Russia's unilateral and unprovoked declaration of war on Ukraine has, in addition to the armed struggle, triggered a number of social processes profoundly affecting Ukrainian society. The experience of occupation, fighting and, in the worst cases, crimes against the civilian population can be mentioned. Millions left Ukraine seeking refuge in other countries.

Collective memory is one of the social “tools” that is used by societies to cope with war, its consequences and other difficult experiences. It allows for the storage of heroism or guilt in memory, as well as the recourse to the heroic past, which gives contemporaries perseverance.

The research project "Testimonies of War" is a project linking institutions in Ukraine and other Central and Western European countries. It is an oral history initiative aimed at collecting in-depth accounts of Ukrainians who had to leave their homes due to Russia's open attack. In my presentation I will talk about collecting oral history accounts in Poland, placing particular emphasis on the resounding mnemonic themes, connected to national and family memory and memory as identity politics during the war.