In a basement near Kyiv’s Maidan Square, Ukrainian street artist Maxim Kilderov has assembled a grim collection of battlefield relics, forming an unofficial record of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The collection includes scorched metal, torn fabric, and personal debris, serving as evidence of a war that Kilderov insists must not be defined by official narratives alone.
Maxim Kilderov’s visual style, characterized by doodle-like calligraphy concealing symbols and messages of resistance, runs throughout the space. A 5-meter painting, titled “55,” is a maze of colored lines and symbols representing the number of days he spent under occupation. During that time, he helped organize underground aid networks, livestreamed life under Russian control, and spray-painted abandoned Russian vehicles with his symbols in acts of defiance.
Kilderov’s collection has become a gathering point for soldiers who bring new artifacts and stories, expanding a collection he sees as a raw record of Ukraine’s lived reality — and of a solidarity he fears could fade. As Ukraine endures its fourth winter of war, he says he is troubled by the return of inequality and division in a society once bound by urgency and shared purpose.
The collection includes a smartphone pierced by shrapnel that saved a soldier’s life, military unit flags commemorating Black Sea operations, soldiers’ drawings, and half-filled packets of cigarettes. Overhead hangs a Shahed decoy drone made of Styrofoam, a testament to the ingenuity and resilience of the Ukrainian people.
As Kilderov spoke to the Associated Press, he wore a red MAGA hat — a gesture he described as deliberate irony, reflecting the vulnerability of a country reliant on foreign aid that can be paused or withdrawn without warning.
Kilderov’s work has been recognized by the British Museum, which has featured his art in an exhibition on the impact of war on culture. His collection serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost of conflict and the importance of preserving cultural heritage in the face of adversity.
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