To show the world the history and pre-war life of Ukrainian cities

We want to tell the world about Mariupol, Kharkiv, Kherson, Chernihiv, Bucha and Irpin, their unique culture and identity before Russia's full-scale invasion.

The project Cities of Freedom shows the true stories of Ukrainian cities of freedom: Mariupol, Kharkiv, Kherson, Chernihiv, Bucha and Irpin. The way they looked before the brutal Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.

The documentary footage plunges into the everyday life of peaceful cities before the full-scale war, briefly telling their history, unique characters and the present situation. The history of each city is revealed through portraits and stories of their inhabitants.

On August 12, 2022, our team presented the Cities of Freedom project as part of the Tent Without Borders program at one of the largest European music festivals, Sziget Festival in Budapest, Hungary.

The Cities of Freedom campaign is a digital project that includes:

• a series of short documentary videos about Mariupol, Kharkiv, Kherson, Chernihiv, Bucha and Irpin on the Youtube channel of Ukraine;
• information campaign on social networks and Ukraine.ua channels;
• a manual with content available for free use for those who want to spread the truth about Ukraine;
• information campaign with the involvement of Ukrainian embassies abroad;
• public presentations at large-scale international events;
• partnership with opinion leaders abroad, experts, bloggers and diplomats.

WAR.UKRAINE.UA
ONUKA
SHULGA PROMO
MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS OF UKRAINE

Author of the idea: Anastasia Marushevska.
Creative partner: Saatchi&Saatchi Ukraine.
Production partner: Gvardiya Production House.
Visual partner of the project: Depositphotos.

The project was implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and with the financial support of the European Union.