July 18, 2025, 10:01 p.m.
(Photo: Intent)
Do we remember the civilians who died as a result of war crimes committed by the Russian Federation in the first, second, third and even fourth year of the full-scale war? How can we make sure that this is not forgotten on the one hand, and not an additional pain on the other?
The purpose of this study is to show the practices of memory in southern Ukraine. This first article will focus on Odesa, the second on Mykolaiv, and the third on Kherson.
We will analyze the positions of local governments, military administrations, artists, and philosophers who are directly involved in memorialization. We will also analyze how local residents react to the new places of memory.
Our research begins with the fact that when checking the database of citizens' requests for events related to the memorialization of civilian victims, the Odesa City Council (OCC) found nothing.
Oleksandr Tykhovskyi, Director of the Department for the Organization of the Work of the City Council, also told us that the council itself "did not make a decision on the memorialization of civilian victims."
But there are memorials dedicated to civilians in the city. The Department of Internal Policy of the Odesa City Council told us that a sakura alley was opened near the Odesa Regional Military Academy as a symbol of commemoration of the children who died during the Russian-Ukrainian war.
It happened on June 4, 2024. "The sakura alley that was planted near the Odesa Regional Military Academy is a symbol of eternal memory of the fallen children. We remember every victim of Russian terror. The strongest pain is when children die," Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, wrote in a telegram.
An alley of sakura trees. Photo: Intent
Later, the Odesa Regional Military Administration added that on June 4, 2025, on the sakura alley in the Heavenly Hundred Park, as part of the "Bells" campaign, bells were hung on the trees, symbolizing the voices of children killed by the aggressor.
Earlier, on June 4, 2023, the "Voices of Children" action was held in the City Garden in Odesa.
In August 2022, the installation "Childhood.2022" dedicated to children who died during the war was installed near the OVA. It consisted of anti-tank guns and painted helmets with flowers.
Photo: Odesa OVA
According to Olena Oliynyk, Director of the Department of Culture of the Odesa Regional State Administration, the inverted soldiers' helmets with flowers symbolized "the foundation of spirituality, which will sprout with light colors even in such harsh realities."
Photo: Odesa UUA
According to the author of the installation, Andriy Lyubov, each flower symbolized a child whose life was taken by the war. Now this memorial composition no longer exists, but there is an information board about it. Andriy Liubov told us that the installation lasted for two months, and the anti-tank hedgehogs scared people a lot. Now locals sometimes bring children's toys there on their own initiative.
A sign for the installation "Childhood.2022". Photo: Intent
It should be noted that all of these objects are located in front of the Odesa Regional State Administration, and behind them is the memorial to the "Fighters for Ukraine" in the "Glory and Freedom" park. We were assured by the city council that in order to honor the memory, the names of not only the fallen soldiers, border guards, and law enforcement officers, but also civilians, such as rescuers, volunteers, and medics, will be placed there.
Memorial to the Fighters for Ukraine. Photo: Intent
This year, the NGOs Veterans HUB ODESA, Hearts of Mothers of Odesa Region, and Family of Angels of Light held a memorial event called "The Bell of Memory" there. The event honors the names of all those who died in the Russian-Ukrainian war during the current month.
The granite symbol "The Bell of Memory" at the memorial to the Fighters for Ukraine. Photo: Intent
"The "Waterfall of Tears" at the memorial to the Fighters for Ukraine: Intent
We took a look at what the memorial looks like now. And asked what the locals think about it.
"I know that the memorial is dedicated to those who died in the war. But I don't like it. It is very hot now, and there is no shade here. The trees are almost yellow. I would like to see a fountain here," says Tetiana.
Memorial to the Fighters for Ukraine. Photo: Intent
"It is uncomfortable to walk around the memorial. The benches are under the scorching sun. I hide a child with a stroller in the shade of the park. But unfortunately, it's not landscaped. It's a mess when it rains. I would just put up one monument and that's it," Olha says.
