Murals in Russian-destroyed Huliaipole pay tribute to Makhno and Ukrainian Resistance

Espreso TV shares unique footage.

A new symbol of Ukrainian freedom has emerged on the ruins of the Huliaipole Museum of Local Lore, destroyed by Russian attacks. As part of the “Resistance Murals” campaign, Ukrainian artist Andrii Yermolenko painted a mural that serves as a powerful reminder: freedom comes at a price.

On the shattered wall stands an image of an anarchist skeleton wielding two revolvers, wearing a hat with a trident and a wreath of roses. The image is a nod to Nestor Makhno, the anarchist leader of the early 20th-century Ukrainian peasant uprising. At that time, Huliaipole was the heart of the fight for self-governance and justice. Beneath the mural, a bold message reads, “Ukraine is my land.”

And this is a wall of the destroyed Huliaipole's cultural and sports complex, which once housed an art school. Among the debris is a reimagined seal of the Zaporozhian Cossack Army, one of the first Ukrainian state formations from the 16th century, alongside a Cossack holding a gun over his shoulder, with the Resistance Movement emblem on his chest.

Using this artistic technique, artist Andrii Yermolenko highlights the historical continuity of Ukraine’s struggle for freedom, the connection between generations, and the revival of the Cossack spirit in today’s defenders of Ukraine.

The frontline murals campaign was launched by the Resistance Movement and the National Resistance Center of Ukraine's Special Operations Forces. Through art, it supports the spirit of resistance in frontline and occupied territories — because even when walls fall, ideas endure. And ideas win.