“Yahidne. A Village in Captivity”: an audio guide to a war-crime site presented in Chernihiv region
- Mar 3
- 2 min read
On March 3 in Yahidne, Chernihiv region, the audio guide “Yahidne. A Village in Captivity” was presented. It was created by the Public Interest Journalism Lab to mark the fourth anniversary of the village’s occupation.
On this day in 2022, Russian troops forced 368 residents — almost the entire village — into the basement of the local school. Among them were elderly people, children, and infants. They were held there for a month as a human shield, as the Russians set up their headquarters in the school. In the cramped basement, without proper conditions, ten people died.
The audio guide invites listeners to walk through the school grounds and its basement and hear testimonies from those who survived the occupation. The English version is narrated by American historian Timothy Snyder. The residents’ testimonies in English were read by prominent journalists and authors Anne Applebaum, Peter Pomerantsev, Sabra Ayres, Jonathan Littell, historian Marci Shore, and former Canadian politician Chrystia Freeland.
The guide is available in Ukrainian and English on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. Near the school, where a museum is currently under construction, banners with QR codes have been installed so visitors can find the audio guide — and Yahidne continues to be visited by foreign delegations and tourists.
The Lab’s team has been working in Yahidne since April 2022. The journalists were among the first to document residents’ testimonies immediately after Chernihiv region was liberated. Based on these accounts, a documentary film was later released, along with a report in the U.S. magazine TIME in its centennial anniversary issue. The village’s story also became part of the book “The Worst Days of My Life,” which chronicles the first year of the full-scale war.
In the summer of 2024, the Lab held a meeting with the community to discuss how residents would like to preserve the memory of what they endured. During the conversation, it was noted that Yahidne’s story should speak not only about the crime, but also about the experience of coexistence in captivity, mutual support, and self-organization.
The audio guide was produced as part of work supporting local memorialization initiatives, with support from the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine Program.
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The story about Yahidne village and the audio guide shares a powerful view of history and the impact of war on real people, which felt very moving to read. It reminded me of a class discussion where we had to reflect on difficult historical events and present them with care. During that time, I searched for custom book cover designer near me while preparing a related project. It showed me that presentation can shape how stories are understood.
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Прочитав статтю про Ягідне, і це просто розриває зсередини. Важко навіть усвідомити, як люди витримали той підвал. Останнім часом часто шукаю подібні матеріали, щоб не забувати ціну нашої свободи, хоча іноді хочеться просто на щось відволіктися, аби не зʼїхати з глузду від новин. Минулого тижня з друзями обговорювали, як кожен справляється зі стресом. Хтось волонтерить, хтось заглиблюється в роботу. Один знайомий взагалі порадив звернути увагу на проект 200 грн за реєстрацію https://cardmates.ua/bonuses/200-grn як на спосіб трохи переключити увагу, хоча я до таких пропозицій ставлюся скептично. Чи реально там розібратися без досвіду? Поки що просто намагаюся підтримувати такі ініціативи, як цей аудіогід, бо пам'ять — це наша головна зброя.
I read the audio guide about Yahidne and it hit me how places marked by war carry so many stories of loss, courage, and human cost in ways that are hard to imagine from far away. As I worked through heavy readings and deadlines last semester I relied on online Philosophy class support to help me think more deeply about history, suffering, and how people make meaning in hard times. That made me realize learning about real world events can shape how we see others and ourselves.