The artist, who did not want to be named, did not like the fact that the memorial is located behind the administration. "Why not in front of the OVA? It's some kind of disrespect for the dead," he said.
Student Halyna said she really liked the Waterfall of Tears part of the memorial. "It's the visual content that makes it popular on social media," she said.
The Kyiv-based company that made the order, which specializes in glass products, notes that the design reflects the world around it, merging with nature and the sky: "And the water flowing down the glass resembles tears - a silent but deep symbol of grief and memory."
We also talked about the memorial with Oksana Dovhopolova, curator of the Past/Future/Art memory culture platform, PhD in Philosophy, professor of the Master's program in Memory Studies and Public History at the Kyiv School of Economics. She says that the memorial is "terrible" and "it should be demolished." When we asked her why, she replied that it was "dead." "It's uncomfortable there, it's turning into its opposite. Because trees cannot survive there. As an object, the memorial is not interesting at all. It's hot in summer and cold in winter. No one goes there. It's not about anything."
In general, the entire concept of the memorial was developed over several years by sculptor Mykhailo Reva and architect Nata Holovchenko. The project was redesigned several times - initially it was dedicated to the Heavenly Hundred. The authors moved away from the monument. According to them, the idea was to reconstruct the space of the park itself, combining granite with trees and flowers.
This is how the project of the memorial to the Fighters for Ukraine looked like. Photo: ng-architects.com
But even at the stage of discussing the project, the authors were told that "the trees would not survive," says Dovgopolova. We asked Mykhailo Reva to comment on the situation. He explained why this happened.
"I didn't tell any journalists this. This topic is tragic for me," the artist says. - "When I won the competition for the monument to the Heavenly Hundred, I was ready to implement it. But circumstances intervened. The regional administration held a competition for a monument to the ATO soldiers on the opposite side of the RSA. And there was no decision for five years. I was asked to link several memorial complexes into one. These are the Heavenly Hundred, the ATO soldiers, and the Crimean Tatars."
Mykhailo Reva at the exhibition "Diaries of Time". Photo: Mykhailo Reva's Facebook page
According to Reva, he brought a group of his friends and they made a pre-project proposal, the task of which was to remove the Soviet alleys and turn them into a different space that would have a different energy. "So they came up with a technique where the trees themselves became a memorial sign. There were a lot of scenarios - evening lighting, a lot of dramatic accents, which constituted a very delicate, human approach, when pathos is removed," the sculptor explained.
Then a full-scale war intervened. The artist suffered a cascade of illnesses, including cancer, and underwent seven surgeries.
"It was a stressful moment when I lost all my threads. Plus, the city appointed its own contractor. The people with whom we made projects together-they all lost their jobs," the artist explained.
According to him, this project is now "pain, disappointment, and sadness."
"I don't even know if the trees are watered there. We had to think about how to irrigate these trees. They are dying there. And I wanted the mothers of the victims to feel that their children were like living leaves, not dead. What should have been a sensual whisper turned into helplessness. There was nothing left of my plan there. I would like my name to disappear from there," Reva is dissatisfied with the memorial.
He also criticized the granite symbols "Bell of Memory" and "Waterfall of Tears": "Everything has turned into a taste collective farm. Some kind of amateurish glass and bell. What's this got to do with anything? Is this the Tairovsky cemetery? I don't understand. You are introducing an aesthetic language there that is not needed. It doesn't work."
It should be noted that the objects "Bell of Memory" and "Waterfall of Tears" appeared in the project later, it was a proposal to the city council from the NGO Veterans HUB ODESA.
The memorial has not yet been finalized - there are no names of the victims. It should be noted that at the presentation of the project, Olena Pavlova, a member of the city council's toponymic commission, insisted on immortalizing the names of the fallen rescuers, doctors, volunteers, and journalists on the stands and abandoning the term "defenders" as insufficiently capacious.
