In our time – a time of war, propaganda, fake news, and fabricated history – Ukrainian culture and historical memory require special attention, and today’s youth are increasingly taking the initiative into their own hands. One example of such an initiative is the Shadows of Ukraine project, created by three student friends, two of whom study at Lviv Polytechnic. Their goal is to share little-known facts, events, pages of Ukrainian history, people, and phenomena that, for various reasons, remain overlooked but shape our cultural roots.
Violetta Romaniv and Kateryna Rekul are journalism students at Lviv Polytechnic who have been involved in folk dancing since their childhood. It was dancing that sparked their interest in Ukrainian culture and history and helped shape their strong civic stance. The girls are scriptwriters for the project, generating ideas, writing scripts and being responsible for communication.
The third member of the team, Anna Churkina, is responsible for the visual aspect: editing, design and style. She is the visual voice of the project, the one who transforms scripts into dynamic and emotional video content. Anna’s main focus is visualisation, dynamics and editing.
– Shadows of Ukraine is our project dedicated to Ukrainian history, culture and people. We want to talk about those who built our country, who deserve to be remembered but often remain in the shadows, both literally and symbolically. We strive to make history closer, more accessible and interesting, especially for young people. We want everyone who happens to come across our videos to learn something new and feel proud of their roots, explains Violetta.
– Today, in the context of war, we are especially aware of how important it is to know who we are, where we come from, and why our cultural code is worth preserving. For me personally, the main goal of the project is to show Ukrainians the true wealth we possess – found not in possessions, but in our spirit, our history, and our culture. We have a huge heritage that we can and should be proud of. It’s just that it has often been overshadowed, but we want to change that. Our goal is to make history accessible, alive and relevant. We want people not only to learn the facts, but also to feel an emotional connection with them, with the country, with the past and the future, adds Kateryna.
The team began actively working on the project recently, in the summer of 2025. That’s when a clear structure emerged: topics, scripts, filming, and the launch of social media accounts. Now the content is published on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook, with short videos, facts, and reflections.
The theme was chosen deliberately as Ukrainian history during wartime is not only a subject of study but also a tool of resistance.
– Today, when attempts are being made to destroy our history and culture, it is very important to take responsibility for protecting them ourselves. We cannot expect others to do it on our behalf. Ukrainian history and culture are the foundation of our identity and our nation. To speak of them is to preserve our memory. It helps us remain true to ourselves even in difficult times and forms the foundation for the future, says Kateryna.
– We are fighting not only for our land. We are fighting for our language, for our songs, for the right to call things by their proper names. For decades, Russia has tried to erase our memory, to kill it with famines, prisons and lies. And now it is killing us physically again. They want us to forget who we are. But every story told is our resistance. Every video, every mention of a forgotten village or a restored word is our defence. We must speak out, because silence means losing again. And we have already lost too much, adds Violetta.
