“One summer afternoon. I had just washed my stuffed dog and placed it on a drying rack when I heard a mortar shell fall close by. As soon as I realized that the fighting had begun, I rushed back inside” writes Dmytro (born 2002), a donor to the international collecting and exhibition effort at the War Childhood Museum.

“Once it got quiet outside, I went back to take my stuffed dog from the rack. At that moment, I suddenly heard the whistle of a bullet. It first glanced off the toy, then hit the wall to finally land on the ground. Seeing the direction it was coming from I realized that the bullet would have hit me if it hadn't been for this dog. He saved my life.

“The bullet left holes on his body, but we quickly sewed them up. Ever since then, the dog had been like my best friend I could tell him everything even my worst fears.

“I have decided to give my stuffed dog to the Museum as think it is time I find a real dog to share my feelings with think would like to get a Shar Pei or a Boxer.”

Museums, and those who work for them, have a responsibility to keep collecting and sharing stories of conflict, historic and present. And we have an obligation to support colleagues in Ukraine right now. As well as the destruction of heritage sites in Ukraine there are also numerous instances of cultural property being looted. Meanwhile, there is a loss of expertise as curators, conservators, archivists and librarians prioritise safeguarding collections over professional development, with many specialists enlisting to fight or fleeing across borders.

ICOM UK and the Ukrainian Institute London have put together a series of online events about heritage in Ukraine in the coming weeks and they’re, available to view here:

9 November Looting of Ukrainian heritage https://ukrainetalk1.eventbrite.co.uk  

30 November Decolonsing Ukrainian heritage https://ukrainetalk2.eventbrite.co.uk  

14 December Identifying and collecting Ukrainian heritage https://ukrainetalk3.eventbrite.co.uk