Cars That Remember 2022: Irpin Collects Evidence from the "Car Graveyard" on Universytetska Street
The Irpin community is documenting the stories of owners of destroyed vehicles not only as a memory — this is a record for recovery, investigations and the public narrative. If you recognize your car, it is important to come forward.
By Tetiana Suchkova-Ladik
March 19, 2026 · 2 min read
About the initiative
In the Irpin community they have begun collecting testimonies from vehicle owners whose cars are currently at the so‑called “car cemetery” on Universytetska Street. The initiative was announced by the head of the memorialization sector of the Department of Culture of the Irpin City Council — Sofia Martyniuk.
"We are looking for vehicle owners in order to record these memories: each car is not just an object, but a story of rescue, loss, tragedy or hope"
— Sofia Martyniuk, head of the memorialization sector of the Department of Culture of the Irpin City Council
Why this matters
At first glance — it’s about cars. In fact it concerns three levels of meaning: the personal stories of people, material evidence of destruction for possible investigations and insurance/administrative procedures, and an element of collective memory that will shape future museum and memorial work.
Irpin was one of the hotspots of 2022; collected testimonies help preserve the context of events and make them accessible to researchers, journalists and the public. Experts in memorialization and museum practice emphasize: such objects matter not only as exhibits, but as sources for legal and historical work.
How to get involved
If you recognize your vehicle or have information about its owners, send a letter to: [email protected]. In the message it is helpful to include an approximate description of the car, year of manufacture, license plate number (if you remember it), contact details and, if possible, photos — this will speed up identification.
What’s next
Collected testimonies will enter the community archive and may form the basis for public projects — from exhibitions to documentary research. Now it’s up to owners and the community: the more accurate stories there are, the fuller and more objective the picture of what happened here in 2022 will be.
This work is not an emotional wave but a systematic recording of facts, needed both for restoring justice and for preserving memory. Get in touch — your story matters.
