On 5 February, a collection of stories written by eyewitnesses was presented in Zaporizhzhia. The event took place in the smart shelter of the ‘Titan’ Palace of Culture and brought together writers, activists, local government officials, internally displaced persons from various cities in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and anyone interested in preserving the truth about the war.

The book “When There’s No Knocking at the Door” initiated by the Eastern Ukrainian Centre for Civic Initiatives contains 25 personal stories of Ukrainians who have survived occupation, evacuation, loss of loved ones, and captivity during the years of war since 2014. The participants discussed the importance of preserving eyewitness testimonies and their role in conveying the brutal truth of Russia’s war to the world.

During the presentation, the authors of the book shared their experiences. They emphasised that the main goal of this publication is to show the real stories of Ukrainians and convey the unacceptable nature of life under Russian occupation.

The first who shared her experience was Tetiana Cherepanova, a Ukrainian language teacher. The young woman lived in her native Berdiansk at the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion. At the presentation, she shared the emotions that overwhelmed her in the first days of the city’s capture. Tetiana expressed her sincere gratitude to all those who helped her break out of the enemy’s encirclement:

“My story in the book ends, but my life goes on thanks to Ukrainian soldiers like the one who was the first to greet us with a smile in a village near Zaporizhzhia. I am here thanks to those who support the front line every day from the rear, and thanks to those who are now forever on the shield.”

Tamara Komlyk, Head of the Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports of the Vasylivka City Council in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, also shared her war story. This author dedicated her essay to the occupation of her hometown and the organisation of the ‘road of life’ that saved many distressed Ukrainians in the south of the country.

“We were aware of the value of the so-called ‘green corridors’ announced by officials at various levels. After all, it happened in our city, on our road of life and in front of us. All those thousands of people from Mariupol, Donetsk, Kherson, from the south and east of Ukraine passed through our hands and hearts”, emphasised Tamara Komlyk.

Another author of thebook, Daria Shvets, shared her memories of the first months of the full-scale invasion. She met the spring of 2022 in Orikhiv. Her city is still suffering destruction from daily Russian shelling. Daria is afraid that eventually she will simply have nowhere to return to:

“My story is about losing my home; about constantly trying to find that ‘home comfort’ in new cities and flats, fleeing from the Russian invasion; about the homeland that we always have in our hearts and carry with us in our grab bags. My story is about the people who shape my identity as a Ukrainian woman.”

The moderator of the meeting, Volodymyr Shcherbachenko, Head of the Eastern Ukrainian Centre for Civic Initiatives, noted that at the start of the project, he had doubts about whether it would be appropriate to publish the book for Ukrainian readers, since the collection was intended to be a mouthpiece of truth for a foreign audience. However, the presentation in Zaporizhzhia, like previous presentations of the book, confirmed the advisability of publishing the book in Ukrainian.

 “When we made the decision to print the book, I was a little worried about it. After all, many people saw the war by with their own eyes. Why would such people need someone else’s difficult stories about the war?

 However, the feedback from today’s presentation convinced me that we made the right decision. Those who came today said that not everyone had the opportunity and strength to express their experiences themselves. They are grateful that the pain, suffering, courage and incredible strength of Ukrainians are not being silenced, and we are talking about it openly. This brings relief and gives strength in these difficult times.”

The event sparked considerable interest among visitors, and the book became yet another testament to the resilience of Ukrainians. The presentation showed that the society needs the stories in the book, as they invigorate those who had similar experiences and help others better understand why Ukraine will never accept the occupation.

The presented book and the project’s multimedia platform are available to Ukrainian-speaking readers. The EUCCI team is currently working on an English language version of the book and continues to present it throughout Ukraine. 

This book was prepared as part of the project “Empowering civil society for a transformation of commemorative culture - non-violent contributions to deal with Russia's war against Ukraine” by the Eastern Ukrainian Centre for Civic Initiatives with the support of Kurve Wustrow – Centre for Training and Networking in Non-Violent Action as part of the Civil Peace Service (CPS) project.