Mykolaiv is working to create a space of memory for people with the experience of captivity

The fourth stage of working discussions on the creation of a specialized memory space was held in Mykolaiv. The project is aimed at supporting and honoring people who have gone through the experience of being in captivity and is intended to become an important element of their reintegration.

This was reported by the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration on Facebook.

The organizers seek to create not a formal monument, but a meaningful environment that will broadcast the real experiences and feelings of people who have been through captivity. The future project is based on emotional images heard from the released defenders themselves.

In particular, an important symbol was the conviction of one of the former prisoners: despite the occupiers' orders to look only at the ground, he internally held on to the fact that his "sky was above. This image became a symbol of indestructible inner freedom. Another semantic reference point was the word "Hush," which was mentioned by a representative of the Stalevi Charitable Foundation Halyna Hrytseniak. This constant warning in the prisons symbolized both the daily danger and the touching care of the prisoners for each other.

The discussion was joined by Mykhailo Hryhorenko, head of the regional branch of the NUAU Architectural Chamber, who helped translate these emotional meanings into the language of architecture. The initiator of the space was Nelli Yarovenko, an adviser to the patronage service of the Mykolaiv Regional Administration, and the practical part of the meeting was held by the city's chief architect Yevhen Polyakov and the team of the specialized department.

At this stage, the participants have already begun creating a model of the future space to visualize the symbols. Veterans, families of prisoners of war and missing persons, representatives of public organizations and military personnel from the 79th, 299th, 123rd Brigades and the Marine Corps actively joined the work. A special role was assigned to the participation of teenagers, as the involvement of young people is critical to the formation of responsible national memory. Work on the project is ongoing so that Mykolaiv will eventually have a place that "speaks softly but strongly," protecting the dignity of those who survived.

Катерина Глушко