International Relations Students Visit Exhibition Honoring Fallen Ukrainian Athletes

Recently, first-year students of the "International Communications" program visited the exhibition "Helmet of Memory: Continuation of the Story" as part of their "Theory of Communication" course. The event took place at the Museum of the History of Kyiv, initiated by the "Voices of Civilians"Museum of the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation. The exhibition was opened by Ukrainian skeleton racer and participant in this year's Winter Olympics in Italy, Vladyslav Heraskevych. "Helmet of Memory: Continuation of the Story" commemorates 22 Mariupol athletes, including 8 children, whose lives were taken by Russia’s war against Ukraine. Their portraits were recreated on the helmet by artist Iryna Prots.

During the event, future communication specialists engaged with profound insights regarding the social significance of initiatives dedicated to honoring those killed in this war. Behind every mentioned name from Mariupol lies a unique story where two lives intertwined — the life "before" and "after" the full-scale Russian invasion.

Today, such events are an integral part of student life at the Educational and Scientific Institute of International Relations of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. They demonstrate that no young person in Ukraine should remain indifferent to efforts to preserve the memory of this war, as every personal tragedy is a tragedy for the entire nation.

As Vladyslav Heraskevych emphasized: “The portraits of fallen athletes on the helmet are a symbol of the price we pay for freedom. Therefore, the story of this helmet will never end.” This is a tribute not only to the tragedy but also to the individuals caught in the vortex of this war — one of the seeds that will grow through generations into national unity.

Students had the opportunity to see firsthand that communication is not just about words, but about meanings. Today, these meanings can be effectively conveyed not merely through a social media post, but through a tangible symbol — a helmet in the hands of a Ukrainian Olympian, from which fallen Ukrainians gaze into eternity.

Solomia Kushnir, first-year student of International Communications

Photo Mirra Dykina, first-year student of International Communications