Unveiled Ukraine – the art exhibition and public discussions in Helsinki

On May 9, 10, and 11, 2025, Ukrainian photographer Kateryna Mostova, in partnership with the Ukrainian Association in Finland, presented the Unveiled Ukraine project at the Helsinki City Library Oodi.

The aim of the Unveiled Ukraine project is to show the war through the eyes of ordinary people whom russia forced to leave their homes in Ukrainian Crimea and Donbas in 2014. Photos, texts, and video testimonies reveal the horrors of russian aggression, the fates broken by the invader, the experiences of refugees, and the hope for reconstruction.

The exhibition also included lectures and discussions organized by the Ukrainian Association in Finland.

On Friday, May 9, 2025, lectures and discussions focused on the memory of the Finnish and Ukrainian peoples about the war and evacuation – Ukraine as Part of European Memory: War, Displacement, and Solidarity”. 

Professor of History Henrik Meinander, author of many remarkable history books, including  History of Finland and Finland, 1944 that were published also in Ukrainian. In his speech, he described how European countries’ refugee policies have evolved over the past century. 

Professor and chairperson of The Finnish Karelian League Martti Talja spoke about the Finnish experience of evacuation of 430 000 Karelians. He emphasized the common experience of Finland and Ukraine in confronting Russian aggression, and also spoke about the important role of solidarity and government policy in supporting IDPs and finding long-term solutions.

Mariia Zhyhurt, a teacher of Ukrainian language and culture, volunteer and board member of the Ukrainian Association in Tampere, told the audience about the important role of the Ukrainian language as an integral element of resistance to the invader.

On Saturday, May 10, 2025, the lectures continued in Ukrainian. The topic of the discussion was the Liberation Struggle of Ukraine in the 20-21 Centuries as a Path to Peace in Europe. 

Oleksandr Kostiuk, a volunteer and representative of Plast in Finland, shared interesting facts from the history of the Plast movement and its role in the national liberation struggle of Ukraine. Today, Plast performs important functions of patriotic education of Ukrainian youth. 

Oleksandr Yarotskyi, a history teacher and volunteer, known to many young Ukrainian evacuees, emphasized the central elements of Ukrainian civil resistance during the Soviet occupation and the struggle of the Ukrainian Helsinki Group for European values. 

In his speech, Oleksiy Prykhodko, translator and chairman of the board of the Ukrainian Association in Forssa, shared with the audience facts from the history of Finland and the threats of Finlandization. 

In her fascinating speech, Maria Zhygurt gave concrete examples of how Ukrainians in the past and today resist with the help of the Ukrainian language and how the language like a living organism changes during wartime.

Recordings of the lectures are available on the Association’s Youtube channel.

Sincere gratitude to all speakers, audience, to the author of the exhibition Kateryna Mostova, the sponsors of the exhibition, and the organizers of the discussions Arseniy Svynarenko and Iryna Gorkun-Silen.