In February-March 2022, Bucha, Irpin, and Hostomel gained notoriety due to mass killings of civilians during the Russian occupation. Local communities began to establish a culture of remembrance to honor the deceased, yet those interviewed expressed that a professional approach and state support are lacking to realize these community ideas, reports 24brussels.
Civilian casualties that became known after the areas were liberated have not been adequately honored in all communities. Some relatives are the only ones remembering the deceased, while others organize exhibitions, plant trees, and flowers, and some are still planning memorials.
A memorial wall, the “Wall of Memory,” has been erected in the mass grave area in Bucha, listing the names of killed civilians. Irpin has created an electronic book of memory compiling information on civilian victims. According to local archival data, 554 people were reported killed in the Bucha community during the occupation. Irpin’s mayor, Oleksandr Markushyn, stated that approximately 300 civilians were lost in the same period.
Memorial signs have been established at sites of mass killings, including along Yablunska and Vokzalna streets in Bucha, and at the site of the destroyed Romaniivskyi Bridge in Irpin, which has been preserved as a memorial. Hostomel has yet to adequately honor the civilian victims, with reports indicating 78 civilians were killed during the occupation, according to local council data.
Artists’ Reactions Post-Liberation
Artists quickly responded to the crimes of the Russian army. British street artist Banksy left his mark shortly after the liberation in Irpin, Borodyanka, and Hostomel, as noted on his Instagram page.
A graffiti piece depicting a gymnast girl exercising with a corset around her neck has been cut out and preserved. The building had to be demolished. This artwork is now displayed in a glass frame near its original location.
According to Sofia Martyniuk, head of the memorialization department of Irpin City Council, the graffiti needs to remain anchored in its space, as connectivity to the site is essential for street art: “The work was moved just 100 meters from the destroyed building. It is crucial for it to stay there, as this area was the most devastated. We plan to establish a park soon.”
Banksy’s works in Hostomel are currently preserved at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, featuring two pieces. One illustrates a woman in a house coat, curlers, gas mask, and holding a fire extinguisher.
The second piece in the village of Horenka shows an elderly man washing himself in the bathtub of his destroyed house.
“Foreigners are drawn to Banksy. This is how people learn about the happenings in the area. The work featuring the woman in a gas mask was professionally cut from the wall for preservation. The second piece was preserved and secured by workers from the National Restoration Center of Ukraine,” says Kateryna Pavlenko, head of culture in Hostomel.
Estimations place Banksy’s works at around 90 million UAH, and plans are in place for their return to the village.
Bucha — Maple Alley, Murals, QR Codes of Remembrance
One of the primary remembrance sites for civilian victims in Bucha has become the Wall of Memory near the Saint Andrew the Apostle Church, where temporary burials of those killed by the Russians during the occupation occurred. The names of these individuals have been inscribed in the church’s backyard. This site has become an unofficial center for mourning, visited by both international delegations and families of the victims.
The local community plans to construct a full memorial complex, currently seeking funding for the project.
“We have an approved project and aim to implement it with sponsor funding, if successful,” shares Dmytro Hapchenko, manager of Bucha City Council.
Locals feel a general memorial for Bucha is insufficient. War correspondent from Bucha, Maria Kovaliova, hopes that the city will feature sculptural monuments representing the individual stories of each civilian victim: “Personalized memorialization in Bucha is needed through the establishment of urban sculptures that reflect the history of every killed civilian. Light bronze sculptures can blend seamlessly into the urban landscape and preserve the narratives of the events.”
This idea has garnered support from victims’ relatives.
“It’s a good plan, and there will be specialists who will execute it properly. My friend, Tetiana Prokhorchuk, was killed on her property on Vokzalna Street on February 27, 2022. Now, only close ones remember her,” recounts a Bucha resident, Liudmyla.
However, some argue that now is not the time to establish museums and that sculptures and memory trails should be created after the war.
“Currently, it is more appropriate to discuss how to provide psychological support to soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine and take care of their rehabilitation, as well as not to forget the living relatives of the deceased,” states a Bucha resident, Svitlana, on social media.
Despite differing opinions within the community, Bucha is finding various ways to honor the memory of its civilian victims.
The most well-known symbol of Bucha’s tragedy is Yablunska Street, where, during one month of occupation, 78 civilians were reported killed, according to municipal records. An alley of maple trees has been planted here, with iron plaques bearing the names of the deceased affixed to the trunks.
Work on the memorial park is still ongoing, as reported by Dmytro Hapchenko of Bucha City Council.
On Yablunska Street, in the cellar of “Aghrobudpostach,” eight Bucha residents were tortured to death. In their memory, American artists from Los Angeles, Bandit, Tristan, and Johny created a mural, while the city council produced commemorative plaques with information about the victims.
According to Romain Kabachiy, a historian at the War Museum living in Bucha, murals and graffiti serve as vital first steps in comprehending the mass killings.
Kabachiy notes that such artistic expressions need to be carefully considered and communicated with the community: “As memorialization is relatively new for Ukrainian society, it demands meticulous attention, professional approaches, and emotional restraint.”
Irpin City Council member and former Bucha deputy mayor Mykhailyna Skoryk believes the city requires a professional approach to memorialization: “There are official memorial sites and individual family practices. Creative community ideas, including those from architects, exist. There are also official memorial sites from the Kyiv Regional State Administration. However, all of this requires professional reassessment and a specialized approach, as Bucha occupies a unique place in this war. National-level specialists should work on memory here.”
Bucha is gradually advancing in memorialization—commemorative plaques with QR codes that lead to 3D reconstructions of the destroyed areas have been installed, including in areas already rebuilt like Vokzalna Street.
Irpin — An Open-Air Museum
Irpin has opted for spatial transformation. The ruined bridge over the Irpin River, which thousands used to escape shelling, remains in ruins as a memorial. According to Sofia Martyniuk, the idea was proposed by central government representatives, and the local government and community supported it.
The installation “Road of Life” at the destroyed Romaniivskyi Bridge in Irpin, as part of the social project “Kyiv Region. Places of Memory,” is seen as an excellent solution. The project was authored by Mykola Kanyuka, founder and art director of Expolight, who also developed one of the best memorials in Kyiv region, “Hero’s Cross” in Vyshhorod,” states historian Romain Kabachiy.
In spring 2025, 300 lavender bushes were planted in Irpin as a living memorial to the civilians and defenders killed during the occupation.
A digital platform called the “Memory Book of Irpin Territorial Community” has been created. Access to this platform is available on LED screens in various locations around the city.
In March 2024, the monument “Freedom” was established to honor the resistance forces of the Irpin community. This was made possible thanks to activists and volunteers who collected shell fragments around the city and proposed them as building materials, with the inscription “This metal is insufficient to break our will.”
Memorial “Freedom”
According to Sofia Martyniuk, a memorial project for civilian victims has been developed in the city. It was gifted to the city in 2022, shortly after liberation, by a Chilean architect. The head of the memorialization department notes that the project requires refinement and public consultations. It was proposed to install the memorial near the
