"Humanity manifests itself in the midst of the darkness of war." The story of Solomakhyno Ranch

You can read the full story in text ⁠right here⁠.

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The podcast is part of the project «De-occupied: stories of the liberated territories.» Supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Kyiv office, Ukraine.

What keeps the people going in the twice-destroyed Peremoha.

You can read the full story in text ⁠right here⁠.

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The podcast is part of the project «De-occupied: stories of the liberated territories.» Supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Kyiv office, Ukraine.

This is a story of one Chernihiv building after the Chornobyl reactor explosion and before the Russian bomb attack.

You can read the full story in text right here.

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The podcast is part of the project «De-occupied: stories of the liberated territories.» Supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Kyiv office, Ukraine.

This is a story about a former arts and crafts teacher who defends the Ukrainian border in the Sumy region and builds memorials for fallen comrades.

You can read the full story in text right here.

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The podcast is part of the project «De-occupied: stories of the liberated territories.» Supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Kyiv office, Ukraine.

As thousands of people, on foot and in cars, wade through the muddy field outside the village, trying to make their way to the one road leading out of besieged Chernihiv, a Russian bomb falls and injures Liubov’s leg.

This is a story about how Liubov Prochukhan, 74, lost her leg in a village at the front line and regained her ability to dance.

You can read the story in text right here.

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The podcast is part of the project «De-occupied: stories of the liberated territories.» Supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Kyiv office, Ukraine.

A few years ago, Vorhol was known only by locals, researchers, and bus station visitors who would hear an occasional announcement for the “Sumy – Krolevets, via Vorhol” bus departure. A village of 80 people in the Sumy region is located far enough from major cities and smooth roads seemed to have little chance of attracting much attention. If not for one of its residents, who, literally and figuratively, was not afraid to poke the beehive.

You can read the story in text right here.

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The podcast is part of the project «De-occupied: stories of the liberated territories.» Supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Kyiv office, Ukraine.

When Russian troops surrounded the city of Sumy at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, life came to a standstill. Only a few pharmacies were open. There was not enough bread. Gas stations ran out of gasoline, and cars disappeared from the streets. Then, a group of people who used to organize bicycle races in Sumy before the war rushed to the aid of elderly residents who could no longer cope due to illness or isolation.

The people on bikes were ready to help, and joined forces with the local chapter of the Red Cross. They became a bicycle squad that delivered food and medicine while  military fighting was taking place on the outskirts of Sumy.

They continue to volunteer today and call themselves ‘crusaders on wheels.’

You can read the story in text right here.

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The podcast is part of the project «De-occupied: stories of the liberated territories.» Supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Kyiv office, Ukraine.

For over a month, Zdvyzhivka was under Russian occupation. After Ukrainian forces liberated the village on March 31st, 2022, the first thing the residents did was retrieve their tools from the looted sheds and started working to rid their homes of all traces of the Russians’ presence.

This is a story about people who have to rebuild their homes. The miracles, of course, don't happen by themselves. It's the people that make them happen.

You can read the story in text right here.

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The podcast is part of the project «De-occupied: stories of the liberated territories.» Supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Kyiv office, Ukraine.

The heroes of these stories have personally endured the harsh realities of war. But today, they continue to live, and rebuild what the Russians destroyed.

We will explore their first-hand accounts in the Healed Lands podcast. The Reporters. team has written 8 stories, highlighting the lives of the liberated communities in the Sumy, Kyiv, Chernihiv regions. They tell stories of Ukrainians who neither give up, nor wait for outside help. But instead, breathe life into their communities.

These stories, grounded in their personal experience of war, belong to the survivors, who not only find the strength to persevere, but also share it with others. Inspire, and motivate, even though the war continues.

The podcast is part of the project «De-occupied: stories of the liberated territories.» Supported by the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Kyiv office, Ukraine.