Wandering the Edge

Operation Frantic was a joint (sort-of) Soviet-American bombing operation at the tail-end of the Second World War. Using Ukrainian air bases that also housed the Germans and Soviets before them, the American bombers tried to help the Allied war effort by bombing eastern German targets, tried to get the German Luftwaffe's attention during D-Day and also dropped aid to the Poles during the Warsaw Uprising. How did the Soviets react to this, how did they screw up in defending their own allies and what did the American servicemen think about this joint operation? Learn more about this little-known Allied strategic bombing operation along with some great museums in Kyiv dedicated to planes, tanks and weapons! 

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Museums Options in Kyiv:

* Oleh Antonov State Aviation Museum (2 Medova St. Kyiv, 03048)

* National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War (24 Lavrska St. Kyiv, 01015)

Sources:

* Serhii Plokhy, Forgotten Bastards of the Eastern Front: American Airmen behind the Soviet Lines and the Collapse of the Grand Alliance (2019)

* John T. Correll, "The Poltava Debacle" in Air Force Magazine (2011)

* David Stubblebine, "Operation Frantic" in World War II Database (2021)

* Mark J. Conversino, "Operation Frantic" in Air Power History (1991)

* Richard R. Muller, "A Tale of Two Bomb Groups" in Air Power History (2019)

Did you know that the Scythians were a large influence on European civilization? That their military prowess lead them all the way to Egypt and against the famous of ancient rulers - Darius the Great and Alexander the Great? How about the Amazons - did you know they were active members of Scythian society? What's myth and what's truth about the famous women warriors? You will find out in this episode along with an explorations of Scythian society through the eyes of ancient Greeks, Romans and even Shakespeare! Plus, some great stories of traveling (modern) Ukraine via train!

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Facebook & Instagram: @Wanderedgeukraine

Sources:

* J. W. Johnson, "The Scythian: His Rise and Fall" in Journal of the History of Ideas (1959)

* F.K. Nadooshan, S.S. Moosavi & F.J. Pour, "The Politics of Parthian Coinage in Media" in New Eastern Archeology (2005)

* Kristin M. Romey, "The Forgotten Realm of Alexander" in Archaeology (2004)

* John D. Niles, "Hawks, Horses and Huns: The Impact of Peoples of the Steppe on the Folk Cultures of Northern Europe" in Western Folklore (2016)

* "Introducing the Scythians" on British Museum Blog (2017)

* Ingvar Nord, "Grave of Female Scythian Warrior Found in Ukraine" on Ancient Origins (2018)

* Oleksandr Palii, "A History of Ukraine. The Scythians" on Radio Lemberg (2017)

* "Scythians" on Encyclopedia of Ukraine

* Serhii Plokhy, The Gates of Europe (2017)

* Paul Robert Magosci, A History of Ukraine (1996)

* Barry Cunliffe, The Scythians: Nomad Warriors of the Steppe (2019)

* Renate Rolle, The World of the Scythians (1989)

* Kathryn Hinds, Scythians and Sarmatians (Barbarians!), (2009)

How did Ukrainian music evolve throughout time? What influenced it and how was it changed by Soviet occupation? What is the "bilyj holos" or natural voice of Ukraine and what makes it so special? Find out all of this over some girl talk about what Ukrainian folk music means - from those of us who came from a village or even those who didn't step one foot outside the city until much later in life. In this special episode, Marichka Marczyk - Ukrainian ethnomusicologist, singer and folklorist from the famous Bozhychi, Kuku Shanel, Lemon Bucket Orkestra ensembles (and Balaklava Blues duo with her husband Mark Marczyk) talks all about her passion for folk music and why it's important to preserve it - a project she feels passionate about and even began an digital archive of called Folk Songs of Ukraine and can be found: https://folk-ukraine.com/

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

Who was Metropolitan Lypkivsky, the man who said this in 1919: "If you do not become united in the defence of your homeland, you will weep under Moscow captivity, as Israel once did under Babylon." Find out how he grew up, his history in the Orthodox Church, his rebellious insistance in creating an Ukrainian independence churce and his persecution by the Soviet authorities. Also, get a great tourist and historical lesson about Kyiv's magical St. Sophia Cathedral!

