Exhibition “The Beginning of Ukraine’s Resistance: Defense of Luhansk Airport” Opens in Kyiv

On 15 June 2026, the outdoor exhibition “The Beginning of Ukraine’s Resistance: Defense of Luhansk Airport” opened at Kontraktova Square in Kyiv. The exhibition is dedicated to one of the first major battles of the Russo–Ukrainian War and honors the military men who defended Luhansk Airport in 2014.

The opening date was chosen deliberately. It commemorates the tragedy of 14 June 2014, when a Ukrainian Il-76 military transport aircraft was shot down while approaching Luhansk Airport. All 49 servicemen and crew members on board were killed. The attack became one of the most painful episodes of the early stage of the war and a turning point in understanding the scale of Russian aggression against Ukraine.

The exhibition builds upon years of work dedicated to preserving the memory of the defense of Luhansk Airport and documenting the events of 2014. It is based on materials collected during the preparation of the book “In the Ring of Fire: Defense of Luhansk Airport”, which draws on testimonies from more than 140 direct participants in the events.

The exhibition consists of 20 information banners – 10 in Ukrainian and 10 in English. This bilingual format makes the story accessible both to Ukrainian visitors and to international audiences, helping to communicate the origins and significance of the Russo–Ukrainian War beyond Ukraine.

The exhibition goes beyond the story of the 146-day defense of the airport itself. It places those events within the broader context of the first phase of the war, introducing visitors to the defenders of the airport, participants of the Luhansk Euromaidan movement, volunteers, and civilians who became part of Ukraine’s resistance.

The project also reflects the international dimension of memory work. The English-language edition of “In the Ring of Fire: Defense of Luhansk Airport” has already reached readers in seventeen countries. At the same time, the exhibition serves another important purpose: encouraging deeper reflection within Ukraine itself. More than a decade later, the events of 2014 continue to offer lessons that deserve further study and public discussion.

Visitors are invited not only to learn about the defense of Luhansk Airport but also to reflect on broader issues of historical memory, cognitive de-occupation, societal resilience, freedom, and independence. In this sense, the exhibition is not merely about the past – it is also a conversation about Ukraine’s future.

The exhibition was organized by the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance in cooperation with the Department of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports of the Milove Settlement Council (Starobilsk district, Luhansk region).

The opening brought together a large community of people from the Luhansk region, defenders of Luhansk Airport, scholars, educators, public figures, and representatives of higher education institutions, among them Taras Shevchenko Luhansk National University and Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University. For many participants, the story of Luhansk Airport is not only part of Ukraine’s national memory but also a deeply personal story of resistance, loss, responsibility, and hope.

The concept of the exhibition was developed by the project team on the basis of materials from the book “In the Ring of Fire: Defense of Luhansk Airport” and years of work devoted to preserving the memory of the airport’s defenders. The visual design of the exhibition was created by Yaroslav Baran, Andrii Karbivnychyi, and Mark Halhash.

The exhibition will remain on display at Kontraktova Square in Kyiv for one month – till July 15 – and is open to all visitors.

Photo credit: Oleksandr Volchanskyi.