KYIV, Ukraine — Maxim Kilderov works among reminders of death \u2014 scorched metal, torn fabric, and the personal debris of lives cut short by war.<\/p>\n
In a basement near Kyiv\u2019s Maidan Square, the Ukrainian street artist has assembled a grim collection of battlefield relics which together form an unofficial record of Russia\u2019s invasion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Rocket launch tubes sit beside the diary of a Russian intelligence officer; captured Russian uniforms hang from darkened walls; thousands of military patches \u2014 symbols of unit pride, defiance and dark humor \u2014 cover display boards in a riot of color.<\/p>\n For Kilderov, who endured 55 days under Russian occupation in Nova Kakhovka<\/a> in southern Ukraine, the objects are evidence of a war he insists must not be defined by official narratives alone.<\/p>\n Currently an invitation-only exhibition, he plans to turn the site into a museum conveying the gravity of war.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t want this to feel like a typical museum where you walk through five halls with similar collections,\u201d he said. \u201cI want one hall that concentrates everything \u2014 so people feel emotion when they suddenly find themselves surrounded by these items.\u201d<\/p>\n Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Kilderov has gathered artifacts through military contacts, trades and personal recoveries following nightly air attacks on Ukrainian cities.<\/p>\n What began in his home grew into a dense collection of captured Russian documents and passports, helmets, weapons fragments, knives, grenades and night-vision gear. Overhead hangs a Shahed decoy drone made of Styrofoam.<\/p>\n Among the most personal items are a smartphone pierced by shrapnel that saved a soldier\u2019s life, military unit flags commemorating Black Sea operations, soldiers\u2019 drawings and half-filled packets of cigarettes.<\/p>\n Kilderov\u2019s visual style \u2014 doodle-like calligraphy concealing symbols and messages of resistance \u2014 runs throughout the space.<\/p>\n A 5-meter painting, titled \u201c55,\u201d is a maze of colored lines and symbols representing the number of days he spent under occupation. During that time, he helped organize underground aid networks, livestreamed life under Russian control and spray-painted abandoned Russian vehicles with his symbols in acts of defiance.<\/p>\n \u201cFrom day one, we began sharing information with people inside the city and with the outside world,\u201d he recalled. \u201cBy the 55th day, I managed to escape.\u201d<\/p>\n After fleeing west, Kilderov staged exhibitions of his work, often using blown-up QR codes linking to videos he recorded in 2022. He designs military patches, creates art on battlefield debris and sells rocket tubes converted into Bluetooth speakers, donating most of the proceeds to military units.<\/p>\n As Ukraine endures its fourth winter<\/a> of war, he says he is troubled by the return of inequality and division in a society once bound by urgency and shared purpose.<\/p>\n