Exhibition on Ukrainian Resistance to Debut in Brussels

In Brussels, Belgium, the Yellow Ribbon civil resistance movement organized a pop-up exhibition in front of the European Parliament highlighting the resistance of Ukrainians living under Russian occupation.

The exhibition showcased the history of the underground resistance movement and the challenges faced by Yellow Ribbon activists in the face of brutal Russian terror campaigns to suppress pro-Ukrainian sentiment.

The opening ceremony of the exhibition was graced by several prominent individuals, including Vsevolod Chentsov, the Head of the Mission of Ukraine to the European Union, Christa Schweng, the President of the European Social and Economic Committee, Petras Auštrevičius, a Member of the European Parliament, and Georges Dallemagne, a Member of the Belgian Parliament.

The exhibition allowed visitors in Brussels to learn about the anonymous stories of Yellow Ribbon activists and view authentic artifacts from temporarily occupied territories, such as a fence from de-occupied Kherson inscribed with the message “Kherson is Ukraine”.

Additionally, interactive photos and videos of activists were available, demonstrating the movement’s work. A dedicated exhibition area was reserved for a poster that an activist drew on the cover of a child’s sketchbook. Many of the stories featured in the exhibition had never been told before the event.

“More than 100,000 square kilometers of Ukraine are now occupied by Russians. 1877 settlements are still under occupation. Unfortunately, this number often remains abstract to foreigners. This can be changed by stories of specific people from Yellow Ribbon who are living in the temporarily occupied territories. Art is a powerful tool that helps to inform Europeans about the horrors that are happening in Ukraine because of the Russian invasion. Thousands of brave people are fighting against the huge ideological bubble in which Russian propaganda is investing millions. Yellow Ribbon is a symbol of Ukrainians’ indomitability,” said Vsevolod Chentsov, Head of the mission of Ukraine to the European Union.

Yellow Ribbon is a civil resistance movement formed after February the 24th, 2022, in Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions, alongside other territories under temporary Russian occupation. Currently, more than 8,000 activists have joined the movement, providing informational resistance to the occupation regime.

See also

• ART ON THE BATTLEFRONT: Ukrainian Art Exhibition to Open in Vienna on April 14-18.