Ukraine and Ukrainians have used political assassinations to push their agenda into the spotlight or protest grievances against Ukrainians. Ukrainians have also been targeted by some of the Soviet Union's best assassins and for glaringly obvious reasons. So, who were these high-profile victims and assassins? And how were the assassinations planned …

What is "soft power" and how did/does Russia use it not only in Ukraine but among other so-called "Western" countries? This question along with others is talked about in this interview with Dr. Lada L. Roslycky, whom predicted Russia using their Black Sea Fleet to annex the Crimea. She is now the founding managing partner of Black Trident, a defens…

Why is Mykhailo Hrushevsky so venerated among Ukrainian historians? And why are his histories so important to Ukrainian historiography? And how this seemingly quiet man become the president of Ukraine in 1918? And how did his life change after this? Find out in this episode of Wandering the Edge. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more epi…

In 1947, the Polish communist state internally displaced the rest of their 150,000 Ukrainian minority. They spattered them among the now empty German territories they gained when Stalin moved Poland's borders west. Why did this happen? And how was the operation conducted? And was it a success? Find out in this episode of Wandering the Edge! Faceboo…

What was the good, the bad and the ugly about Ukraine's first independence in 1918? How did it begin and why did it fail? And who was responsible for it? Find out in this latest episode of Wandering the Edge! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠…

Who were the UPA 4? The 4 women of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army who received 25 years imprisonment for their roles in the Ukrainian underground? How did each women even end up in the UPA? What were their roles and what did they sacrifice for their beliefs? Find out in this latest episode of Wandering the Edge! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukrain…

During Ukraine's first independence drive, the Ukrainian army attempted to break out through the Monarchist and Bolshevik fronts, these two attempts were known as the First and Second Winter Campaigns. Where they successful? Who commanded them? And why are they important to Ukrainian military history? Find out in this latest episode of Wandering th…

Ukraine's primary source on our Medieval history is the Primary Chronicle. But is it a primary source and what is it exactly? Who wrote it? How did it become so important? And how has it evolved throughout the centuries to use as a political tool? Find out more in this latest episode of Wandering the Edge! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine Fo…

Why was Volodymyr the Great - great? How did a legalized bastard become the leader of Europe's largest kingdom at that time? And how did he choose Orthodox Christianity as his new religion to baptize this empire? And why is his influence so great in this modern era? Find out in this latest episode of Wandering the Edge! Facebook & Instagram: Wander…

What was the Prosvita (Enlightenment) Society that was founded in Lviv in 1868? Why was it the single most important Ukrainian society to basically ever exist? And what role did it play in Ukraine's fight for independence, self-sufficiency and cultural history? Find out in this episode of Wandering the Edge! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine …

The 1919 Paris Peace talks in Versailles was supposed to be end of war in Europe. But in just 20 years, a world war would begin anew - one of the reasons for which was the outcomes of the Peace Talks. But what was the affect of this peace for Ukraine and Ukrainians? And is there a warning in ignoring the wants and needs of a large segment of the Eu…

Ukraine's history has not only been appropriated by Russia for centuries, but its treasures has also been stolen or destroyed by imperial Russia, Soviet Russia and now the Russian Federation. What is missing from Ukraine's cultural treasures, what has Russia and other countries stolen from our archives and what is Russian consciously destroying dur…

What's the history of vodka and vodka distilling? What is so unique to Ukrainian vodka? And what makes it taste so good? And how did this current Russian invasion affect Ukraine's vodka distilleries? And what can we do to support Ukraine reestablish itself as the world best and great vodka distillers? Find out in this episode of an interview with Z…

Ukraine voted him the most influential Ukrainian in 2008 but why was Yaroslav named "the Wise"? How much of it was his legal reform and how much of it was his military and diplomatic feats that have earned him his moniker? Find out about this great Mediaeval Kyivan Rus King in this episode of Wandering the Edge! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukra…

Ukraine has suffered from 3 major famines in the 20th century: 1921-1923, the Holodomor of 1932-1933 and the post-war famine of 1946-1947. And while the first and last did have environmental factors that contributed to the famine, it was the policies of the Bolsheviks and Soviets that led to the death of millions of people, who could have lived if …

Ivan Kotliarevsky (1769-1838) was the first modern Ukrainian writer who wrote in actual Ukrainian. His parody "Eneida" followed some rowdy Ukrainian Cossacks on their journey to/from Troy. His other works included the great play - "Natalka Poltavka", which was the last play performed at the Kyiv Opera Theatre before the 2022 invasion. Kotliarevsky …

The Kholodny Yar area of Ukraine is a beautiful ancient forest filled with whimsy - but also a long history of rebellion and insurrection. From the 1700s with the Haidamak brigands to the early 20th century insurgents who first used the term "Glory to Ukraine" - this was the region of folk heroes, successful insurgent armies and severe repercussion…

Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky was a powerful figure in Ukrainian history and an influence in European politics in the second half of the 1600's. His most controversial act was signing an agreement with the Russian Tsar, the consequences of which have reverberated into modern Ukraine. His legacy is also shadowed by Cossack actions against the Jews and t…

Bohdan Khmelnytsky (1595-1657) could have been a minor Cossack noble and a small footnote in Ukrainian history until some soap opera level drama shook his life and at the age of 50 he led an uprising that would shake the entire Eastern European political and military landscape. What were his motivations and why did the other Cossacks follow his lea…

In this interview with journalist and activist Julian Hayda, we discuss the Ukrainian funerary customs and traditions - those Ukrainians observe in Ukraine and abroad. We talk about how these customs evolved, what exactly do Ukrainians do during a funeral and the importance of certain songs and customs to soothe our grief. Photo Credit: ARMYINFORM …

Sviatoslav was the son of a warrior king and a smart queen who loved a good fight (or war) but not so much the actual ruling bit of being a ruler. He won great battles in the east and lost great battles in the west. Was the first "Slav" king that great? And why is his image now so complicated? Find out in this episode of Wandering the Edge! Faceboo…

The Revolution of Dignity began as the pro-EU Euromaidan protest in November 2013. It then transformed into a revolution that wanted to change Ukraine itself. It turned violent when the government that was elected on behalf of the people, turned on the people. This was also the beginning of this current Ukrainian-Russian war, with 2022 only being t…

Ivan Franko (1856-1916) is considered the third in Ukraine's literary pantheon. He was a poet, writer, social and literary critic, journalist, translator, economist, political activist, doctor of philosophy, ethnographer and staunch Ukrainian independentist. His work has been used by the Soviets to completely alter his historical influence but his …

Thousands of Ukrainians were imprisoned in the GULAG system of the Soviet Union. And many of them were involved in the numerous GULAG uprisings that sprang up after Stalin's death in 1953. This episode will look at 3 of them in particular: the Norilsk and Vorkuta Uprisings of 1953 and the Kengir Uprising of 1954. Why did the uprisings occur and how…

How much do you know about your family tree? Well, there are some Ukrainian families that can pinpoint where and from whom they came from. That is the case with the Shukhevych Family. This episode will look into the history of this famous family which includes a lot of priests, some legal scholars, musicians, political-cultural leaders and legendar…

Ukraine is known as Europe's breadbasket - primarily because of the type of soil that naturally occurs there. This episode looks at the history of the Ukrainian peasantry - a social class that is so inherently tied to the land it was seen as a dangerous element by none other than the dictator Josef Stalin. How important was the peasantry to Ukraini…

Ukraine declared independence from the USSR on 24 August 1991. But it took years of inter-Soviet disfunction and terror to finally thrust independence upon numerous countries. The fall of the Soviet Union also didn't happen in one day, it took years and began with the election of Gorbachev in 1985 and pushed forward by thousands of pro-independence…

The January 29-30, 1918 Batty of Kruty pitted young Ukrainian soldiers against a larger attacking Red Army. Ukraine only just declared independence and the youth of this nation sacrificed their lives to keep their government alive. Their sacrifice was immortalized, commemorated year after year in the Diaspora and silenced in the Soviet Union. Almos…

Who was Petro Sahaidachny and why is he considered, by some, to be Ukraine's greatest Hetman? Well, he was a 17th century Ukrainian political and military leader who commanded his Cossacks at sea using their unique "chaika" boats and led them to almost sack Moscow. He was a diplomat just as much as he was a scholar, but he was always an impressive …

The second part of episodes dedicated to sciency stuff! Who were some of the most influential Ukrainian scientists in the twentieth century? Well, some liked rocks, others like kidneys and hearts while still others were really into welding stuff. But one was a mysterious man, without whom, NASA wouldn't have gotten to the moon (even though he died …

Ukrainians are pretty smart - so smart we have scientists! The first world-renown scientist is Yuriy Drohobych - the once rector of the University of Bologna in the 15th century who was a philosopher, astronomer and medical doctor for the king of Poland! We also have two evolutionists - Nicholas Miklouho-Maclay (anthropologist and biologist who was…

In this episode, we talk to Nazar Volynets, a veteran of the 24th Assault Battalion ("Aidar") of the Ukrainian Armed Forces who was a reconnaissance platoon commander in 2014-2015. We discuss how he ended up in Ukraine in 2013, why he joined the war, what he saw on the front, the importance of the Battle of Ilovaisk and Debaltseve and why supportin…

What is the feast day of the Intercession of the Theotokos? How did a military defeat in far off Constantinople result in a religious feast day in Ukraine? And how did it evolve and influence Ukrainian religious celebrations and even statehood from medieval Kyivan-Rus to the Cossacks to the Second World War and present day? Find out in this latest …

Alexander Dovzhenko is Ukraine's greatest screenwriter, producer and director. Ukraine's film institute is named after him. He was a genius that was tormented by Soviet censorship, favoured and agonized by Stalin's whims and made some of Ukraine's best films. While Sergei Parajanov made Ukraine's greatest film: Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors. The A…

