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The Day That Changed Everything: Ukrainians’ Memories of the First 24 Hours of the Full-Scale War

On the morning of February 24, 2022, peaceful towns and villages across Ukraine awoke to air raid sirens and explosions. Ukraine stood its ground. Its people stood their ground. We have now lived through 1,000 days of full-scale war. But the day when russia launched its major assault on our land is etched in the memory of everyone, for it divided the lives of millions into "before" and "after."

The collection of stories about the first day of the full-scale invasion, presented by the Museum of Civilian Voices by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation is a compilation of honest and heart-wrenching testimonies from civilians who, on that fateful February day, found themselves waking up to war. Their accounts are filled with shock and fear, but also an unwavering spirit that united Ukrainians in their fight for freedom and dignity. We invite you to discover these stories.

 
 

 

 

The author of The Trident on the Motherland Monument: “I will never forget what I saw on February 24 - 360-degree flashes all over Kyiv”
08.02.2024
Oleksiy Pergamenshchik
The author of The Trident on the Motherland Monument: “I will never forget what I saw on February 24 - 360-degree flashes all over Kyiv”
On February 24, after 10 oclock, the first wounded were brought in. There were a lot of them, they were brought around the clock
02.03.2024
Oleksandr Belash
"On February 24, after 10 o'clock, the first wounded were brought in. There were a lot of them, they were brought around the clock"
I was born in Nigeria, but on February 24, 2022, I woke up as a Ukrainian
02.08.2024
Victoria Osemene
"I was born in Nigeria, but on February 24, 2022, I woke up as a Ukrainian"
“In Berdyansk, the Russians filmed a ‘beautiful picture’ of the capture. Although they entered an empty port”
22.04.2022
Ksenia Zhiryakova
“In Berdyansk, the Russians filmed a ‘beautiful picture’ of the capture. Although they entered an empty port”
“The newborns in the shelter did not cry much and looked at you with ‘such’ eyes”
30.05.2022
Natalia Honcharuk
“The newborns in the shelter did not cry much and looked at you with ‘such’ eyes”
War is not just statistics. War is about particular people with their particular terrible griefs
12.06.2022
Constantine and Vlada Liberova
"War is not just statistics. War is about particular people with their particular terrible griefs"
Wounded from the territorial defence unit, he did not sleep for four days. All the time, he was screaming and trying to get back
27.07.2024
Daria Voronyak
"Wounded from the territorial defence unit, he did not sleep for four days. All the time, he was screaming and trying to get back"
Our youngest patient was 10 days old, the oldest was 84 years old
27.07.2024
Olena Govorova
"Our youngest patient was 10 days old, the oldest was 84 years old"
“There were the scariest three days, when we didn’t even drink water. We moistened our lips and that’s it”
04.07.2023
Iryna Romanchenko
“There were the scariest three days, when we didn’t even drink water. We moistened our lips and that’s it”
On February 24, it was scary to look out the window
19.08.2024
Ulyana Kondratyuk
"On February 24, it was scary to look out the window"
“On February 24, everyone realized that something terrible had started”
13.01.2023
Vladlena Yashina
“On February 24, everyone realized that something terrible had started”
Woke up on February 24 from explosions
18.01.2023
Kateryna Nevmerzhitska
"Woke up on February 24 from explosions"
“We removed the museum’s exhibition Trypillia Culture in the first hours, in the morning of 24 February…”
27.01.2023
Vladyslav Chabanyuk
“We removed the museum’s exhibition Trypillia Culture in the first hours, in the morning of 24 February…”
On February 24, the train was stopped, we did not reach Kyiv - it was already shelled
29.06.2023
Natalia Goncharova
"On February 24, the train was stopped, we did not reach Kyiv - it was already shelled"
“On February 24, I could not leave Kyiv”
17.07.2023
Maryna Sorokina
“On February 24, I could not leave Kyiv”
After February 24, it’s like I fell asleep and can’t wake up from this nightmare
14.09.2023
Mariya Tizenhauzen
"After February 24, it’s like I fell asleep and can’t wake up from this nightmare"
I am one of those people who came to work on February 23 and left on February 24
02.01.2024
Victoria Denisova
"I am one of those people who came to work on February 23 and left on February 24"
On February the 24th, I started writing a diary, which I called Chronicles of Embroidered Shirt
19.01.2024
Inna Mykutska
"On February the 24th, I started writing a diary, which I called 'Chronicles of Embroidered Shirt'"
“We were hiding in a ditch in the forest”
16.09.2022
Fedor Shchusenko
“We were hiding in a ditch in the forest”
“On the first day, we could already see Russian helicopters flying
10.01.2024
Bohdan Manzheliy
“On the first day, we could already see Russian helicopters flying"
On the first day, we received 16,000 people. Some of them didnt even have the strength to say anything
03.11.2022
Svitlana Rybak
"On the first day, we received 16,000 people. Some of them didn't even have the strength to say anything"
Thirteen people were killed on the first day
04.07.2022
Andrii Holovach
"Thirteen people were killed on the first day"
On the first day of the war, we started to understand that they had come to kill us
28.11.2023
Pavlo Kuzmenko
"On the first day of the war, we started to understand that they had come to kill us"
“They shot six young men on the first day. My godson was one of them!”
16.04.2023
Valentyna Datsenko
“They shot six young men on the first day. My godson was one of them!”
The most terrifying moment is the first day of a full-scale war
03.01.2023
Iryna Zaborska
"The most terrifying moment is the first day of a full-scale war"
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