GRANTEE
This project foregrounds voices that have often been neglected or misrepresented in public documentation of the Russo-Ukrainian War—those who have remained under occupation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions since 2014. These residents are frequently treated with suspicion, assumed to have betrayed their country. Yet many have stayed—for various reasons—without abandoning their Ukrainian identity, amid severe isolation and alienation. The qualitative analysis and phenomenological interpretation are centered on the stories of three Ukrainian women who remained under Russian occupation for over a decade and are expected to have relocated by the time the project commences. Each has found ways to preserve their identity and resist assimilation. By disseminating its findings through a digital platform and media publication, the project aims to challenge simplistic narratives about loyalty, identity, and belonging in occupied regions.