The Kyiv School of Economics presented a study on documenters of the Russian-Ukrainian war – featuring ZMINA

The Human Rights and War Memorialisation Centre at the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) presented the first large-scale study systematising the field of documenting the Russian-Ukrainian war since 2014. Researchers analysed 90 organisations and initiatives, as well as 114 projects and works – ranging from digital maps to books and films.

Photo: Daria Svyrydova, Anton Drobovych, Nataliia Khendel, Roman Romanov

The study was presented on 6 May at the Sens bookstore in Khreshchatyk, ZMINA reports.

According to Anton Drobovych, Head of the Centre, the presented data represent only the tip of the iceberg, as many more organisations and initiatives are in fact engaged in systematic documentation efforts.

“There are 90 organisations and 114 projects here, but in reality, I believe there are and have been around 150-200 organisations systematically engaged in documentation efforts. And thousands of initiatives. Thousands“, Drobovych noted.

According to him, the first stage of the study has now been completed, while the next stage will involve translating the materials, followed by a comprehensive analysis taking into account feedback from international organisations.

The aim of the study is to provide a comprehensive overview of the field of war documentation in Ukraine and facilitate navigation for donors, state authorities and international partners.

“We had specific objectives. We wanted not simply to compile a list, but to place it within a certain typology, to present these initiatives not in a chaotic manner, but organised according to specific principles and to showcase them in a way that would facilitate navigation and understanding of the field itself, while also making it possible to fully assess how the field of war documentation in Ukraine functions“, explained Daryna Pidhorna, co-author of the study and lawyer.

According to her, the need for such a catalogue has also been confirmed in practice, as representatives of state authorities admit that they do not understand whom to approach and on which issues within this field.

“The state wants to receive assistance, but it has absolutely no understanding of what this field looks like or whom it is best to approach on specific issues“, Pidhorna noted.

The Human Rights Centre ZMINA was also included in the list of organisations. Among the documented areas of its work are the documentation of war crimes, its media platform, the online project “Ukrainian Culture Makers Killed by Russia“, and an analytical study on the denial of the right to a fair trial as an international crime during Russia’s war against Ukraine.