Places of Memory

Borodianka – a small settlement in the Kyiv region – lived a quiet and peaceful life before 2022.
People raised their children, worked, and made plans for the future. But in February and March 2022, the Russian army brought unspeakable pain, suffering, and death to this peaceful place.

Borodianka became one of the most devastated towns in the Kyiv region. No other city in the area suffered such massive destruction. Under heavy air raids, artillery shelling, and missile strikes, the town was reduced to ruins.

On March 1 and 2, 2022, Russian forces launched powerful airstrikes on Borodianka’s residential neighborhoods. The main targets were apartment buildings — bombs hit the central parts of the structures, causing them to collapse.

The buildings fell like houses of cards, becoming concrete traps for dozens of people hiding in the basements. The most horrifying fact — the occupiers intentionally prevented rescue operations. They knew that people were still alive under the rubble, screaming for help — but gave them no chance to survive.

Witnesses say they could hear voices from beneath the debris for several days after the bombings. Some people knocked, tried to escape, begged for help… But the Russian military didn’t allow anyone near. People simply died — trapped in concrete.

This is one of the worst tragedies in the Kyiv region — not just mass murder, but cold-blooded extermination of civilians who were deliberately left to die.

More than 40 people died directly from the airstrikes and resulting injuries. Aerial bombs completely destroyed eight multi-story buildings. Over 500 private houses were either burned down or destroyed by shelling. 32 apartment blocks were heavily damaged, some of them no longer livable. During the occupation, over 300 civilians were killed by Russian troops — shot in the streets, in their yards, simply for being Ukrainian.

Russian forces completely cut off Borodianka from the outside world. No electricity, water, gas, or mobile connection. People hid in basements for weeks, not knowing what was happening or if help would ever come. The occupiers looted homes, murdered locals, and shot at cars trying to flee.

Witnesses reported cases of torture, violence, and executions. Borodianka was turned into a ghost town — full of pain, death, and destruction.

In April 2022, Ukrainian forces liberated Borodianka.

After de-occupation, the rubble was cleared — and it turned out that dozens of people had died under the ruins, many of whom could have been saved. Locals buried over 300 bodies in mass graves, because the occupiers didn’t allow them to conduct proper funerals.

Footage of destroyed Borodianka shocked the world. Charred buildings, ruined roads, collapsed infrastructure — this was the reality left behind by Russian terror. Borodianka became one of the most infamous sites of Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

On March 2, 2022, Russian occupiers shelled the monument to Taras Shevchenko. They deliberately aimed at the face of Ukraine’s national poet, trying to erase his image from the earth. The photo of the defaced monument spread across the world, becoming a symbol of Russia’s hatred toward Ukrainian culture, history, and national identity. But the monument stood strong — just like Borodianka stood strong, and like Ukraine will stand.

Despite the terrible losses, Borodianka is rebuilding. People are returning, repairing homes, trying to start over. New buildings are being erected, shops reopened, volunteers are working tirelessly. The town receives support from Ukrainians and international partners.

This is yet another proof that Ukraine cannot be broken.