it.

“At first, people couldn’t figure it out… Then we decided to write lists for each street and organized distribution. They began to deliver us bread… We were happy and grateful… For those who lost their home, we searched for housing.”

Crossroads

The memory of the crossroads remains imprinted in Mrs. Lyudmyla’s mind. At first, the explosions could be heard from afar, and then they started getting closer and closer. And at one moment, Kolychivka found itself at the crossroads of shelling.

“It was coming at us from Shestovychi, Ivanivka, Lukashivka, and our side was there too. We didn’t know where and what was flying at first. Then we figured out where ours were. We could be calm; it wasn’t aimed at us.”

In the center of the village, to prevent occupiers from reaching the crossroads, anti-tank mines were placed.

“Everything was laid out here, on both sides of the street. So that when they come, we could stop them…”

On the other side of the village, Mrs. Lyudmyla had grandparents who needed care. The way to them lay through the mined crossroads. For a week, the woman did not visit her relatives, and then she asked a neighbor to guide her through that intersection because she was very afraid. She couldn’t avoid visiting because her relatives were also ill. There were no medicines, no light, and no gas. Every morning, overcoming fear, Mrs. Lyudmyla ran to her relatives before the start of shelling.

Mrs. Lyudmyla did not think that she would have to experience such horror at her age…

But thoughts and concern for others overcame the feeling of fear and fueled the fire of faith in goodness and victory!

The material was prepared by Olena Kozinets and Kateryna Trofymenko as part of the educational course “Truth through Stories.”

The project is implemented by the Educational Human Rights House — Chernihiv with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic as part of the local transformation project «Ukraine and Ukrainians: Modern Chronicles of the Fighting for Freedom and Democracy».

How Russian occupiers intruded into the lives of the Avramenko family, residents of the village of Pryputni in Chernihiv region

For the inhabitants of the village of Pryputni in Chernihiv region, the full-scale invasion by the Russian Federation became a test of resilience. Pryputni residents had no inkling that on February 25, 2022, a tragic chapter in their village’s history would unfold, marked by loss and an unwavering faith in prompt liberation.

War barged into the lives of Ivan and Maria Avramenko, along with distressing concern—on the very first day, February 24, they had to send their son off to war early in the morning. On the second day, at half-past three in the morning, Russians stormed into the village with gunfire, that’s when dark days of occupation began.

Ivan and Maria didn’t seek refuge elsewhere as their domestic animals needed care. “Grandpa arranged a cellar,” says Maria, “and we spent over a month hiding from shells.”

“Daily several-hour shelling… They stood in the field just 200 meters away,” Ivan points direction with his hand.

Our interlocutor observed helicopters landing on the enemy’s field base, unloading the wounded, and from the window  he saw how peaceful territories were shelled. Every day, the enemy brought in hundreds of deadly weapons and aimed them at people who did not expect this “Russian peace” and were living their quiet lives.

When the Russians first entered Ivan’s yard, he boldly asked them why they had come to his land since no one had invited them. “We came to liberate you,” and the villagers saw the cost of their “liberation” soon. Around each house, there were three or four tanks; when entering homes, they drove out the elderly, women with children onto the streets, and the hosts had nothing left but to move into cellars.

“They ransacked everything in my house,” recalls Ivan. “Even climbed into the attic. They took almost all the goods, even socks. They caught all the chickens, ducks, fried them here, roasted. And so in every house,” laments Ivan.

A little later, our people gave them a worthy rebuff, and it became the first triumphant joy and an unconditional hope that the Armed Forces of Ukraine would definitely liberate Ukrainian villages and cities from the onslaught.

The residents of Pryputni endured about a month and a half of occupation—without warmth, light, and in constant fear for their own and their loved ones’ lives.

“I hid a generator in the cellar,” says Ivan, “so my fellow villagers would secretly come to me and recharge their mobile phones, power banks. I had fuel reserved for trips to the apiary before the war, which is in my forest, so the bees didn’t feel the horrors of occupation,” Ivan jokes and immediately becomes more somber.

Ivan told how his beekeeper friend and his wife went to the funeral on bicycles and found their own death on the way. They were simply shot. Ivan didn’t talk much about himself, but his wife Maria remembered how her husband hid in the forest for a whole day because the occupiers intended to kill him.

Our heroes’ son was fighting for Bahmut while their native village in the north of our country was occupied. He held the eastern positions for 4.5 months. Currently, he is fighting on a different front.

Russian troops left the village on March 30 around half past six in the morning, and our Armed Forces smashed and scattered several hundred units of enemy equipment near Krupichpole.

