On 13 June, the Museum hosted a meeting with Oleksandr Klymenko (‘Sanych’), Deputy Commander of the 1st Assault Battalion of the 225th Separate Assault Regiment, Senior Lieutenant of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, veteran of the russian-Ukrainian War and full Knight of the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi.
The event took place in the space of the exhibition ‘...beyond the borders of our native land’, dedicated to the events of the kursk operation of the Ukrainian Defence Forces and the centuries-old Ukrainian history of kursk region. A participant in the battles for Bakhmut, Avdiyivka and Chasiv Yar, as well as the kursk Defence Operation, ‘Sanych’ knows well what it is like to defend Ukraine literally ‘beyond the border’.
Yurii Savchuk, the Director General of the Museum, thanked the defender for his courage, sacrifice and for the time he had allocated for the museum meeting. He stressed that Oleksandr Klymenko is an example that inspires the country.
During the meeting, the defender shared his memories of his life – from a volunteer who evacuated people from Kharkiv in the first days of the large-scale invasion to the commander of an assault company who participated in complex operations on the front line.
‘We did not surrender a single position’ – these words of Oleksandr, reinforced by photos and videos from the front, sounded with particular strength and pride. The frank conversation with the moderator Valeriia Tsubenko, museum’s worker, touched not only on military life, but also on childhood, decisions, fears, and strength – the strength that is born in the most difficult moments.
In 2025, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, awarded Oleksandr Klymenko, a commander of the ‘Black Swan’ strike group, the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytskyi. A full Knight of this Order, he carried not only valour but also humanity through the frontline hell.
