The book “When They Don’t Knock on the Door: 25 Stories About the Russian Occupation” was presented at the Khmelnytskyi Oblast Universal Scientific Library in Khmelnytskyi on 29 April.

The book was created on the initiative of the NGO Eastern Ukrainian Center for Civic Initiatives and contains 25 personal stories of Ukrainians who share their experiences of living under Russian occupation or in the frontline zone.

The EUCCI Head, Volodymyr Shcherbachenko, said that with this book they wanted to convey to readers, particularly in Europe, the importance of understanding the consequences of the Russian occupation and to call for support to Ukraine. The authors sought to explain why Ukrainians cannot accept the aggression and what this means for the future security of European countries.

During the event, participants emphasised that any transfer of Ukrainian territories under Russian occupation will not end human suffering. Ukrainians living there face numerous challenges and problems, such as a legal vacuum, the threat of being punished for political beliefs or speaking Ukrainian, and a lack of basic resources such as water, electricity, food, and even education.

“My story is not about explosions, but about emotions. I heard the claim that if you were not raped, if you were not beaten half to death, you have no right to feel. But you do. You have the right to feel pain, and you have the right to talk about it. Emotions need a way out”, shared one of the book’s authors, Anastasiia Kozak, an IDP from Kherson.

The authors told that although the book was originally designed for European readers, they ultimately decided to publish it in Ukrainian as well, to give Ukrainians a space to talk about their pain and preserve their testimonies.

“I am a school teacher and teach Ukrainian language and literature to grades 5 through 11. In my lessons, I tell children that literature should not be easy; it should not just make us laugh and entertain us. All literature and art should make us feel something. These stories are necessary. This is recorded history, as no one can deny’, said one of the book's authors, Tetyana Cherepanova, a displaced person from Berdiansk.”

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 Center 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).

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 Center 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).