We are watching and will continue to watch this situation, but let's move on to other things. Speaking of long-term plans, Oleksandr Zhiltsov, Director of the Department of Internal Policy of the City Council, told us that they are currently discussing the development of a Concept for the memorialization of memorial sites of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the creation of a corresponding map showing future objects of commemoration.
It is about the construction of a standard model on Mytna Square with information about the victims of rocket attacks on the Odesa seaport and on Soborna Square (near the Transfiguration Cathedral) to memorialize the events related to the rocket and drone attacks on the historic center of Odesa, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Transfiguration Cathedral is being repaired after the Russian attack. Photo: Intent
It should be noted that the latest initiatives are quite fresh - they were submitted to the city council by the Odesa Regional State Administration in March 2025. The administration refers to the Concept for the memorialization of the memorial sites of the Russian-Ukrainian war and the creation of a corresponding map developed by the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory. The places on this map should be filled with important historical meanings and reliable information that unite residents of territorial communities and visitors to the places of memory.
We asked Oksana Dovhopolova, a memorialization specialist, what she thought of these stands. "This is normal. The question is in what form. Earlier there was an idea to create QR codes. It doesn't trigger you, it doesn't hurt anyone, it's your own decision to open and read it. But there is also a question here. How many people have push-button phones? So it won't work for everyone.
In general, in urban space there can be signs that tell what happened here," the philosopher says. - "But I don't understand why the cathedral. There are a lot of places in Odesa where tragic events happened. Maybe Soborna, yes, but not the cathedral, which is a "new building," Dovgopolova believes.
Regarding the renaming of streets related to civilian casualties, Ivan Liptuga, Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Culture and Marketing, noted that the Historical and Toponymic Commission under the Executive Committee of the City Council at a meeting on December 18, 2023, considered an appeal with a proposal to rename one of the city's streets in honor of the deceased Glodan family. The Commission decided to include the name in the list of potential names of toponymic objects. By the order of the head of the Odesa Regional State Administration, Oleh Kiper, dated July 26, 2024, Ilf and Petrova Street in Odesa was renamed Glodan Family Street.
This refers to the tragic events of April 23, 2022, when a Russian missile destroyed the Tiras residential complex in Odesa. Eight people were killed in the building and 18 were injured. The tragedy claimed the lives of three-month-old Kira Glodan, her mother Valeria, and grandmother Lyudmila. Yuriy, Valeria's husband and Kira's father, was out shopping before Easter.
We checked to see if there were new signs for the street, which was renamed last year. But there is still a chaos of new and old names.
Photo: Intent
A local taxi driver, Yurii, showed us where the old Russian-language sign was located and also told us that he did not understand why the street of Odesa writers was renamed: "There has never been any order with these renaming here. Only when you explained it to me do I understand why the street has a new name. But I don't think there will be many new signs with Glodan."
Photo: Intent
We also went to the building that was restored after the hit to see if there was any information about the tragedy. It should be reminded that after Yuriy Glodan's family was killed, he joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine and a year later it became known that he had died.
The only reminder of the tragedy in the Tiras residential complex is the damaged ceiling of the first floor. Photo: Intent
We did not find any plaque in the house. A local resident, Natalia, told us that on the anniversary of the tragedy, flowers and children's toys are brought to the fountain. Now there is nothing there.
Photo: Intent
The local security guard of the Tiras residential complex has been working recently. It turned out that he had not heard anything about the tragedy or the Glodan family.
In turn, Oksana Dovgopolova believes that the neighbors would not want any signs of the tragedy because they live there all the time: "They don't need to be reminded of anything. They already know everything. At first, people brought toys there. And every time I ask myself: Where do they go afterwards? Everyone came, threw out their emotions, and then the municipal service came and threw everything in the trash. In Kharkiv, for example, the communal services wash them and put them back."
The design of the monument to the dead children of Mykhailo Reva. Photo: Intent
According to our information, Glodan's family commissioned a monument to the dead children from sculptor Mykhailo Reva. He assured us that there would be no portrait resemblance to Kira, but he would think about the tragedy. The sketches are now ready.
