Kyiv unveiled an installation to remember Ukrainian military and civilians who are missing in action
The "Shadow of Presence" installation, dedicated to Ukrainian military and civilian personnel who went missing as a result of the war, was opened on Volodymyrska Hill in Kyiv, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine reported on June 25.
An installation featuring black silhouette figures representing people of various ages and genders has been unveiled to honor military personnel, civilians, children, and those who have been illegally kidnapped, relocated, or arrested. These figures represent the missing, individuals who have not been contacted and remain unaccounted for.
At the presentation, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Leonid Tymchenko revealed that the Register of Persons Missing in Special Circumstances currently includes more than 70,000 names.
“Each of them is a story that is not yet finished. They could have walked side by side, stood in line for coffee, or waited for a child near the school. But now, instead of them, there are only silhouettes. This installation is a reminder that the missing are remembered by their families and society, and the state continues its efforts to find them every day. It is a space of silence and responsibility, where memory takes shape, and everyone who passes by becomes a witness,” said the installation’s creators.
The installation will remain in Volodymyrska Hill park for three weeks before being moved to other public events, including international ones.
The unveiling was attended by women whose military husbands went missing while on combat missions. Olha Mazenko, whose partner disappeared near Bakhmut three years ago, told Suspilne that she has never stopped searching for him and still holds hope for his return. She participates in every prisoner exchange.
“Every time it is such a shock and stress. And when it isn’t, you always think about how to pull yourself together so as not to despair but to stand up and wait again. For three years now, we have been getting up and waiting, uniting, and helping other women. And this gives strength, hope, to move again, to wait,” Mazenko said.
Also present at the unveiling was Olena, who is waiting for her son. Her husband joined the Ukrainian Revolutionary Army in 2022 and defended Boryspil at the start of the war. He later fought in the Kharkiv and Donetsk oblasts. In 2023, he went missing near Bakhmut.
“For the families of the missing, this installation is about showing that their loved ones are not forgotten. We must make known that there are a large number of missing and prisoners of war in Ukraine — not just to Ukraine, but to the world,” Olena said.
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