When Maskym Eristavi was a small boy in eastern Ukraine, his father gave him the gift of a tape recorder. What ensued was a passion for asking questions and recording the personal stories of the people around him. There were colorful memories of weddings and birthdays, but there were also silent gaps where relatives vanished without a trace, and their narratives along with them. 

Ever since, Max has spent his life detangling his authentic personal story from the web of Ukraine’s official history as dictated by Moscow imperial rule. With the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, resistance has become a full-time job.