Friends, right now we are standing in Podil — a place where old Kyiv has always known how to speak with the present. And in front of us is not just a mural, but a whole visual story about war, strength, and faith in victory.
This is the work Time of Changes 3: Victory, created by Ukrainian artist Volodymyr Manzhos. It became the final piece in a large series in which the artist tries to comprehend what is happening to Ukraine right now — at a time when history is being written literally before our eyes.
Look at the center of the composition. You see a Cossack entering into battle with a bear. This is not a fairy tale or folklore in the usual sense. The bear here is an image of aggression, of an imperial force trying to break Ukraine. And the Cossack is not only a symbol of the past. It represents modern Ukrainians — those who are defending the country today, working, volunteering, and simply not giving up.
But notice — this is not only a depiction of struggle. Above the Cossack is the image of the Pokrova. This is a very ancient symbol of protection that has accompanied Ukrainian warriors for centuries. And near — words by Taras Shevchenko from the poem Caucasus. So what we see here is not just contemporary street art — it is a dialogue between different eras: the Cossack past, the Shevchenko era, and our own time.
And this is very important. Because this mural is not only about war as an event. It is about continuity — about the fact that Ukrainian history is not a set of separate fragments, but an ongoing struggle for freedom.
It is also interesting that this mural appeared thanks to the Modern Ukraine Foundation. Several meanings are combined here at once: art, charity, and even communication with the world. If you look closely, there is a QR code at the bottom — through it, you can support the foundation’s initiatives. So this wall does not just speak — it also calls for action.
And one more important point — the place. Podil. A district that remembers Kyiv as something different: mercantile, artisanal, multicultural. And it is here that a contemporary mural about war appears — as a kind of symbolic bridge between the past and the present.
So when you look at this work, try to see it not just as an image. It is a kind of manifesto — about strength, resistance, and a very simple but today crucial idea: we will endure.