Episode 10 kicks off with a chill—literally—as the Iron Curtain descends across Eastern Europe and Ukraine finds itself locked behind it. We dive into the Sovietization of postwar Ukraine, the brutal suppression of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, and the gray grind of rebuilding Soviet-style.

From Stalin’s death and Khrushchev’s Thaw to Brezhnev’s stagnation and the rise of underground resistance, we follow how Ukrainian identity was silenced, then whispered, then sung louder through poetry, samizdat, churchgatherings, and even soccer.

Then comes the turning point: the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, which shattered public trust, followed by Gorbachev’s reforms, the rise of the Rukh movement, and the full-speed sprint to independence in 1991—capped by a landslide referendum that declared, unmistakably, Ukraine is free.

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June 24, 1945 — Red Square turns into a theater of triumph. In this Dad Tangent, we take a closer look at Stalin’s over-the-top Victory Day Parade, complete with rain-soaked generals, dramatic symbolism, and one very famous moment: Nazi flags hurled at Lenin’s Mausoleum. But behind the spectacle? A carefully staged message of Soviet power and control. Come for the horses and goose-stepping — stay for the side-eye between Stalin and Zhukov.

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What do you do after you win a war? If you’re Stalin, you send in the Trophy Brigades! In this lighter Dad Tangent, we dig into one of the strangest chapters of postwar history: the Soviet teams tasked with looting Nazi Germany…for everything. We’re talking pianos, bathtubs, livestock, entire libraries — and more than a few chandeliers. Part revenge, part reconstruction, part high-speed antique shopping spree, this is the story of how the Soviets rebuilt by packing up Berlin and sending it east. Spoils of war? More like railcars of toilets.

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In this episode of History with Dad, we follow the Red Army's march into Eastern Europe — and the tangled legacy it left behind. From the crushed dreams of the Warsaw Uprising to Romania’s hijacked revolution and Tito’s defiant break with Stalin, this is the story of “liberation” that looked a lot like occupation. We’ll explore the fall of East Prussia, the muted relief of Victory Day in the East, and how the West turned a blind eye as democracy vanished behind barbed wire and watchtowers.

This is the moment the map changed — and the Cold War’s shadow began to stretch.

Spoiler: The Iron Curtain doesn’t fall. It’s built.

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After World War II, Ukraine was in ruins — but there was one thing the Soviets never ran short on: Lenin statues. Big ones, small ones, golden ones, even a few with mystery accessories. In this Dad Tangent, we dive into the weird and wonderful world of postwar propaganda monuments,where copy-paste Lenins ruled every town square and birds were the real revolutionaries.

It’s a tale of hammers, sickles, and a whole lot of sculpted stone.

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World War II left Ukraine in ruins — and its youngest citizens in crisis. In this Dad Tangent, we explore what happened to the hundreds of thousands of children orphaned by the war. From overcrowded state homes to military indoctrination pipelines, these kids weren’t just survivors — they were shaped by a system that prized obedience over healing.

It’s a story of loss, resilience, and growing up under a regime that called itself a parent.

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World War II is drawing to a close, but for Ukraine, the struggle is far from finished. In this episode of History with Dad, we explore what “liberation” really meant under Stalin. From mass deportations and cultural erasure to shattered cities and tightly controlled reconstruction, we unpackhow Ukraine was rebuilt — not just with bricks and railroads, but with surveillance, fear, and ideology.

Victory may have been declared… but for many Ukrainians, peace came with conditions.

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In May 1944, the Crimean Tatars were given fifteen minutes to pack.

In this Dad Tangent, we explore one of the most tragic — and least known— stories of World War II: the forced deportation of an entire people fromtheir homeland. Accused without trial, loaded into freight cars, and sentthousands of miles away, the Crimean Tatars paid the price not for what theyhad done, but for who they were.

From the overnight erasure of a culture to a little girl holding a moldyloaf of bread, this is the story of how history remembers… and how it forgets.

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What happens when the army leaves… and the secret police move in?

In this Dad Tangent, we dive into the chilling aftermath of Soviet “liberation” during World War II. As the Red Army pushed the Nazis out of Ukraine, Stalin’s secret police — the NKVD — rolled in behind them with lists,suspicions, and a very broad definition of guilt.

From arrests without evidence to gulags in Siberia, we explore howliberation often came with a knock at the door. Plus, we look at how the NKVDlaid the groundwork for something that might sound more familiar: the KGB.

Not every story has a happy ending — but some need to be told anyway.

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No pressure — but every bit helps fuel research,hosting costs, and (of course) caffeine-powered storytelling.
Thanks for listening, and for being part of this nerdy little adventure throughthe past.

The tide has turned — and the Red Army is on the move.

In this episode of History with Dad, we follow the Sovietcounteroffensive as it rolls across Ukraine in 1943 and 1944. From thesmoldering aftermath of Stalingrad to the frozen crossings of the Dnipro River,Soviet forces push westward, liberating cities, reclaiming factories,and—unfortunately—bringing Stalin’s paranoia with them.

We explore the largest tank battle in history at Kursk, the brutal fightfor Kharkiv, the cost of retaking Kyiv on Stalin’s schedule, and thedestruction left behind by a retreating German army. But liberation doesn’tmean peace — not when the NKVD is watching, files are growing, and entirecommunities like the Crimean Tatars are being erased.

Spoiler: you don’t need to be a Nazi to end up on Stalin’s bad side.

Love history, dad jokes, and the occasional deep dive into Soviet paranoia?
If you’re enjoying History with Dad and want to help keep the episodes coming, you can chip in a few bucks at:
👉 buymeacoffee.com/historywithdad

No pressure — but every bit helps fuel research, hosting costs, and (of course) caffeine-powered storytelling.
Thanks for listening, and for being part of this nerdy little adventure through the past.