Reading Soldiers’ Letters: Ukraine’s Most Moving Wartime Travel Experience

“Dear Mom, I’m alive. That’s all that matters.”

That’s the opening line of a handwritten letter from a Ukrainian soldier, displayed at a memorial wall in Kyiv.
It’s not just history. It’s a human voice — raw, real, and enduring.

Across Ukraine, letters written during the war — by soldiers, nurses, volunteers, and even children — are being shared with visitors as part of a powerful travel experience.

Not through glass. Not behind security ropes. But on benches, in shelters, at monuments — where they were written or delivered.

📬 1. Where Can You Read the Letters?

• Wall of Remembrance (Kyiv): Touchscreen displays let you hear letters read aloud by voice actors

• Irpin and Bucha tours: Reconstructed routes include letter excerpts at each site — shown on tablets or printed as part of the walk

• Museums and mobile exhibits: In Kharkiv, a traveling van-exhibit includes letters found in destroyed homes

• Special tours: Some WarTours itineraries now include letter readings at significant stops, integrated with local storytelling

💌 2. Who Wrote These Letters?

• Soldiers at the front — writing to parents, partners, friends

• Nurses and medics — reporting injuries, hope, despair

• Children from occupied territories — asking for rescue, describing life under fire

• Civilians to the world — smuggled out via messengers or phones

Each letter holds a fragment of truth no headline can capture.

🎧 3. Read Aloud, Remembered Forever

In some cases, visitors can hear the letters spoken aloud:

• Through audio installations at monuments

• Via mobile apps that trigger playback at GPS points

• Read by local actors or witnesses as part of private tours

The experience is haunting. Personal. Unforgettable.

“We were standing in front of a burned building. Then the guide read a letter written inside it, days before it was hit. I’ve never felt closer to someone I’ve never met.”
— Emily, visitor from Belgium

🧠 4. Why This Experience Matters

Because war is not just about statistics.
It’s about love, fear, humor, regret — and words that survived when buildings didn’t.

These letters allow foreign visitors to:

• Feel the intimacy of war

• See it through human eyes

• Travel through empathy, not just geography

✍️ 5. Want to Leave a Letter in Return?

Some tours now offer “reverse memory stations,” where travelers can:

• Write letters of support to families

• Leave notes at temporary memorials

• Participate in letter exchanges with schools or soldiers’ units

Words matter. Especially when they travel across borders.

📌 Book a Tour with the Letters Experience

We offer specialized routes in Kyiv, Irpin, and Kharkiv where you’ll hear, read, and reflect on real wartime letters — woven into the fabric of every stop.