Artefacts of War: How Everyday Objects Bear Witness to Kherson’s Struggle for Memory

Everyday items have been transformed into historical artefacts that document multiple dimensions of the Kherson experience.

The idea for this article emerged during an interview I was conducting with Olena Afanasieva, head of the NGO Center for Cultural Development ‘Totem’. During our conversation, she shared her vision of establishing a “Museum of Resistance,” featuring exhibits that narrate everyday life in Kherson under occupation. Kherson was occupied by Russian forces from 2 March to 11 November 2022, becoming the only regional centre captured during the initial phase of the full-scale invasion. Despite active civic resistance, including peaceful protests, the city endured a harsh occupation marked by repression, kidnappings, torture, forced passportisation, and attempts at Russification. The Armed Forces of Ukraine liberated Kherson on 11 November 2022 following a strategic weakening of Russian logistics, and residents greeted Ukrainian troops with visible support.

The everyday experiences of civilians during the occupation have been documented through various projects: the documentary “Window to Kherson”, the Ukrainian-Estonian project “Lament of Kherson region”, and the reportage collection “De-occupied: Stories of Ukrainian Resistance”. Human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviichuk, in the foreword to the book “De-occupied: Stories of Ukrainian Resistance,” points out: “It often lacks resonance against the backdrop of statements by politicians who suggest handing over the occupied territories to the aggressor country and satisfying its imperial appetites. The voice of the survivors makes such appeals immoral.”

In this article, I will discuss the everyday experiences of Kherson inhabitants during the occupation by examining twenty artefacts collected for the future “Museum of Resistance”, which will be dedicated to the lived experiences of occupation. These objects have come to be regarded as artefacts following the liberation of the occupied territories, as they bear witness to life under…

Art: Boris Khmelny / MediazonaSince the beginning of the full scale invasion of Ukraine, dozens of Russian museums have launched exhibitions honouring the memory of fallen soldiers. These displays now feature an array of personal belongings and “trophies”—from Ukrainian Armed Forces badges to shrapnel from Ukrainian munitions, alongside commemorative coins and historic documents. A Mediazona investigation has revealed that a number of these exhibitions have been curated in line with directives from the federal government, aimed at presenting a uniform narrative of the “special military operation.” Russia currently holds thousands of artefacts, illicitly removed during the occupation of Kherson. Presently, these items are simply stored in Crimea, unsorted and uncatalogued, due to the absence of necessary computing resources.

Among the collections of the Kuzebay Gerd National Museum of Udmurtia are 38 possessions once owned by Nosyrev: a shirt, underwear, several pairs of footwear (meticulously catalogued as individual items—left and right), a sewing needle, a comb, an unused notebook, and a glass from a toiletry kit, to name a few. Nosyrev’s personal items were displayed in the “From Heroes of Bygone Times” exhibition, dedicated to natives of Udmurtia who participated in wars from 1812 up to the invasion of Ukraine.

During the process, the concept transformed and ‘grew’ beyond the scope of a ‘museum about the occupation,’ shaping the concept of a ‘museum of resistance.’ The team decided to emphasise the resistance against the occupation for a reason, as the unarmed struggle of Kherson’s residents against armed Russian soldiers became a phenomenon.