2013-2014 became significant years for our country's history. Ukrainians of different ethnic and religious backgrounds united to defend democratic rights and freedoms, the European perspective for society and state development.

At the end of November 2013, the Ukrainian government and President Viktor Yanukovych refused to sign the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union. Thousands of Ukrainians disagreed and protested in the squares of Ukraine's largest cities, including the Dnipro. The population also was not satisfied with the crackdown on civil liberties, corruption, and clannishness in public administration and the economy.

On November 30, 2013, a special police Berkut, beat back peaceful protesters on Independence Square in Kyiv (Maidan). However, on December 1, Maidan was filled with hundreds of thousands of country change supporters.

In the showcase in front of you, there are informational stickers with the demands of participants in peaceful protests. Among them: calls for the continuation of European integration, return of Ukraine to the parliamentary-presidential form of government according to the norms of the Constitution of 2004, restriction of lawlessness and arbitrariness of power, etc. At the top, above the showcase, there is the national flag of Ukraine with the inscription “Ukraine in the EU.” A protester in Kyiv, who handed the flag to the Museum, carried it in they pocket near the heart as a mascot.

On January 16, 2014, the parliamentary majority, consisting mainly of the pro-government “Party of Regions” and the Communist Party of Ukraine, adopted 10 laws violating legislative procedures. They provided for restrictions on the constitutional freedoms of Ukrainian citizens - the right to assembly, protest peacefully, and more.

In the photo collage on the right, on the second shelf above, you can see a young man with a poster: “God speaks in the voice of the people.” This is Serhiy Nihoyan, a 20-year-old Ukrainian of Armenian origin, a resident of the Dnipropetrovsk region. He died on January 22, 2014, and became the first victim of the Revolution of Dignity. It is symbolic that the Yanukovych regime killed Serhiy on the Day of Unity of Ukraine.

Subsequently, the violence escalated. On February 18-20, 2014 alone, pro-government forces killed 55 protesters. Those killed during the Revolution of Dignity became known as the “Heavenly Hundred.”

During the sharpest confrontation on the Maidan, the Russian Federation already launched a military operation to occupy the Ukrainian Crimea. In addition, in March-April 2014, it organized a series of terrorist operations to seize power in the cities of south-eastern Ukraine.

Thousands of Ukrainians who joined volunteer battalions, regular units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the National Guard were sent to the combat zone from the station of our city. In gratitude to the Dnipro volunteers, the servicemen gave the stripes of their units. One can use them to study the history of modern warfare and the military geography of Ukraine. You can see the stripes of the units on the map on the left. Next to the map is the uniform of a volunteer soldier, Asher Cherkasky, a Jew, a native of Crimea. In 2014, Asher defended the Motherland in the ranks of the Dnipro-1 volunteer battalion.

On the right, there is a unique witness of the fiercest fighting at the Donetsk Airport. This is a door of the car UAZ-452, a so-called “tablet.” Using this vehicle, under the furious fire of terrorists and Russian military personnel, Ukrainian soldiers evacuated wounded defenders from the airport terminal - soldiers of the 93rd Kholodnoyarsk Mechanized Brigade and other Armed Forces units. Thanks to the volunteers after the overhaul, the car continues to serve Ukrainian soldiers.

Above, you can see a menorah made of bullet cases. The idea of this art object belongs to Valery Negmatov, a history teacher at one of the schools in Severodonetsk, Luhansk region, and volunteers born in this city.

For three months, in the spring and summer of 2014, Severodonetsk was under the rule of the Luhansk People’s Republic terrorist organization. Finally, at the end of July 2014, the city was liberated. The menorah made of bullet cases - a symbol of light and hope - is a sign of sincere gratitude and deep respect to the soldiers who returned peace to the Ukrainian city of Severodonetsk at the cost of their own lives.

Please take a look at the symbolic photo in the central showcase. It shows school students in seemingly peaceful Artemivsk (since 2016 - Bakhmyt), who practice actions in case of a sudden attack.

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