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Tourist Information:

* St. Sophia Cathedral Complex (24 Volodymyrska St, Kyiv)

Sources:

* Felix Corley, Religion in the Soviet Union: An Archival Reader (1996)

* Serhiy Nuzhnenko, "Exploring the Ancient Graffiti of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv" as translated by Christine Chraibi on Euromaidan Press (originally on Radio Liberty), (2021)

* Klara Hudzyk, "National Metropolitan" in Ukraina Incognita (2007)

* "Vasyl Lypkivsky" in Encyclopedia of Ukraine

* Karel C. Berkhoff, "Was There a Religious Revival in Soviet Ukraine under the Nazi Regime" in The Slavonic and East European Review (2000)

* Metropolitan Vasyl Lypkivskyj, Christian Orthodox Church of Ukrainian People (1951)

* Volodymyr Kosyk, Ukraina - Dovha i Vazhka Borotba za Isnuvannia (2014)

* Andre Partykevich, Between Kyiv and Constantinople: Oleksander Lototsky and the Quest for Ukrainian Autocephaly (1998)

In this episode, we explore how and why Ukraine's oligarchs came to be through the prism of the theory of political economy. Which oligarchs own what, how did Ukraine pseudo-mafia state begin and how did communism influence it? There's also some frustrating stories of how Ukraine's state system works, from personal experience. Plus, you'll get a great tour of some of central Kyiv's most memorable pubs!

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Facebook & Instagram: @Wanderedgeukraine

Some of the Pubs of Kyiv:

* O'Briens Irish Pub (17a, Mikhalivska St. Kyiv)

* Cooper's Pub (2 Mikhalivska St. Kyiv)

Sources:

* Paul Wells, "A Canadian is Fighting for Change in Ukraine. So Far, He's Losing" in Maclean's (2021)

* Anna Reid, Borderland: A Journey Through the History of Ukraine (2000)

* James William Morley (ed), Driven by Growth: Political Change in the Asia-Pacific Region (1998)

* Bruce Cumings, "The Origins and Development of the Northeast Asian Political Economy: Industrial Sectors, Product Cycles and Political Consequences" in International Organization (1984)

* Ronald Dore, Political Economy of Modern Capitalism: Mapping Convergence and Diversity (1997)

* James Fallows, Looking at the Sun: The Rise of the New East Asian Economic and Political System (1995)

* Meredith Woo-Cumings (ed), The Developmental State (1999)

* Ziya Onis, "The Logic of the Developmental State" in Comparative Politics (1991)

* Robert Gilpin, The Political Economy of International Relations (1987)

* Nick Kochan, "Ukraine's Oligarchs: Who Are They - and Which Side are They On?" in The Guardian (2014)

* Neil A. Abrams & M. Steven Fish, "Dethroning Ukraine's Oligarchs: A How-To Guide" in Foreign Policy (2016)

* Marek Dabrowski, "Ukraine's Oligarchs are Bad for Democracy and Economic Reform" in Bruegel Organization (2017)

* Andrew Wilson, "Survival of the Richest: How Oligarchs Block Reform in Ukraine" in European Council on Foreign Relations (2016)

* Timothy Ash, Janet Gunn et. al., "The Struggle for Ukraine" in Chatham House Report (2017)

* Heiko Pleines, "Manipulating Politics: Domestic Investors in Ukrainian Privatisation Auctions, 2000-2004" in Europe-Asia Studies (2008)

* "Billionaires of Ukraine: Where Did the Richest Ukrainians Start Their Business" in 24 Kanal (2020)

* Roman Kravets, "Oligarchs on TV. Who is Being Promoted and Who is at War with Akhmetov, Kolomoisky, Medvechuk" (2019)

* Olha Kutyshenko, "Research: How Oligarchs Affect the Economy of Ukraine" in LB.UA (2017)

Why are Ukrainian weddings so awesome? How were these traditions created and how did they evolve? When do the couple begin their wedding journey and how does it end? And why is a barn involved? Well, in this episode we will marry Taras and Zoriana and go through the three stages of a Ukrainian wedding: the pre-wedding, wedding and post-wedding craziness. We'll also learn about a huge open-air architectural museum in Kyiv - the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine! 

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Travel Options:

National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine (Vulytsya Akademika Tronʹka, Kyiv)

Sources:

* Iryna Ihnatenko, Ethnology for the People: Holidays, Traditions, Customs, Rights, Signs, Beliefs of Ukraine (2016)

* Encyclopedia of Ukraine, "Wedding"

* Koko Rakowsky, "Tanya Stachniw and Koko Rakowsky’s Wedding" on Brama.com

* "Ukrainian Wedding Traditions" on Ukrainian People (2017)

* Patricia Robin Woodruff, "The Crowning - A Slavic Pagan Handfasting or Wedding" on Inner Art Spirit online (2017)

* Svitlana Kukharenko, "Negotiating Magic: Ukrainian Wedding Traditions and Their Persistence in Canada" in Canadian Slavonic Papers (2008)

* W. Stscherbakiwskyj, "The Early Ukrainian Social Order as Reflected in Ukrainian Wedding Customs" in The Slavonic and East European Review (1953).

Who was part of the Red Renaissance - a group of Ukrainian communist artist-intellectuals who got to live in their own apartment building? This one buiding in central Kharkiv became Stalin's "Great Terror Lite" - before the terror of the late 1930's, Stalin managed to arrest, exile or execute 90% of the residents of this "Slovo" building. Why and how? Find out in this episode of Wandering the Edge along with some fascinating information about Ukraine's most prominent modernist, experimental theater group named after one of those artists killed by Stalin. 

