"We were saving the museum amid the shelling; we cleared the debris with our bare hands and removed the water with buckets. We lost count after the 67th bucket"

According to the data collected by the National Security and Defense Council, since the start of the full-scale invasion, the city of Izium in Kharkiv Oblast has withstood nearly half a thousand air strikes. Just like the majority of Ukrainians, the staff of M. V.  Sibilev Museum of Local History of Izium did not expect such a scale of military operations. However, everyone clearly understood that the museum itself and its unique exhibits were in danger of being destroyed. That is why the museum staff prioritized the safety of the museum collection over their personal safety. 

Amid the sound of explosions, the director and museum personnel were hiding the most valuable exhibits in the museum depository room. They managed to save a unique gospel in a silver and gold-gilded cover that was published by Hetman Ivan Mazepa in 1707. 

The city was occupied from April to September 2022. The museum building was damaged after it received a direct hit. To save over 11 thousand exhibits, the museum staff cleared the rubble with their bare hands, took out the glass, and removed the water… 

Dina Lystopad, the senior research assistant of the museum, shares a story about the rescue of the museum treasures and the bravery of her colleagues. In the middle of March, she managed to leave the city for Kropyvnytskyi, where she now had a job at the Museum of the History of Ukrainian.