Veronika Kozhushko’s voice turns into a chorus of voices: ZMINA joined the presentation of the “Generation Nika” anthology

On 26 May 2026, PEN Ukraine hosted the presentation of the “Generation Nika” anthology – a collection of texts and visual works by participants of the eponymous award for young Ukrainian artists and writers, established in honour of Veronika Kozhushko, a Kharkiv artist and poet killed by Russia.

The Human Rights Centre ZMINA joined the event. During the presentation, participants spoke about memory as a way of continuing life, about culture in times of war, and about how a new generation of Ukrainian authors reflects on the experience of the full-scale invasion.

The discussion was moderated by Alena Lunova, Advocacy Director at ZMINA. She stressed that this was not simply about loss, but about Russia’s deliberate destruction of Ukraine’s cultural environment.

“I would like to speak not about deaths, but about killings, because this is exactly what the Russian Federation is doing – it is killing our artists, it is killing our civilians, it is trying to kill our way of life“, Lunova stressed.

According to her, the anthology became a continuation of the memory of Nika Kozhushko and a way to preserve the voices of young authors creating amid the war today.

Miliena Liashenko, Head of the “Generation Nika” Award, said that 246 artists had applied for the prize this year, while a total of 416 young writers and artists had submitted applications over the two years of the award’s existence. She described the award ceremony as “theatrical, beautiful and tender” and stressed that the anthology had become a natural continuation of the prize.

“These are not just numbers. These are works of art, creativity, talents – an entire universe that they put into their art“, Liashenko noted.

She also drew attention to the participants’ broad geographical representation and the fact that more and more young authors already have their own books, exhibitions and artistic projects.

Photo: Alena Lunova, Tetiana Pylypchuk, Miliena Liashenko, Oleksandr Savchuk, Tetiana Pechonchyk, Maksym Yelihulashvili

Tetiana Pylypchuk, co-founder of the award and Director of the Kharkiv Literary Museum, stressed that the prize emerged not only as a way to mourn Nika’s loss, but also to support the life that continues.

“We wanted life to continue, so that we would not only mourn, but also be able to go on living“, she said.

Pylypchuk recalled how Nika Kozhushko, together with her friends, had “taken over” the literary museum space with her energy and desire to create, and how after her killing there remained a feeling “as if something had been left unfinished”.

“We wanted to give young people space, a platform for expression, and an opportunity to become more visible among already recognised figures“, added the co-founder of the award and Director of the Kharkiv Literary Museum.

Publisher Oleksandr Savchuk stressed the importance of documenting the voices of the younger generation during the war and noted that the anthology had become not only the result of the award, but also a way to continue Nika Kozhushko’s presence in the contemporary cultural space.

According to Savchuk, the texts and works of the participants convey the living energy of a generation for whom creativity has become a way to speak about the experience of war, loss and the future.

“These are very different voices, very different texts and intonations, but that is precisely where the value lies – in giving young people a platform for expression“, he said.

He also stressed that the memory of Nika should not become merely a memorial symbol, but should live on through support for new authors who continue to create.

Tetiana Pechonchyk, Head of the Board of the Human Rights Centre ZMINA, stressed that remembering artists killed by Russia is also part of the struggle for justice. According to her, the “Ukrainian Culture Makers Killed by Russia” memorial platform has so far documented at least 275 cultural figures whose lives were taken by Russian aggression.

“For us, as human rights defenders, it is very important to speak about the dimension of justice. This includes legal accountability, the right to truth and memorialisation“, Pechonchyk noted.

Photo: Miliena Liashenko, Oleksandr Savchuk, Tetiana Pechonchyk, Maksym Yelihulashvili

She added that the “Generation Nika” Award and the anthology had become an example of how memory can unite people and continue the voices of those whose lives were cut short.

“Her voice, which was silenced, is turning into a chorus of voices reflected in this anthology“, the head of Human Rights Centre ZMINA noted.

Maksym Yelihulashvili, conflictologist and dialogue facilitator at the “Tolk” analytical group, spoke about memory as a living process that should not turn into a rigid canon.

“Literature is an entry point into a certain reality that is inaccessible to me, but one that I am allowed to understand“, he said while commenting on the texts of the anthology’s young authors.

During the event, Liliia Polyvoda, winner of the 2025 “Generation Nika” Award in the Literature category, also read a poem about her hometown of Sumy.

Photo: Liliia Polyvoda

The “Generation Nika” Award is intended to become a long-term project supporting young artists and a space for the development of new voices in Ukrainian culture.

The organisers of the award said they intended to continue the initiative, expand the circle of participants and preserve the memory of Veronika Kozhushko through support for a new generation of writers and artists.

Earlier, the Human Rights Centre ZMINA also joined the “Generation Nika” Award ceremony in Kharkiv. More details can be found on the organisation’s website in the article “Memory that shapes the future: ZMINA joined the “Generation Nika” Award Ceremony in honour of Veronika Kozhushko“, as well as in Liudmyla Tiahnyriadno’s article “Writing became a way for me to survive and leave something behind”: Kharkiv hosts award ceremony honouring the late artist Nika Kozhushko for young creators“.

The “Generation Nika” Award was established in 2024. It is presented to writers and visual artists aged between 16 and 21. The founders are Serhii Zhadan, the Serhii Zhadan Charitable Foundation, the “Nika Generation” Charitable Foundation (founded by Ihor and Tetiana Kozhushko), and the Kharkiv Literary Museum (Director – Tetiana Pylypchuk).

The initiative’s partners include the Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky Center, the Past / Future / Art memory culture platform, PEN Ukraine, and the Human Rights Centre ZMINA.

Photos credit: Oksana Verbovetska, PEN Ukraine