A challenging, emotional and special communication task: Testament of Bucha

In addition to client work, an important project has kept the Laika Space Dogs busy for the last months and weeks: Testament of Bucha. It was a heartbreaking exhibition about the reality of the war in Ukraine, and the daily struggles of Ukrainians — displaying a van destroyed by the Russian army as a focal point. In this burnt-out van, four civilians were killed attempting to flee Bucha as the Russian army invaded Ukraine at the beginning of the year. From conception, project management, media relations to a press opening and a charity auction, this special communication task was a challenging and emotional one for the Laika crew.  

How it all started 

Laika’s involvement with the project began at the beginning of July, after receiving a request from Ukrainians Andriy Radnyuk and Roman Semenyshyn-Braescu, for PR help within Germany for their special project. We were eager to get involved — from the very start — we felt it was a significant and meaningful project. On the 24th of February 2022, the world awoke to the news that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine had reached a new level of terror. Russian troops had invaded Ukraine and had launched missile airstrikes. The world watched as military and tanks rolled through and attacked many Ukrainian cities and towns, including the city of Bucha. After Bucha was liberated by Ukrainian troops, the world was shaken by the terrible images of atrocities committed by the Russian army against the population. According to CNN, the Russian army tortured, raped and forced deportation of more than half a million people in Ukraine. The United Nations concluded that war crimes were committed in Ukraine, documenting, “violations, such as the illegal use of explosive weapons, indiscriminate attacks, violations of personal integrity, including executions, torture and ill-treatment, and sexual and gender-based violence.” 

One particular story caught the attention of Radnyuk and Semenyshyn-Braescu — the project’s main initiators, who both joined the territorial defense forces at the beginning of the war to protect their homeland. It was the story of 53-year-old Tamila Mishchenko and her 14-year-old daughter Hanna Mishchenko. During the occupation, they set out with two other women, Zhanna Kameneva and Maria Ilchuk, to escape Bucha during the occupation. Tragically, they did not succeed. It wasn’t until after the town’s liberation that their remains were found in the passenger van they were traveling in.

By bringing this shot-up and burnt-out vehicle from Bucha to Berlin, the Testament of Bucha organizers wanted to draw Germany and Europe’s attention to the events unfolding in Ukraine and to show and share the truth and reality about the war. The wrecked van was presented to the public from the 22nd of August to the 15th of September 2022 at the Georg-Grosz-Platz. 

Testament of Bucha: Letting the world see what needs to be seen

The events in Ukraine and the tragic story of the van shook Laika’s entire team. Apart from the fact that we were already supporting Ukraine by sending essential products, donating money and supporting charity actions through PR, we felt that we could and wanted to do more. We were ready to do what we do every day — reaching as many people as possible to communicate important messages. With Testament of Bucha, our goal was to develop the framework and message that would touch people, trigger individual reflections, and start conversations. To achieve this, we developed an impactful PR campaign with the van’s story as the focal point.  

We became the project management lead and coordinated a powerful team with different strengths and capabilities. After we came up with the name of the project, “Testament of Bucha”, it was time to get to work. We recruited a gifted graphic designer to the cause who created an outstanding design concept, which also pays tribute to Ukraine (using the font from a Ukrainian designer, for example). We developed the text for the project’s website and the core messaging for media and social media. Besides that, we organized a media conference for the exhibition launch and invited media throughout the exhibition’s run. And kept different media outlets and German influencers informed about the exhibition.  

Opening of Testament of Bucha exhibition in Berlin

We are glad that we could support this important project with gaining the reach and attention it deserves… attracting around 300 visitors daily to the exhibition, more than 250 pieces of coverage from German and international press and influencers, including FAZ, Der Tagesspiegel, Zeit Online and Welt, in the DACH region, among others. We were also glad to get this project attention from German public radio and television, WDR 5 and ZDF respectively, as well as international media attention from the U.S., Australia, Ukraine, Turkey, and Russia, like coverage from Euronews and TakeToNews. 

Testament of Hanna: Fighting oblivion

Testament of Bucha was not the end. To keep media attention and public awareness up on the significance of this project, we organized another event, Testament of Hanna, an art auction that took place on the 9th of September at the Ukrainian Cultural Community, in Berlin. Before being killed by the Russian army, the cheerful 14-year-old Hanna loved to draw and paint whenever she could. The art auction, featuring Hanna’s art, was organized to raise money for family members of the victims in Ukraine. 

Paintings by Hanna

What’s next?

We hope to bring the destroyed van to other German and European cities—not only to show people what happened, but more importantly to keep the memory of what happened alive. If you would like to support Testament of Bucha, and  keep this important project alive, you can do so through the project’s gofundme crowdfunding campaign.  
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the wonderful and dedicated people who have shown their relentless commitment to this project. Special thanks to our many partners: Andriy Radnyuk, Alexander Shpak, Roman Semenyshyn-Braescu, Bärlin Team Eventdesign GMbH, the Ukrainian Cultural Community, Regnum Legis, Stiftung AusserGewöhnlich Berlin, Ulrich Schellenberg, Stefan Blei, Oskar Lienemann, HYGH and many more. Thank you for making this challenging, emotional, and special project a success.