MUSEUM OF STATE TERROR
We preserve the memory of those
who became victims of state terror.
We give voice to the witnesses.
We preserve testimonies and evidence.
Because the past does not disappear
when its crimes remain unexamined.
01 — THE MUSEUM
Museum of State Terror is an independent museum and documentary project based in Toronto, Canada.
It is dedicated to the history of state terror, individual lives, and the mechanisms of repression — from the Soviet GULAG, the Holodomor, and deportations to Russian filtration camps and the war against Ukraine.
The museum brings together eyewitness testimonies, family archives, photographs, documents, and artifacts — preserving the past while helping us recognize the mechanisms of repression when they return in new forms.
02 — UNDERSTANDING
STATE TERROR
State terror is a system of violence used by those in power to control society, suppress resistance, and persecute or eliminate those declared to be enemies.
From mass repression, the GULAG and deportations to Russian filtration camps and the war against Ukraine, the forms change, but the mechanisms remain: fear, coercion and impunity.
Understanding these mechanisms helps us see the connection between past and present — and recognize their return in new forms.
03 — OUR MISSION
Our mission is to preserve personal testimonies, documents, photographs, and family memories of state terror — and make them accessible to future generations.
Through personal stories, archives, and documentary film, we restore individual lives to history — and preserve the voices of those who were meant to be silenced.
For us, memory is not only about looking back. It is a way to understand the present — and to ensure that crimes do not disappear along with their witnesses.
04 — WHO WE ARE
Museum of State Terror is being created by a team of historians, researchers, documentary filmmakers, and volunteers united by a commitment to preserving the memory of state terror and political repression.
We work across countries and generations, bringing together witnesses, families, researchers, archives, and people whose personal histories form part of this larger history.
Our work combines historical research with personal testimony, documentary film, photographs, documents, and artifacts — preserving individual voices and making them part of the public record.
We believe that history is not only preserved by institutions. It is preserved by people — those who witnessed it, those who inherited its memory, and those who choose to keep that memory alive.
PHYSICAL SPACE
Toronto, Canada
Exhibitions · Film Screenings
Educational & Public Programs
DIGITAL MUSEUM
Accessible Worldwide
Exhibitions ·
Films · Archive
Stories · Testimonies
OUR NETWORK
Witnesses · Families
Researchers · Archives
Across Countries & Generations
