On 8 May, the international exhibition of children’s artworks “The Faces of the Ukrainian Dream” was officially opened at Islandi väljak near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia. The exhibition is organised with the support of the Tallinn City Government as part of the Ukrainian Art Festival (UKUfest). Organizer of the exhibition - the NGO “All-Ukrainian Association ‘Patriot’”. The Office of the President of Ukraine and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine are partners of the exhibition.

The “Faces of the Ukrainian Dream” exhibition features drawings and letters by Ukrainian children who dream of living in a Ukraine free from war - alongside their families and friends. Because of Russia’s aggression, many of them were forced to leave their homes and seek safety abroad. Yet what is perhaps most striking in these stories is the children’s ability to keep dreaming despite everything they have endured.

To dream of simple things: of home, of peace, of school, of the embrace of loved ones.
To dream of a life without air raid sirens.

And today, these simple childhood dreams matter more than ever, because they are ultimately about the future of Ukraine.

Reading these letters and looking at the children’s drawings gives one a profoundly different understanding of the reality of war. Children’s words - sincere and unembellished have the power to transform our perception, because within them lies the truth about war as seen through the eyes of children.

The opening of the exhibition took part by Ambassador of Ukraine to the Republic of Estonia Volodymyr Boiechko, Deputy Mayor of Tallinn Monika Haukanõmm, Chair of the Board of the NGO “All-Ukrainian Association ‘Patriot’” Hanna Maiboroda, Mayor of Viimsi Municipality Siiri Visnapuu, as well as representatives of the diplomatic corps, Estonian ministries, and the Ukrainian community.

In his remarks, Volodymyr Boiechko emphasized that the exhibition opened on the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in the Second World War - a day when we honour the millions of victims of the war, including more than eight million Ukrainians, as well as all those who fought against Nazism for the sake of freedom and peace in Europe.

The Ambassador stressed that the “Faces of the Ukrainian Dream” exhibition is not only a story about Ukrainian children today, but also a reminder that the struggle against evil, violence, and dehumanization did not end in 1945. Today, Ukrainian children are once again forced to live under the sound of air raid sirens, endure occupation and deportation, and suffer the loss of their loved ones and homes.

A particularly moving moment of the ceremony was the meeting with Oleksandra Petrusenko, whose letter and drawing are featured in the exhibition. Oleksandra currently lives and studies in the Viimsi Municipality school system.

All participants of the event emphasized that children’s dreams must not be lost, and that the world must do everything possible to ensure that Ukrainian children can grow up in peace and security.