Wandering the Edge

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: WanderedgeukraineFor more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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!Facebook & Instagram: WanderedgeukraineFor more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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: WanderedgeukraineFor 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: WanderedgeukraineFor more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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 the Edge!Facebook & Instagram: WanderedgeukraineFor more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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: WanderedgeukraineFor more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

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: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net⁠⁠⁠⁠

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 For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net⁠⁠⁠

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 European population to appease bigger nations? Find out in this episode of Wandering the Edge! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net⁠⁠

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 during this current Russo-Ukrainian war? Find out in this latest episode of Wandering the Edge! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net⁠⁠

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 Zirkova Vodka's CEO Katherine Vellinga! Zirkova's website: https://www.zirkova.com/ Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net⁠

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: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net

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 it weren't for their ruthless and stupid agricultural policies. Find out about how did these famines start, how many were affected and how it effected the Ukrainians in this latest episode of Wandering the Edge. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠⁠wanderingtheedge.net

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 was also a military veteran and even mobilized his fellow Ukrainians against Napoleon in 1812! How did he influence Ukrainian literary history? Why was he so cool and such a great party guest? Find out in this episode of Wandering the Edge! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠wanderingtheedge.net

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 repercussions. Find out more about this region and its link to the modern Ukrainian Armed Forces in this episode of Wandering the Edge! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠wanderingtheedge.net

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 the Catholics. How has Khmelnytsky been remembered throughout the centuries and what has been his impact and influence on Ukrainian history? Find out in this latest episode of Wandering the Edge! Photo Credit: Eugene Chystiakov Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: ⁠wanderingtheedge.net

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 lead (and elect him Hetman)? And what were the reactions from those kingdoms and empires around the Cossacks? Find out in this episode of Wandering the Edge! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 the full scale invasion. Why did this Revolution happen? Why did the government fire on its own citizens? And why is it important? Find out in this episode! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 ideas on socialism were never so simple. This episode looks into his life and times and examines his works and their influence - which are felt even today. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 important where the Ukrainians in organizing and spreading unrest in the Soviet Union's concentration camp system? Find out in this episode! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 legendary and infamous military commanders, including General Roman Shukhevych. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 Ukrainian history? And how did they react to foreign intervention? How did Ukrainian culture evolve from the earth they toiled? Find out in this episode! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 activists. This episode will look at how independence came not only to Ukraine, but to the other former Soviet republics in the early 1990s. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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. Almost 100 years later, another Battle of Kruty occurred but with very different outcomes. In this episode, we explore how the battle occurred and why it became important in Ukrainian commemoration and national consciousness. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 political figure who led his men on land and sea. Find out more about this great Hetman of Ukraine on this latest episode! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 during the Second World War and had absolutely no contacts with any Americans). We'll discuss them all and you get to tell me, which one was the coolest! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 as important in Australia) and Elie Metchnikoff (Nobel Prize winner in immunology). The inventor of Xrays - Ivan Puluj, and an engineer who invented the first electric tram - Fyodor Pirotsky, are also in the mix in this episode all about pre-Soviet Ukrainian scientists! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 supporting Ukraine today is so important. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 episode of Wandering the Edge! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 Armenian too was plagued by Soviet censorship and political pressures, while some his actors (and other Ukrainian actors) had to navigate the political-artistic landscape of Soviet Ukraine. Find out who these actors were, how the political influenced the artistic and which Ukrainian films made a world-wide impact in this latest episode. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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. What exactly was the viche and how did these democratic institutions evolve in Ukraine? Find out in this episode! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 Krushelnytska was THE Madame Butterfly and Wagner's prima donna while Serge Lifar was a popular and a revolutionary ballet dancer and choreographer in Paris. All of them had one thing in common: they were Ukrainian! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 Nationalists in the center of it all? Find out about this and more on this episode of Wandering the Edge. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 the Soviet Union? And how did the bandura find it's voice again in the Diaspora? Find out all of this and more on this episode! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 she saw of herself and how she saw her fellow females and fellow Ukrainians. Dr. Sasha is a prolific writer, activist and well - a happy wanderer who now splits her time between the UK and Ukraine. One of her many projects included helping to develop "Cassandra" - a play by Lesia Ukrainka, translated into English and performed in the UK. It was one of the many projects of the Ukrainian Institute London, and primarily under the leadership of Maria Montague. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 episode, about the family life of Lesya Ukrainka and those family members who impacted her so greatly. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 the most influential histories of Ukrainian feminism...well, ever! There's also a lot from Solomiia Pavluchko - who was a leading Ukrainian feminist scholar, until her untimely death in 1999. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 short supply - the dark ages were really that dark in early Rus! How much of his history is real, how much imagined by Nestor the Chronicler 300 years later and how much do we actually know about Oleh/Helgi? Find out more in this episode! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 Siam princess), Ivan Datsenko (Ukrainian WWII fighter pilot turned Canadian Mohawk tribal chief, and might not be real?), Yuri Lisianskyi (19th century naval explorer who circumnavigated the globe) and Pavel Popovich (Ukrainian cosmonaut and first Ukrainian to leave planet Earth). All of them wandered the globe (and space) and left their marks on history and history and other peoples left their marks on them. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 by the Soviet Union after it occupied the region. From the betrayal of the Poles during the Warsaw Uprising to the forced deportations of Ukrainians in western Ukraine - there were numerous examples of Soviet brutality that could have been confronted by a mutual Ukrainian-Polish unity. This episode looks at the local agreements that the AK and the UPA had that are examples of a joint Ukrainian-Polish underground union - which shows that both nationalities could have worked together. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 - both knew what it meant to be under Russian occupation and both fought for their country's rights to exist. Both have a strained relationship with history and tried to work together but only one saw his country's true independence in the aftermath of the First World War. Find out more about these two titans of their respective nation's histories is this episode! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 dominated Soviet culture? Find out in this episode all about Ukraine's most popular composer: Volodymyr Ivasyuk, the man behind Chervona Ruta, Vodohrai and many, many more songs that explore Ukrainian love and beauty. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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, the Yellow and the Green Ukraines were historically, actively Ukrainian. They all had societies, clubs, events, organizations and congresses (Ukrainians LOVE congresses) that swore to their identity. Unfortunately, most have been silenced. But you'll find their history in this episode. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 last, who ruled the longest. How did this complicated relationship of brothers and rulers come about and why did Iziaslav spend so much time in Europe? Find out in this latest episode! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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 Soviet prisons throughout Ukraine. It resulted in thousands of deaths and greatly influenced the suffering of many more. This episode explores how this massacre was allowed to happen (through Soviet leadership), how these prisoners were intentionally killed and the stories that many suffered through. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

