Our ECG Productions team continues their journey in Ukraine for the project “Gulag: Witnesses”, capturing powerful stories of resilience and legacy. Last week, on June 16, we had the honor of meeting the family of Yevhen Hrytsiak, a key leader of the 1953 Norilsk Uprising. The Ukrainian people, along with the Baltic nations, were at the forefront of these gulag camp uprisings, showcasing incredible bravery and resistance.

In the morning, we filmed in a nearby village, featuring Yevhen Hrytsiak’s grandson and daughter. This experience highlighted a remarkable continuity of courage, connecting the past with the present. Yevhen Hrytsiak’s legacy lives on through his family, as well as through the story of Mykola Molofoy, who recently sacrificed his life defending Ukraine.

Our visit also included capturing significant artifacts, such as a prison robe that belonged personally to Hrytsiak, which you can see in one of the photos. These items, along with the stories shared by his family, deeply moved us and provided a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by those who fought for freedom.

Stay tuned as we continue to bring you more stories and behind-the-scenes moments from our journey. We are dedicated to sharing the rich history and resilience of the Ukrainian people.

In recent days, our team in Ukraine witnessed and became part of a deeply tragic event – the burial procession of a fallen Ukrainian hero. We would like to share the poignant testimony of this event, narrated by our colleague Olga Antimony:

“That morning, the entire district and community were waiting. A Viber chat was created, with people passing on updates about the convoy’s location and when it would cross the regional border. As evening approached, a sudden wind picked up and it began to rain. I was wearing a light dress, and someone quietly draped a sweater over me, while another person handed me an umbrella. The sense of empathy and unity in that moment was incredible. People dressed in black stood together, offering each other support.

The daughter of Mykola Molofii, who had fallen in Donbas, stood in the middle of the street by the yard, which was lined with rose petals. The sturdy house, the yard, and the summer kitchen were likely built by her father. She was lightly dressed, with bare arms drenched by the rain, yet she seemed oblivious to the cold. She stood with her hands behind her back, legs wide apart, firmly grounded like a man. They say she provided DNA samples to identify her father’s remains.

Mykola had perished on May 5th – the team was transporting ammunition to the front line. A mine, drone, or direct hit detonated the vehicle. All seven men inside were killed. ‘Plyve Kacha,’ the song that has been used since Maidan to honor each fallen hero in Ukraine, began to play. Across the road stood a car with a portrait in the driver’s seat – presumably Mykola’s car.

I can’t stop thinking that these people are unconquerable. To take away their language, history, or Ukraine would be like stripping away their skin. It’s impossible.

In 2002, Mykola Molofii left for Spain. When the ATO began in 2014, he became a volunteer. He formed a group called ‘Koloss,’ consisting of 17 people, who helped Ukrainian soldiers by providing vehicles, medicines, and food. At the onset of the full-scale invasion, he returned to Ukraine and volunteered to fight. On March 13, 2022, he took the oath in Kryvyi Rih and was assigned to the 40th Separate Motorized Infantry Battalion of Territorial Defense ‘Kryvbas.’ He initially fought in the Mykolaiv and Zaporizhzhia directions, and in April 2023, he and his comrades were redeployed to Avdiivka. Mykola died on May 5, 2024, in Donetsk Oblast. He left behind two sisters, a wife, three daughters, and four grandchildren. He never learned of his granddaughter’s birth.”

We are excited to share more photos with our followers from our team’s visit to the Kryivka National History Museum in Ukraine. The immersive atmosphere vividly conveyed the experiences of the underground insurgents to our team members.

Another day of our journey through Ukraine – filming in the Basovsky Forest, capturing the “kryivkas” (hideouts) of the Ukrainian underground movement.

Kryivkas began to appear in the 1930s when the lands were part of Poland and continued to be used until the late 1950s. The location for a bunker was chosen based on three criteria: concealment, inaccessibility to the enemy, and the possibility of retreat. Sometimes hideouts were found in church domes or in unexpected places like a well’s side hole. Members of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) would descend two meters by chain, open a door, and crawl through a tunnel. The household provided food: the housewife would place prepared meals in a bucket, go to the well under the pretense of fetching water, and lower the meal to the door. The network of kryivkas was so dense that in the village of Topilsk in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, they were found in 44 out of 105 houses.

In the spring of 1944 alone, 530 hideouts were discovered in Volhynia. These storage places contained about 170 tons of grain, 29 tons of other products, nearly a thousand firearms, and hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammunition. The hardest part was hiding the excavated soil, which was either dumped into a nearby river or spread on freshly plowed fields. Some hideouts accommodated several people who wouldn’t leave for months, especially in winter, to avoid leaving traces in the snow. They had multiple exits, beds, toilet rooms, storage for provisions, medicines, and weapons, ventilation systems, a supply of firewood, oil, and even autonomous wells. To maintain morale, a strict daily schedule was followed, with time dedicated to intense military and covert operations training. Entering such a hideout, everyone understood it could become their grave at any moment.

