On 12 February 2026, the documentary graphic book “A Butterfly’s Wingbeat” was presented at the Ukrainian-Japanese Centre of Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute. This is the world’s first manga about Crimea dedicated to the resistance of Ukrainian citizens under occupation.

The team of the Mission of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea / Crimea Platform Office worked on the project for over a year together with partners. The initiative was presented ahead of the Day of Resistance to the Occupation of Crimea as part of systemic efforts to draw the international community’s attention to the occupiers’ crimes. It serves as a reminder that the occupation of Crimea in 2014 was a violation of international law, and that for 12 years Crimea has been fighting; Crimeans have not accepted the actions of the Russian occupation authorities but continue to resist and demonstrate their pro-Ukrainian stance.

The documentary graphic book was created in the style of Japanese manga as a token of gratitude to Japan, which has been helping during these difficult times of the war launched by Russia in 2014, including the occupation of Crimea.

“A Butterfly’s Wingbeat” is a documentary story based on real events from the life of Crimean artist and activist Bohdan Ziza. Born and raised in Crimea, following Russia’s full-scale invasion, he was unlawfully sentenced by an occupation “court” to 15 years of imprisonment on fabricated charges of alleged “terrorism” and “politically motivated vandalism”.

Opening remarks were delivered by Olena Kovalska, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine; Andrii Shysholin, Vice Rector for International Relations at Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute; and Takao Asamura, Head of the Cultural Section of the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine. The event was moderated by Nelia Hrynyshyn, Head of the Crimea Platform Department.

In her address, Olena Kovalska emphasized the importance of intercultural interaction as a tool to advocate for Crimea, the release of political prisoners, and support for people resisting the occupation. In turn, Takao Asamura expressed respect for Ukrainians resisting Russian aggression and emphasized Japan’s support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine, including the Crimean Peninsula.

The event also featured a panel discussion titled “12 years of resistance to the occupation of Crimea: speaking out so that the world hears”. Participants included Oleksandra Barkova, social activist and Bohdan Ziza’s sister; Olha Skrypnyk, Head of the Crimean Human Rights Group; Liliia Omelianenko, co-founder of the publishing house “Vydavnytstvo”; and Takashi Hirano, journalist and photographer. During the discussion, participants emphasized that manga is not only an art form but also a means of conveying the truth about events in Crimea in 2014 and the situation of Crimean political prisoners, particularly through the story of Bohdan Ziza.

“The numbers show the scale of resistance by Ukrainian citizens in Crimea and how Russia is intensifying pressure and repression on the peninsula. There are currently more than 200 Crimean political prisoners. For me, Bohdan Ziza is definitely a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance in Crimea. His protest against the war in Ukraine and his struggle for Ukrainians there, for our citizens, continues even in captivity,” noted Olha Skrypnyk.

During the discussion, Oleksandra Barkova noted that personal stories help the world better understand what is happening in occupied Crimea. At the same time, Liliia Omelianenko noted the project’s uniqueness, emphasizing that communicating human rights violations in occupied Crimea through the manga format can be an effective way to reach the international community.

Takashi Hirano stressed the importance of creating materials about Crimea in various foreign languages and added that the manga format is used, in particular, for educational and awareness-raising purposes.

The event also included a master class on manga, conducted by the illustrators of “A Butterfly’s Wingbeat”, winners of the 18th Japan International MANGA Award, Rostyslav Sushko and Dmytro Kolodych. They shared their experience combining documentary history with the artistic form of manga to conceptualise modern events.

The presentation of “A Butterfly’s Wingbeat” marked another step in expanding Ukraine’s humanitarian and cultural diplomacy and strengthening international attention to the topic of Crimea, Russia’s crimes on the peninsula, and the daily resistance to the occupation by Ukrainian citizens.

The manga was created and published by the team of the Mission together with author Mariana Sachyk; illustrators Dmytro Kolodych and Rostyslav Sushko; translators Tymur Sandrovych (Japanese) and Anna Vovchenko (English); editor (Japanese) Erika Asai; and the publishing house “Vydavnytstvo”. The event was co-organised by the Ukrain-Japan Centre, with the Ukrainian Book Institute and NGO CrimeaSOS as partners.

Soon you will be able to find “A Butterfly’s Wingbeat” not only in Ukrainian but also in English and Japanese on bookstore shelves and on the “Vydavnytstvo” website. Follow the Mission’s pages for details.