Veteran from Donetsk region explores his family's roots in Odesa region

Veteran and activist Dmytro Hlazun explored his family's roots in the Donetsk and Odesa regions, uncovering the forgotten tragedies of Ukrainian villages in the 20th century. His journey from childhood to public action becomes a symbol of the Ukrainian struggle for memory and national identity.

This is the subject of the documentary film "Reclaim Your Family" by the KhASHCHI NGO.

The new documentary, which combines the Donbas terricones and the steppes of Odesa region, tells the story of Dmytro Hlazun (Glazunov), a veteran, activist and our friend.

A native of Donbas, he begins to explore his roots through the fan movement of FC Shakhtar, which becomes for him the key to understanding the history of his family and the centuries-old tragedies of the Ukrainian people. His journey becomes both a personal saga and a symbol of the Ukrainian struggle for identity and independence.

The film tells the story through conversations with Dmytro and his relatives, as well as through filming at the sites of key events in his life. The audience witnesses the large-scale historical processes - dekulakization, destruction of the Ukrainian countryside, resettlement and repression - that took place during the 20th century and still affect modern Ukraine.

Dmytro recounts how, as a child in Donbas, the concept of national identity was almost non-existent for him: he spoke Russian and did not know how to answer questions about his nationality at school. His consciousness was awakened later, when he became interested in his family' s history and his own roots.

Dmytro's grandmother was Ukrainian-speaking, but changed her language after moving to the Donetsk region, which illustrates the complex process of Russification in the region. The film explores the history of the Hlazun family in detail. Archival materials show a double dekulakization: the first time in the 1920s, the second in 1930. The family lost their land, cattle, and household.

Dmytro and a team of researchers visit the village of Novohorhiivka in Odesa Oblast, where they find the remains of the Hlazuns' house, a former vineyard, and traces of the family's life.

The old-timers tell about the tragedies that the villagers experienced and how the collective farms changed their lives: people were forced to work, deprived of their property, and "enemies of the people" were forced to guard their own homes with signs in a prominent place. A special place in the film is occupied by the memories of the famine of 1946-1947, when people died and children were forced to collect ears of grain.

In addition, the film shows Dmytro's active civic position: from campaigning for the preservation of the Ukrainian language and culture to participating in the Maidan of 2013-2014. His personal story reveals broader themes, such as the loss of national memory, the destruction of Ukrainian families, and the struggle for identity.

The authors emphasized that studying family history helps to restore national memory. Each family story becomes part of the great history of the state and the people. The film reminds us that without knowing your roots, it is impossible to realize statehood and become part of the nation.

Residents of Bessarabia also talked about the terrible years of the Holodomor. In Southern Bessarabia, at least 112,986 people died from lack of food, including many children. Official death records compiled by district registry offices in 1946-1947 were significantly underreported, so the actual number of victims was probably much higher.

Анна Бальчінос