“Vshanuj” Organization: Participants of the “Memory Polis” Forum

The founder of the organization Vshanuj was combat medic and journalist Iryna “Cheka” Tsybukh. She spoke extensively and systematically researched, among other things, the culture of memory. In May 2024, she delivered her first lecture on this topic for businesses. On May 29 of that same year, she was killed during a rotation in the Kharkiv direction. However, a team remained and continued to develop what had been fundamental to her vision. The organization was represented at the “Memory Polis” forum held by the VETERANKA Movement at the KSE Dragon Capital Building on January 23.

“Memory is the responsibility of the living before the dead,” wrote “Cheka,” a combat medic with the Hospitallers Battalion, volunteer, and journalist. Her ideas laid the foundation for an organization that promotes a culture of remembrance, including the nationwide Minute of Silence.

On August 29 — the Day of Remembrance of Fallen Defenders and the third month after Cheka’s death — Vshanuj officially became a public organization. It is now led by co-founder Kateryna Datsenko.

Since then, the team has been working with cities across Ukraine — engaging with organizations, businesses, cultural spaces, and local authorities — introducing and expanding the practice of the Minute of Silence. Today, regular public observances coordinated by regional teams take place in dozens of cities. Over time, this has grown into a strong community. Their work goes beyond organizing observances: in their local contexts, teams create and explore different formats of remembrance.

Together with the Ministry for Communities and Territories Development, the organization developed a Roadmap for Cities — a practical step-by-step guide for communities and local governments to integrate the Minute of Silence into everyday life in cities and villages. It includes ready-made solutions, real-life examples, and clear instructions, all gathered in one place.

The Vshanuj team has also prepared materials to help businesses implement the Minute of Silence. These include recorded audio announcements (male and female voices), internal communication guidelines for employees, social media communication templates, and printable posters for venues. All materials are publicly available on their Instagram page.

The team also launched the project “Among Us” — memorial plaques dedicated to people who were killed but continue to live as long as we remember them. These plaques are placed on the backs of benches. They do not include names, only words — phrases through which loved ones can recognize the person and recall their memory.

On August 29, the Day of Remembrance of Defenders, the entire country paused at 9:00 a.m. This nationwide moment became possible through the joint efforts of the state, businesses, the civic sector, and civil society.

Vshanuj also organizes lectures and public discussions on the culture of memory for businesses, communities, and organizations, in collaboration with historians and memory studies researchers.

The organization is a co-organizer of CHEKAFEST, an event dedicated to the memory of Iryna Tsybukh. It is a space for reflecting on her actions and legacy. As she once said, “We need rituals to fulfill the responsibility of the living before the dead.”