The idea for creating the work originated in the Department of Communications of the MIA of Ukraine, and its author is a serviceman of the National Guard of Ukraine, Timur Nagalevsky. The book was published with the support of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Igor Klymenko, and in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine.
The State Secretary of the MIA of Ukraine, Inna Yashchuk, emphasized to the present cadets of higher education institutions of the MIA system that the novel about those heroes, whose stories are important not to be lost, to be heard and seen:
“In this time of trials, when we are in constant motion defending our rights and freedoms, it is extremely important not to relax, not to despair, and to remain united for the third year of full-scale war. Some really want this. But such people, about whom the book is written, do not allow us to do this. This book captures you from the first page. This novel is about our heroes.”
The author, Timur Nagalevsky, emphasized that the work has an artistic military-historical format:
“The main idea of the book is that history is a weapon. Those who serve in the military create a new history. And the main character of the book is a mature person, a representative of the middle class, whose life was changed by a full-scale war, and he joined the Ukrainian army.”
The pages of the publication are adorned with illustrations by Daria Kopiyka, who, together with the author of the book, traveled to the soldiers to personally get acquainted, learn about their lives before the full-scale war, their preferences, and dreams. As a result, the designer managed to incorporate hidden meanings and pieces of the soul of each of the main characters of the book into each poster.
“Each element on the posters is important. Sunflowers, musical notes, birds, cherry blossom branches, images of native cities, colors – all of this is painted from the heroes who became the heroes of our collages and the book, in particular. I lived a little life with each one,” shared the artist Daria Kopiyka.
During the presentation, attendees had the opportunity to meet three fighter-heroes of the collages. They became “Major” from the Steel Border brigade, “Pekhan” from the Lutі Brigade, and “Deputy” from the Spartan brigade. The men shared how the war began for them, about the first combat losses among comrades, and what helps them move forward now. Each of them is a volunteer who changed their peaceful life for the sake of fighting for Ukraine.
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine was involved in the publication of the book. In particular, Lesya Chervinska, an advisor to the head of the Ministry, thanked the fighters of the Advance Guard and the leadership of the MIA for joining the implementation of the idea: “We appreciate your daily feat and do everything to ensure that the Ukrainian nation remembers its history, knows its heroes. This book is an example of our work.”
The work is planned to be distributed to the libraries of educational institutions, and currently, the book “The Advance Guard. Eyewitness” can also be seen at the International Book Exhibition, The London Book Fair, in the United Kingdom at the stand of the Ukrainian publishing house Samit-Knyha.
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