Ukraine presents third volume of the documentary project "Living the War"

The third volume of the English-language book series Living the War has been published in Ukraine, aimed at an international audience. The publication seeks to help foreign readers better understand the realities of Ukrainian life during the Russian aggression, which began long before the full-scale invasion.

The new volume includes eight eyewitness accounts from those who lived through the occupation since 2014. Among these are stories of looting by occupying forces, resistance to Russian propaganda, and evacuations of families to safer places. The book also contains memories of Ukrainians about the siege of their hometowns, escapes from filtration camps, and other personal experiences.

"In this book, we try to answer one of the most difficult questions: what is Russian occupation? We believe that one of the best ways to find answers is through the personal stories of people," the project authors explained.

Among the featured stories is the account of journalist and first deputy head of the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, Nariman Dzhelal, who returned from Russian captivity in June 2024. The book also includes testimonies about looting of private homes by occupying troops, city sieges, escapes from filtration camps, and the detention of hundreds of hostages in cramped school basements.

Deep photo documentation materials of liberated areas (2022–2023) by Mykhaylo Palinchak, whose photos are included in the permanent collection of The Royal Photographic Society.
 

“This superbly produced book is a living testament to the wartime experience of the Ukrainian people, now in the third year of defending their homeland. Newspaper, TV, and online reports tell only so much, this book brings the human experience alive in the most powerful and memorable way. A brilliant achievement and hugely recommended.” – Stephen Fry, actor, writer.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Oleksandra Matviychuk, President of the Kyiv School of Economics Tymofiy Milovanov, and memory expert Anton Drobovych shared their insights.

"Communicative memory of what has been lived lasts for three generations, and then only what has been shown, reflected on, and recorded remains. Therefore, we must preserve personal stories, collect photo documentation, and keep a chronology of events. This is important to do now. Spread this in the world by all possible means to defend the truth and fight for justice," said Oleksandra Matviychuk.

The volume was created with the generous support of the Open Society Foundation and International Renaissance Foundation.

The third volume of Living the War costs 44 USD. You can learn more about it and preorder through the official website or purchase it offline at the "Zbirka" bookstore.