From the early days of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russian forces actively targeted war memorials in occupied territories, focusing on monuments from Soviet times and independent Ukraine. Why did they prioritize these memorials amidst a massive war? Why were some destroyed, others preserved, and new ones built? And what do these actions reveal about using past wars to justify new conquests? In their new book, Monuments and Territory: War Memorials in Russian-Occupied Ukraine (CEU Press, 2025), Mischa Gabowitsch and Mykola Homanyuk explore these questions through extensive fieldwork and a systematic analysis of monument policies during the first year of the occupation.

The Berlin book launch is the first discussion of Monuments and Territory after the publication of the book’s print version. In conversation with the historian Bert Hoppe, Gabowitsch and Homanyuk will talk about their book and how they wrote it. They will also reflect on the most recent developments surrounding Soviet war memorials in Ukraine and other European countries. The event will be moderated by Eva Yakubovska from Pilecki Institute.