“You should have seen how they ran like rats from a sinking ship,” our eyewitness enthusiastically recounts. “Scattered in all directions, and our plane chased after them, oh, how it went… It was a pleasure to watch. And when our Ukrainian bird went again, then snow fell and thick fog gathered, which prevented the complete destruction of the enemy on the spot. But a little later, their retribution still caught up with them.

The village is gradually recovering from the consequences of occupation and the atrocities of invaders. People have put their homes in order after fleeing the orcs. However, several dwellings remain completely destroyed, and their owners still live with relatives. But there is hope that people will eventually return to their homes, and the page filled with human sorrow and suffering will close forever, and this story will never repeat itself.

The happiest event during the war for the Avramenko couple was the arrival of their son on short leave. He arrived at his parents’ house with a huge bouquet of flowers. Maria says she has never received such an “infinite” bouquet, and her happiness was the greatest in all the flowers of the world. After all, the son returned, if not for long, from the war.

The embroidered towel made by Maria is an amulet for her son and his comrades. In return, Maria received a gift from the brigade where her son serves: a flag as a symbol of victory and gratitude for the mother of a warrior-defender.

This material was prepared by Lesya Volokh and Nataliya Nesterenko, participants of the educational program “Truth Through Stories,” which is carried out by the Human Rights Education House in Chernihiv with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic as part of the local transformation project “Ukraine and Ukrainians: Modern Chronicles of the Struggle for Freedom and Democracy.”

The picturesque village of Pryputni in Chernihiv region is one of many villages that endured Russian occupation. Friendly people live here, still recovering from the temporary occupation.

Residents recount that the Russians did whatever they pleased in the village – rummaging through cellars, catching and slaughtering chickens, forcing homeowners out of their houses, indulging in drinking, and causing havoc. Tanks destroyed houses, a store, fences around the church and school. Much harm was done, but everything can be rebuilt; the lives of seven fellow villagers, however, cannot be recovered—five were shot by Russian forces, and two detonated mines.

For a small village with around three hundred inhabitants, this is a great tragedy, and they can’t stop talking and crying about it.

On February 25, 2022, tanks and heavy equipment of the “Russian world” entered the village.

We meet a local, Hryhoriy Oleksandrovych Oliynyk, born in 1936. He worked as a driver in the local collective farm and later managed a farm. Together with his wife, they raised three daughters and have grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

His wife, Vira Petrovna, passed away in 2003, and he now lives with his daughter Lyudmyla, son-in-law Oleksiy, and grandson Vladyslav in their house. The young man, along with his grandfather, emotionally recounts the atrocities committed by the occupiers in their village.

Killed by Russia

Ten kilometers from Pryputni lies the village of Krupychpole. In mid-March, Yevhen Chemeris and Oleksandr Hryshchenko were traveling there and were shot with a machine gun, burning in their car. This happened in mid-March, according to Hryhoriy Oleksandrovych.

The next story is even more shocking in its cruelty and cynicism. In the neighboring village of Vyshnivka, three kilometers from Priputni, Hryhoriy Prodani’s father died. He and his wife Svitlana were riding on bicycles to the funeral in the morning. Unfortunately, they ran into a column of Russian mercenaries who simply shot the couple. The man died instantly, and the woman died in the hospital. Three children became orphans.

Another emotionally recounted story is about medics Volodymyr and Tetiana Pabat (known as Symoni) who stayed in the occupation with their two children to provide medical assistance. On March 31, 2022, they were returning with their children Hanna and Sasha from the Bezborodkiv hamlet on the edge of the village. Their car hit an anti-tank mine, and the parents died, the children suffered severe injuries yet survived. Now, Hanna is raising her younger brother; he is her entire family.

There are countless tragic stories for the grandfather and grandson. Each story is emotional, and tears cannot be held back.

How Bohdan and his father Mykola stole the “Hurricane”

But there are also stories that truly impress with their bravery. When the occupiers entered the village, as Vladyslav recounts, they looted and robbed the store, so there was no bread to buy for a while. Villagers helped each other survive as best they could. Those with flour baked bread and pancakes and shared them with neighbors. Those who lost their homes were sheltered by fellow villagers. After two weeks, risking their lives, locals started bringing bread from Ichnia. Families with children received a loaf per child, and adults received half a loaf each. That’s how they survived.

Vladyslav’s friend, Bohdan Hryshchenko, together with his father Mykola, residents of Vyshnivka village, stole a “Hurricane” from the occupiers in broad daylight, drove it into the woods, and then handed it over to the Nizhyn Territorial Defense. Ukrainians don’t abandon their own, and they will always come to help, Vlad says.

Epilogue

Life goes on; a cat with kittens joined the family, and they feed them because they are so small and helpless, says Lyudmyla. We wish them health, victory, a peaceful sky, and invite them to Kropyvnytskyi.