On 15 August at 5.00 pm, we invite you to the MODI Art&Wine Gallery for a public discussion entitled “Behind the Scenes of Communist ‘Prosperity’: Kyiv on the Eve of and During the Holodomor.”
During the meeting, we will immerse ourselves in Kyiv’s atmosphere in the early 1930s. We will discuss how the urban landscape changed, what people talked about while standing in queues for bread, and how city residents tried to preserve their humanity during periods of widespread shortages, terror and fear.
This dialogue is not just about dry figures or statistics, but above all about people’s lives and the contrasts within the city at that time. You will discover how the ‘Torgzin’ system functioned, the daily lives of various social classes, and the truths hidden by official Soviet propaganda for a long time. Drawing on archival documents, eyewitness accounts and rare photographs, we shall attempt to reconstruct an objective picture of life in Kyiv during this dramatic period.
We invite everyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of their hometown’s history and its lesser-known aspects to join us. This event will feature not just a lecture, but also an open discussion, allowing everyone to ask questions and share their thoughts.
Speaker: Ivan Petrenko, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Deputy Head of the Research Department On Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and War Crimes at the National Museum of the Holodomor-Genocide.
?When: 15 August 2026, 5.00 pm
?Venue: MODI Art&Wine Gallery, 17 Mala Zhytomyrska Street
?Fee: a donation of 300 UAH or more (please see the registration form for the purpose of the donation and payment details).
You can join in online!
For journalists and media representatives: free of charge, subject to accreditation.