"The shot door symbolizes a dead family, a shot childhood," says the artist. "And if the door is the main metaphor as a transition to another world, then the toys scattered around may represent those children who were taken away by the war. Any war is a tragedy of the family first and foremost," Reva says.
When we asked where the monument is planned to be installed, the artist replied that it is most likely in Shevchenko Park, between the monument to the Unknown Sailor and the Afghanistan monument.
"Memorial groups have already been created there, there is a thematic story. It will be logical and appropriate," the sculptor believes.
We would like to add that in 2023 the author organized an exhibition entitled "Study of Evil" dedicated to the war crimes of the Russian Federation.
But there are other examples of work with memorialization in Odesa. This year, on March 15, employees of the Emergency Medical Care and Disaster Medicine Department of the Odesa Regional Council opened a park and a memorial plaque on the territory of the substation in memory of the fallen paramedic Serhiy Rotar.
The park in memory of the fallen paramedic Serhiy Rotar. Photo: Intent
The park in memory of the fallen paramedic Serhiy Rotar. Photo: Intent
Serhiy Rotaru died in Odesa on March 15, 2024, while performing a mission. The medical team was the first to arrive at the site of the hit and began to provide assistance to the victims. But Russia hit the same spot again - Serhiy died on the spot from his injuries. In June 2024, Serhiy Rotaru was posthumously awarded the Order of Courage by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The park in memory of the fallen paramedic Serhiy Rotaru. Photo: Intent
We went to see this park, which is located in a residential area of the city. Serhiy's colleagues told us that the family of the paramedic is very touched by the memorial and comes to the station every month.
Now let's talk about street art and spontaneous memorialization initiatives. Let's start with the well-known Knizhka market in Odesa, as well as the main street of the city, Deribasivska Street. VoliaNeSmert project curator, designer and artist Volodymyr Umanenko regularly presents works by Ukrainian artists about war crimes and how civilians suffer from them.
Photo: Intent
It was there, at the Book, that the song "Kira" was first performed by the Odesa band "Fire Hydrant" in memory of three-month-old Kira Glodan.
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Video: GreenJek channel
"Valeria Glodan and her three-month-old daughter Kira were killed by Russian occupants as a result of the rocket attack on Odesa. In memory of Kira, we recorded this song with lyrics by Ali Heitlina from Munich," the musicians explained.
The biggest tragedy in which children died in Odesa occurred on March 2, 2024. The Peresypskyi district of the city was attacked by Russian Shahed drones, which led to the partial destruction of a 9-story building. The strike killed 12 people, including five children. The surviving residents of the building and the families of the victims made a spontaneous memorial of children's toys, flowers and candles. We checked and it still exists. Local resident Yevhenia says that this is what constantly reminds her of what happened here.
This is what the damaged house looks like now. Photo: Intent
A shop with children's toys and lamps still exists. Photo: Intent
"This bench is enough. And we don't need any object," Dovgopolova believes. - "Because these places of remembrance are not for the city hall to tick, they are for people.
I want the practices of remembrance to be different, to be thoroughly discussed in the community and to have their own therapeutic effects. There is a demand for trauma treatment, says Oksana Dovgopolova.
"But there is one thing: the authorities are solving these problems in a piecemeal way, we lack specialized communities that specialize in memorialization, and as a result, distrust between the authorities and the community is growing. This is what happened in Odesa, for example.
It is interesting to note that the Venice Biennale 2026 will be held under the title In Minor Keys. It's about art as a form of empathy and collective healing. By the way, Mykhailo Reva is already working on this and preparing his work for the exhibition. We will see!
This journalistic material was created within the framework of the project "Important Information for Local Communities in Ukraine", implemented by Fondation Hirondelle and IRMI with the support of Swiss Solidarity. The opinions expressed are solely those of the author.
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