Ukraine has had a long history of embracing democratic institutions - beginning with the viche in medieval Kyivan-Rus, the Cossack rada that elected their leaders and the Central Rada that declared independence in 1918. In these modern times, we see the example of the Kyiv viche that supported and propelled the Revolution of Dignity in 2013-2014. W…

A look at the theatric history of the Ukrainian stage: Marko Kropyvnytskyi as Ukraine's greatest directors, playwrights and actors who played more than 500 characters and worked to promote and popularize the Ukrainian stage in the 19th century. Then comes Maria Zankovetska - an actress of such renown that she played her own corpse. Solomiya Krushel…

Ukrainian nationalism was on the rise during in the interwar years in Poland, and the 1932 trial of Dmytro Danylyshyn and Vasyl Bilas proved to be as tragic as it was popular. But who were these two youths? And why was the trial so broadly talked about? What lasting impact did it have and more importantly - why was the Organization of Ukrainian Nat…

The bandura and the kobzari - those wandering bandura players - were important carries of Ukrainian oral history and culture. How did the bandura evolve to become the national instrument of Ukraine and where did those kobzari come from? Why were they important in Ukraine's historical memory of the Cossacks and why were they deemed such a treat to t…

An interview with Dr. Sasha Dovzhyk about one of Ukraine's leading poetic and feminist voices - Lesia Ukrainka. Ukrainka, which was her pen name, began writing poetry at a young age, was first published at 8, was anti-Tsarist, passionately Ukrainian and fiercely feminist. In this discussion we talk about how her illness influenced her writing, what…

Who was Olena Pchilka and Petro Kosach? And why and how did they create such enthusiastically nationally-minded and feminist children, like Lesya Ukrainka? What type of family home did they create (both literally and figuratively)? And who else in this super Ukrainian family was so influential in the family life of Lesya Ukrainka? Find out in this …

Did you know that Ukrainian feminism is different from it's Western sister? What makes it so different and who has influenced the evolution of both Ukrainian feminist theory and practice? Find out in this latest episode, where you will also listen to me fan-girling over Martha Bohachevsky-Chomiak, whose book "Feminists Despite Themselves" is one of…

Medieval King of Kyiv - Oleh the Prophet - was probably a Varangian (aka Viking) who grabbed power and ruled from Kyiv. Some say he was the first emperor of the Kyivan Rus Empire while others call him a warrior king as he raided and received a favourable treaty with Constantinople. Only problem is that primary sources of his life and times are in s…

What does a travel writer (pictured in the episode cover art), a noble turned foreign royal, a Mohawk tribal chief, a navy man and a space explorer have in common? Well, they were all Ukrainians! This episode looks at some fascinating histories of Sofia Yablonska (1930s travel photographer and writer), Kateryna Desnytska (Ukrainian noble turned Sia…

The Second World War tore apart the Second Polish Republic and was the main precursor to the creation of the Polish Home Army (AK) and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). And while the relationship between Ukrainians and Poles was brutal and complicated during the horrific, anarchic years of the Second World War - both nationalities were targeted b…

While Poland and Ukraine may have a very complicated history - there were moments of unity and cooperation between the two throughout history. This episode looks at one of these episodes in the 20th century which centres around the two leaders of their respective countries. Symon Petliura and Jozef Pilsudski have commonalities and differences - bot…

How did Volodymyr Ivasyuk become a house hold Ukrainian name? Why were his songs so popular - and are still sung around campfires, dining tables and front lines in today's Ukraine? Why do they hold such a powerful place in Ukrainian hearts, so much so that his music is now considered Ukrainian folk songs? And why was he so dangerous to the Russian …

Ukrainian emigration outside of Ukraine have been ongoing for centuries - both west and east. So many Ukrainians emigrated that they formed small Ukrainian communities who identified themselves as Ukrainians and many even wanted to join an independent Ukrainian People's Republic in the early 20th century. These colourful Ukraines: the Red, the Grey…

Yaroslav the Wise had four daughters and six sons. His daughters were all married to European rulers while his sons decided to play game of the thrones of Kyivan Rus. Well, three of them did - anyway. Iziaslav was ruler three different times and was an European adventurer, while Sviatoslav was the wise one with a short reign and Vsevolod was the la…

The Second World War saw some of the most terrible and inhumane episodes in human history. Millions of civilians and soldiers were dead by the end of it. Why is one month in 1941 so important for Ukrainian history? It showed the sadistic nature of the Soviet occupation and NKVD agencies with the mechanical murder of political prisoners sitting in S…

The Ottoman Empire is known, among other things, for its imperial harem. But a female slave from Ukraine turned the whole system of concubines on its head and ushered in an age of female domination. This was the famous and infamous Roxelana (aka Hurrem Sultan). One of the last of these great women was another Ukrainian - Turhan Sultan (or Nadiya). …