Murals depicting a warrior and a slain double-headed eagle in Orikhiv near the front

Espreso shares unique footage.

In Orikhiv,Zaporizhzhia region,  just a few kilometers from the front lines, Ukrainian artists are creating murals. The initiative comes from the Resistance Movement in cooperation with the National Resistance Center of the Special Operations Forces. 

In the very center of the city stands a mural of a warrior with a rifle and a Cossack topknot, created by artist Andriy Yermolenko. The hero stands over a dead two-headed eagle. Next to him is a quote from Taras Shevchenko: “Our thought, our song will not die, will not perish...” These were the last words of soldier Oleksandr Matsievskyi before he was killed by Russian bullets.

The same drawing appeared on the wall of the destroyed school. But without the eagle underfoot.

On the historic Center of Culture and Leisure, there is another mural by Nikita Titov. A composition of arrows forms the image of the trident. It is dedicated to all those resisting behind Russian lines - from intelligence officers to volunteers. 

The inscription “Where we are - there is Ukraine” is a message to all Ukrainians who remain in the temporarily occupied territories.

On the wall of a destroyed train station, artist Serhiy Brylov painted a skull in a pierced helmet marked with the letter “Z.” From it grows a Ukrainian flag. Beside it lies a broken tricolor - a symbol of the fall of the Russian imperialist idea.

More and more new murals are appearing here. Even in a ruined city, art speaks loudly. And the murals serve as a reminder: the fight for Ukrainian freedom continues.