About This Project
“Learning to Live On” is a documentary memorial media project aimed at preserving the names of fallen defenders through the voices of their mothers, wives, children, brothers, and sisters. Each episode is a unique story: service, choice, sacrifice, and the memory that remains.
The project fulfills memorial, social, educational, and documentary functions. In the long term, it serves as a platform for preserving the true oral history of the Russo-Ukrainian war, protected from falsification.
Project Episodes
1. Serhiy Pishchalka — Officer of the 93rd Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar"
A young lieutenant who remains 24 forever. He managed to send his wife and young daughter to safety — the next day, he died on a combat mission. A conversation with his mother, Nataliia.
2. Anton Syvochenko — Defender from Rubizhne
Warrior, engineer, and polyglot. A participant in the ATO since 2016. He died on November 14 near Bakhmut — just a few days before his own wedding. A conversation with his mother, Aliona, and grandmother, Yelena Fadiivna.
3. Oleksandr Kosmyna — Sniper and father of three
Twenty years of life together, three children, war, and loss. His wife, Aliona, talks about the man for whom family was the ultimate value.
4. Andriy Dyachenko — Defender from Bilohorodka
From school years — through the Maidan and the ATO — to the hottest sectors of the front. His mother, Olena, preserves her son's memory with an open soul and a sincere smile.
5. Serhiy Lisovskyi — Marine
A fighter of the 36th Marine Brigade. His mother, Olena, shares memories of his childhood, his path to service, and the support of the community.
6. Vladyslav Atamanyuk — A story through the eyes of his wife
Tetiana Gryshyna went through loss and PTSD and found the strength to help others. Her journey is an example of indomitability.
7. Ihor Otsabrika — Hero of Bakhmut
He saved his brothers-in-arms until the very last moment. His wife, Kateryna, and his mother are two voices united by pain and the memory of a man whose love for his family equaled his devotion to his country.
8. Bohdan Karvatko — Hero of Ukraine
Major of the National Guard, Hero of Ukraine. He died while covering his brothers-in-arms. His mother, Olga, talks about the last phone call on the day the full-scale invasion began.
9. Andriy Kotlyarskyi and Serhiy Zhuravel — Two voices of one community
Two fellow townspeople who became symbols of the Bilohorodka community. Through the memories of relatives and childhood photos, the human dimension of war is revealed.
10. Kyrylo Rachynskyi — The path of a defender of the capital
His brother, Oleksiy, tells the story: on February 24, 2022, Kyrylo consciously stayed in Kyiv and stood up for the defense of the capital. A story of choice and self-sacrifice.
11. Hryhoriy Bielov — Through the eyes of his mother
Liubov Bielova remembers her son's childhood, his love for his daughter, and his final battle. A living memory that continues to forge the family's strength.
12. Leonid Ponomarenko — A story of motherly love
He loved cinema, cared for his family, and without hesitation stood up to defend Ukraine. His mother, Halyna Koval, speaks about a loss that is impossible to accept but one must learn to live with.
13. Dmytro Bielkov — The struggle for truth
He volunteered for the front, leaving five children at home. After his death, his mother, Liubov, began her own struggle — for the truth about the circumstances of his loss.
14. Ihor Shastun — Warrior of the Azov Regiment
Defender of Mariupol. His mother, Nelya Shastun, talks about her son's childhood dreams, his decision to fight, and the final days in the besieged city.
15. Oleksiy Kushnarenko — Brotherly memory
His brother, Valeriy, remembers their studies, family, the front, and the last call from near Bakhmut. A story about a brotherly bond where memory becomes a way to preserve presence.
16. Volodymyr Khodakivskyi — A living history of a family
Mother and son remember not only the front, but the garden, the house, family traditions, and unfinished business. Through simple things, a great portrait of a person is painted.
17. Mykola Oryshchenko — Spiritual testimony of a family
From the first days of the full-scale war, he took up arms despite an injury. The testimony of his father (a clergyman), his wife, and children speaks of spiritual strength and family unity.
18. Vitaliy Kusik — The love that holds on
Their love began in their youth. After her husband's death, his wife, Olya, was left with two children and a love that never ended.
19. Serhiy Sitnichenko — "Everything will be fine"
A sergeant, an auto mechanic with golden hands, and a reliable brother-in-arms. He always said: "Everything will be fine." Through the family's memories, an image of a man who knew how to give hope emerges.
20. Serhiy Hryshchenko — Devotion at the cost of life
Without hesitation, he stood up for the defense of Ukraine. He did not seek glory but made a choice that changed the fate of others. A reminder of the true price of freedom.
21. Yevhen Tyshchenko — Where the father lives on
He left behind a son who grows up with the story of a hero father. About a fatherly legacy passed on not through words, but through presence in every detail of life.
22. Dmytro Savych — Forever a hero at 24
He died at the age of 24 near Izyum. Through the voices of parents, his sister, friends, and brothers-in-arms — a collective portrait of a generation that consciously stood at the forefront of history.
23. Vasyl Patyk — Through the eyes of his wife
He went voluntarily, was wounded, went through rehabilitation, and returned to the front. His wife, Oksana, speaks about mature love, service, and the strength of a woman who preserves memory.
24. Oleksiy Kozub ("Marcus") — A mother waits
He remains 26 forever, defending Ukraine at Azovstal. His mother, Nataliia, talks about the occupation, the loss of their home, and a love that does not yield to time.
25. Serhiy Chornyi — A path of struggle and principles
Activist, volunteer, participant in the Revolution of Dignity, and a volunteer since 2014. His wife, Marta Yuzkiv, talks about a man who always stood for truth and freedom.
26. Dmytro Orlov — Community memory
His story has become part of the collective memory of the Bilohorodka community. A conversation with Olga Orlova about the social duty to remember and why it is part of our future.
27. Viktor Kuzmin — A story of love stronger than loss
His wife, Viktoria, remembers the journey from friendship in their native village to life together alongside military service. About a love that does not end with death.
28. Bohdan Boishko — Courage that became a legacy
He died defending the Kyiv region in the first days of the full-scale invasion. His name is among those who stopped the enemy on the outskirts of the capital. About responsibility and the legacy of courage.
29. Azov Stronger than Steel — The voice of a mother speaking for a Hero
Nelya Shastun — mother of Ihor Shastun, a defender of Mariupol — speaks for the second time in the project. This time, her testimony goes beyond personal tragedy: it is about brotherhood, indomitability of spirit, and memory without which the future is impossible.
