‘I have a question for the Russian authorities: why did you kill our children?’

Photo: Olha Solapanova

The Courage to Remember

On the walls are portraits: young smiling faces, teenagers, and even babies. In the background are the destroyed high-rise buildings of Kharkiv, Izyum, and Chuhuiv. People bring flowers and toys to the lobby of the Kharkiv Media Hub. 106 children have died in the Kharkiv region since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. 36 families agreed to take part in the exhibition. It is heartbreaking to see the eyes of a murdered child on a large-format exhibition poster.

Tetyana Putyatina, who lost five of her children in February 2024 — her son, daughter-in-law, and three grandchildren — carefully touches the cold paper on which seven-year-old Oleksiy, three-year-old Mykhailik, and ten-month-old Pavlik are still laughing and hugging. Ms. Tetyana laments that she will never be able to erect monuments to her dearest ones, and there are still five crosses in the cemetery. She says the district authorities do not have the money for this right now.

Journalists surround Tetyana Matyash-Myrna; she has to repeat her terrible story again and again. In the portrait next to her is her Mark, who will forever be eleven. He died in October 2024: a Russian FAB-500 hit a Kharkiv high-rise building.

— Today we have gathered not for art, but for the sake of truth, — says Tetyana. — The history of this exhibition was not accidental. It was born from pain too great to be kept silent. It is the cry of parents who have lost their children, and my own cry among them. At some point, I realized that hiding your pain means accepting, being silent means allowing the killing of our little and defenseless. Russia is killing children. And the whole world should see this. It is not politics; this is not statistics. These are children who went to school, dreamed, sketched, and enjoyed their lives. But their lives were cut short. Their names are part of an enormous wound that will never heal. For me, the idea of this exhibition was not a dream but a goal. It was born while I was on rehabilitation, in Latvia, when I was able to stop for the first time and hear my silence. Then I realized the whole world should know about these children, the whole world should see their faces. They are not to blame for anything; they should not have died! This must be stopped, and someone must start speaking out! And today I ask you: look around, do not be silent, do not get used to it! Remember that the tragedy of children is the tragedy of all humanity. And this bell must be heard by the entire world! The opening of this exhibition is not to decorate the space, but to open your eyes. Look, remember, speak! The memory of these children is in our hearts and on these walls. Let it become a tremendous force that will change the world.

Svetlana Achkasova, prosecutor of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, reads a letter from Tetyana Tarasenko. She was unable to attend, but her son’s portrait is here as well.

“I am the mother of the first child who died in Ukraine as a result of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine. On February 24, 2022, in the first hours of the war, in our native Chuhuiv, our 13-year-old son Anton died from being hit by an enemy missile. But today I speak not only on my own behalf, but I also speak on behalf of all the parents who lost their children in this cruel war. Due to life circumstances, many of us are scattered around the world today. Some are outside Ukraine; some do not have the strength to stand here before the eyes of their children. This event is hugely important for us... This is a place where today the memory of our children is honored... Today, in this hall, are the thoughts and hearts of many parents who lost their children. Here, in a city where our children look at everyone only from a photo…”

This is genocide

Many families whose children were killed by Russian soldiers are provided with legal and psychological assistance by the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group. Director of the KHPG Yevhen Zakharov stated at the opening of the exhibition:

— I would like to sincerely thank Tetyana Matyash and other parents of the deceased children who found the strength and courage to provide their photographs and speak about them. I would also like to thank the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, with whom we collaborated on this exhibition, and, for the past four years, have been jointly investigating violent crimes committed by Russians in the Kharkiv region, particularly in the cases of the deceased children. The database of crimes committed by the Russian military during the full-scale invasion, maintained by the Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group, records the deaths of 13,842 civilians, including 672 children, 106 of whom were killed in the Kharkiv region. I have a question for the Russian authorities and the Russian military: why did you kill our children? Here is my answer: because they were citizens of Ukraine. This crime is called genocide. This exhibition should travel around the world so that the world remembers the faces and eyes of these children. The world must see what the Russian army is doing to the Ukrainian people. The grief experienced by the parents of the deceased children is truly beyond words. I can only say one thing: they rest with God, and their souls will return here for a new life. I want to say to all politicians — Russian, American, European, Ukrainian — first, coordinate your peace plans with the parents of the murdered children, and only then discuss them among yourselves.

The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, also stressed the need to disseminate information about the crimes of the Russians:

— Since 2014, the Russians have been waging a targeted war against Ukraine with a goal of total destruction. The destruction begins with children, which is why the Russians are killing Ukrainian children, maiming, raping, taking them away, and deporting them. They are doing this deliberately, purposefully, systematically, brutally and openly. We need to shout to the whole world so the world finally wakes up. The impression has arisen that the world is not just sleeping; they don’t even want to wake up, they don’t want to understand what is happening in Ukraine, they don’t want to know that every day, every Ukrainian child is under threat of murder. And unfortunately, there are many children whom the Russians have killed. Here we see a fraction of the murdered children whose portraits and information were permitted by their families to be posted. I particularly want to thank you for your courage; probably no one will understand your pain except those who have found themselves in the same situation.

The head of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, Amil Omarov, promised that Ukrainian law enforcement officers will do everything possible to bring to justice, both at the national and international levels, those who commit war crimes.

The exhibition will last until December 25. You can see it at the Kharkiv MediaHub, at Svobody Square 5, fifth entrance.