About us

The idea of creating puzzles with destroyed Ukrainian monuments came to Yaryna Zhurba in April 2022, and on Facebook she found graphic designer Vita Vorobchuk, who also got the idea of creating puzzles with Ukrainian monuments, and this small team of women began to bring the idea of Ukrainian Puzzles to life.

It was conceived that the puzzles would be aimed largely at a foreign audience, so the name and logo were created in English - Ukrainian Puzzles.

The work began with the search for pre-war images of the Mariupol Drama Theatre, Kharkiv Downtown, Chernihiv Library, Karazin University of Kharkiv, An-225 Mriya — the world's largest plane, Popov Manor House, and other monuments that had already been destroyed at the time. Another challenge in the first months of the war was to organize production, find contractors, and set up logistics. After selecting illustrations, preparing texts, and obtaining licenses for images and preparing layouts (which was actually a long and difficult process, although it fits into one sentence), the production of puzzles began.

In August 2022, a new stage in the history of Ukrainian Puzzles began - on August 7, the first purchase took place and this day is considered the birthday of Ukrainian Puzzles!

Puzzles with destroyed Ukrainian monuments have become a kind of bridge between cultural heritage and the realities of wartime. People not only in Ukraine but also in other parts of the world showed interest and support for Ukrainian Puzzles. The sales geography expanded rapidly. The puzzles became not only a product, but also a way of expressing support and solidarity with Ukraine in an extremely difficult time for the country. Ukrainian Puzzles gained its first fans in Ukraine and the United States, who sincerely cheered for its success and supported it in every way possible on social media. Today, there are customers who have the entire collection of available puzzles from Ukrainian Puzzles.

Seeing that the product was well received, the Ukrainian Puzzles team expanded the themes of the puzzles, as originally planned, and began working on the Ukrainian Art, Glory to Ukraine, and Discover Ukraine collections. 

Initially, all puzzles were produced in cardboard format with the help of a partner. However, in the process of development, the need for more flexibility arose, so Ukrainian Puzzles set up its own production of wooden puzzles in Lutsk. This allowed the company to reach a new level - to expand its product range and launch a line of puzzles for the youngest puzzle lovers. The first children's wooden puzzle was presented in December 2024 on St. Nicholas Day - since then, this category has been constantly updated with new plots. Our own production allows us to realize creative ideas quickly, efficiently, and in accordance with the wishes of our customers.

The strength of the Ukrainian Puzzles brand is its unique licenses and collaborations. The team strictly adheres to copyright and has licenses to use all the images featured on the puzzles. This approach has made it possible to build sustainable partnerships with Ukrainian artists, illustrators, photographers, and cultural institutions. In particular, Ukrainian Puzzles was the first to receive permission to create puzzles from the paintings by Maria Prymachenko in cooperation with the Maria Prymachenko Family Foundation. Some of the illustrations were created specifically for Ukrainian Puzzles by modern Ukrainian artists. The collaboration with Petrykivka painting and Easter egg making masters is also worth mentioning, as it resulted in puzzles inspired by Ukrainian traditional decorative art. The brand also implements joint projects with Suspilne Movlennya, Brobaks studio, Ranok publishing house, Mystetskyi Arsenal, and the charitable organization “Fund of Alla Horska and Viktor Zaretsky”. Each puzzle is the result of a responsible approach to content and authorship, as well as support for Ukrainian culture in its various forms.

“Build puzzle to rebuild Ukraine!” - This is the mission statement of Ukrainian Puzzles, which embodies their commitment to donate the net profit from puzzle sales to the relevant funds for the reconstruction and support of cultural institutions in Ukraine that have been damaged or destroyed as a result of the Russian-Ukrainian war. While the business is growing, the Ukrainian Puzzles team organizes tournaments and other fundraising events to raise money and has already begun making contributions from these initiatives as well as from their own profits to support culture, art, and projects that align with their mission. Read more in the Report page.

Ukrainian Puzzles remains true to its goal of recreating and emphasizing the unique aspects of Ukrainian cultural heritage and history in puzzles. The UP team dreams that every corner of an independent, peaceful, rebuilt Ukraine will have puzzles depicting our beautiful cities, monuments and traditions, and that every family will find time to spend together completing their favourite Ukrainian Puzzles.

Vita Vorobchuk and Yaryna Zhurba at the Book Arsenal in May 2023.