When the NKVD discovered a hideout, they would surround it and offer the underground fighters a chance to surrender. Upon refusal, they would begin shooting and throwing grenades. Sometimes, to capture the insurgents alive, paralyzing gas was used. For the worst-case scenario, the insurgents always had one last bullet saved for themselves.

Podgorye is also significant for the events of 1924, when Sich Riflemen of the Ukrainian Galician Army perished at the hands of Poles. Mikhail Bendyuk, whose family has both victims and perpetrators of these past conflicts, believes that reconciliation is possible through mutual apologies. He said, “I forgive them for burning my grandmother and grandfather alive with their children—my mother’s family, leaving her, a three-year-old, orphaned. She survived by sheer chance, being in a neighbor’s yard. And I ask forgiveness from the Poles for my uncle burning a Polish village in retaliation, killing those who refused to leave their homes. It no longer matters who started it or why. It is all cruel and unjust.”

These images serve as a testament to the resilience and efforts to remember and heal past wounds, as Ukraine rebuilds its historical narrative.

The journey of our team in Ukraine continues, and today we had the honor of meeting with the esteemed artist and restorer Mikhail Bendyuk at the historic Ostrog Academy in Volyn. Located in the ancient European city of Ostroh, the Ostrog Academy is one of Europe’s oldest educational institutions, famed for printing the first books with the pioneer printer Fedorov.

Mikhail Bendyuk shared with us numerous unique artifacts, including:
– A rare icon of the Virgin Mary in an embroidered shirt, was discovered in the attic of an abandoned house.
– Works by Nil Khasevich, found in 2022 in the attic of a house that belonged to a UPA fighter exiled to Kolyma in 1948. These works date back to 1949, hidden to avoid searches.
– An icon from Volchansk, Kharkov region, now nearly destroyed by the ongoing conflict. The dust on this icon is the dust of Volchansk, bearing witness to the Russian-Ukrainian war.

We also saw the well into which a UPA liaison officer threw herself to avoid torture during interrogation. Realizing she wouldn’t withstand the torture, she asked to stop for water and was found dead in the well.

These incredible pieces of history and resilience serve as a poignant reminder of Ukraine’s rich cultural heritage and the enduring spirit of its people.

Today’s journey led our team to the Khmelnytskyi region of Ukraine, where they had the honor of visiting Oleksandr Darmoros, the protagonist of our film “Everyone Has His Own War.” Despite losing his sight and a leg, Oleksandr tirelessly works as a psychologist for the severely injured and also manages his YouTube channel.

His story is deeply intertwined with history; his great-grandfather was arrested by the NKVD and executed in the Kamenets-Podilsk prison during the 1930s. When Russia began its occupation of Ukraine in 2014, Oleksandr did not hesitate to defend his homeland. Father Ivan Katkalo, a hero from our other film “The Spirit Breathes Where It Wills,” presented his family with a jar of honey.

Watch the film trailer here: [Vimeo Link]
Visit Oleksandr’s YouTube channel: [YouTube Link]

Here are more photo impressions from our previous post. As was mentioned last time, on their journey through Ukraine, our ECG Productions team recently visited the Sadiba Babina Loza farm. At the beginning of the war in 2022, this farm became a refuge for many, offering shelter and safety to those fleeing the chaos. Amidst the turmoil, these animals were cared for by the refugees, despite the many challenges faced. Sadly, the war led to the loss and displacement of many other animals. Today, the farm stands as a testament to resilience and the enduring bond between people and animals.

Our team in Ukraine persists in their journey, resolute in gathering more documentary material for the project on Ukrainians in the Gulag. Passing through Korosten in the Drevlyansky region, they were struck by the abundance of acacia blossoms, reminiscent of 1933. In those desperate times, people survived by collecting, drying, grinding the blossoms into flour, and making flat cakes and jelly. During this visit, the team had a brief opportunity to reconnect with relatives and hear their stories from the past two years. A tablecloth with century-old handmade embroidery and old photographs provided poignant reminders of the past. Though the war did not reach this area, its presence was felt nearby. Along the way, they stumbled upon the Sadiba Babina Loza farm, a fully developed estate situated next to the house where the director’s grandmother once lived.

Our team presses onward with the “Gulag: Witnesses” project, traveling from Rivne Oblast to Zhytomyr Oblast. We leave behind a welcoming town with a charming hotel and gracious hosts, the exact location kept undisclosed to avoid geolocation risks. Along our route, road signs are not merely worn down but deliberately removed, a precaution taken to ensure that while locals recognize their own paths, potential occupiers are kept in the dark.