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). Another might have been Ukrainian - but I'm not 100% sure of her. In this episode, we explore their origins, how they got to Istanbul and how they goverened their respective courts. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

Scott Bury is a journalist, novelist (from fantasy series to murder-mysteries to historical novels) and now podcaster. His Eastern Front Trilogy follows the story of his father-in-law, Maurice Bury - a Canadian who served in the Red Army from 1941 to 1945. Scott also has a new podcast, the only English speaking podcast that focuses on the Eastern Front of the Second World War - the Beyond Barbarossa podcast. We talk about all of this and how Russia's war today is reminiscent of the Red Army of the Second World War. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

The 1960's counter-culture in Soviet Ukraine was a bit more dramatic than that of the West: poets could were feared, the individual was on the rise and national awareness was creeping up into the national consciousness of Ukraine's students and intellectuals. Some of these dissidents were arrested, some killed but all of them influenced a generation of people and an entire nation. From a revolt over the destruction of a stained-glass window in Kyiv to theatrical protests against sham show trials - these artists weren't afraid of the all-powerful communist party; but the party was afraid of them. Take a look at these dissidents: their lives, their art and their influence in this latest episode. Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net

Volodymyr Monomakh was the prince of Smolensk, Chernihiv, Pereiaslav and finally the Grand Prince (aka King) of Kyivan-Rus from 1113 to 1125. How did this grandson of Yaroslav the Wise rise from the thousandth in line to rule the Empire? Find out in this episode along with how much the man loved to hunt (a lot, trust me, it was A LOT!), how he used diplomacy and warfare to solve his issues and how he is related to the English nobility! Facebook & Instagram: Wanderedgeukraine For more episodes, sources and extras, please visit: wanderingtheedge.net