To donate:  https://www.wanderingtheedge.net/reviews

Facebook & Instagram: @Wanderedgeukraine

Tourist Options:

Les Kurbas Theatre (3 Les Kurbas St., Lviv, 79007)

Information about Marta Iwanek can be found on her website.

Sources:

* Proslovo Project (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)

* Claudia Bettiol, "Ukraine: Slovo, from 'House of the World' to Nightmare" on Osservatorio Balcani e Caucaso Transeuropo (2020)

* Olga Bertelsen, "Regional Nationalism and Soviet Anxieties during the Great Terror in Ukraine: The Case of Mykhailo Bykovets'" in East/West Journal of Ukrainian Studies (2016)

* Olga Bertelsen, "The House of Writers in Ukraine, the 1930s: Conceived, Lived, Perceived" in The Carl Beck Papers in Russian and East European Studies (2013)

* Iryna Troskot, "The Psychological Novel Preceded the Mass Genres" on Litaktsent (2016)

* Yaryna Tsymbal, "Traveller, Hunter and Philosopher" in Ukrainian Week (2015)

Who were the registered and Zaporizhian Cossacks, what was their impact on Ukrainian culture, society, historical memory, military formations and psyche and why are they different from the Russians? This episode explains how those who fled serfdom to the wild, wild east of the Ukrainian steppes in the 16th century created a culture that still has a huge impact on Ukraine, that their imagery is as popular as it ever was. You'll also get to see how one man ignited a fire of an uprising, how history is perceived different through different eyes and why Ukrainians love their Hopak! Plus, you'll get all the information you want about Khortytsia Island - the largest island on the Dnipro River and home to an awesome living museum.

To donate:  https://www.wanderingtheedge.net/reviews

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Tourist Attractions:

* Khortytsia Island - Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine

Sources:

* Serhiy Makhun, "Mercenary Cossacks in the Service of European States" in Ukraina Incognita (2000)

* Serhiy Makhun, "Cossacks in Europe" in Ukraina Incognita (1999)

* Frank E. Sysyn, "The Khmelnytsky Uprising: A Characterization of the Ukrainian Revolt" in Jewish History (2003)

* Zenon E. Kohut, "The Khmelnytsky Uprising, the Image of Jews and the Shaping of Ukrainian Historical Memory" in Jewish History (2003)

* Frank Sysyn, "The Reemergence of the Ukrainian Nation and Cossack Mythology" in Social Research (1991)

* Louis Petiniaud, "The Cossacks and Their Legacy as National Symbols in Post-Maidan Ukraine" in ASN World Convention (2015)

* Tetyana Bureychak & Olena Petrenko, "Heroic Masculinity in Post-Soviet Ukraine: Cossacks, UPA and 'Svoboda'" in East/West Journal of Ukrainian Studies (2015)

* I.U. Erokhin, "Foundations for the Territories of the Cossacks" in International Research Journal (2014)

* "Cossacks" in Encyclopedia of Ukraine

* Tetyana Matychak, "Why are Cossacks Key to Understanding the Ukrainian Nation?" in Ukraine World (2019)

* Volodymyr Holobutsky, Zaporozhke Kozatstvo (1994)

Marusia Churai, Ukrainian poetess from the 17th century, wrote a poem about poisoning her lover and then became a national icon. How did this happen? Why did her poems, turned songs, become an inspiration for a nation and how did them become some of the best known Ukrainian national songs? Find out in this episode which details the love-triangle Marusia got herself into, the death sentence she got out of and how her story has been debated and explored, most notably by Lina Kostenko in the 1970s. You'll also get to hear about the wonders of Kyiv parks!

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Museums Mentioned:

* Water Museum (Mykhaila Hrushevskoho St, 1В, Kyiv)

* Mariinsky Palace (5A, Mykhaila Hrushevskoho St, Kyiv)

Sources:

* Christine Chraibi, "Luigi & Mokryna: an Italian-Ukrainian love story spanning the 20th century" on EuroMaidan Press (2019)

* Y. Kononenko, "Soul of Ukraine's Song (Marusia Churai, Lesia Ukrainka, Lina Kostenko" in Heroii ta Snamenytosti v Ukrainskyj Kulturi (1999).

* Oleksandr Kryvoshyj, Women in Public Ukrainian Life During the Cossack Era (1998)

* Elvira Zahurska, "Legends about Marusia Churai" in Den (2006)

* Oleksandra Wallo, Ukrainian Women Writers and the National Imaginary: From the Collapse of the USSR to the Euromaidan (2019)

* D.H. Struk, "The How, the What and the Why of 'Marusia Churai': A Historical Novel in Verse by Lina Kostenko" in Canadian Slavonic Papers (1990).

* Leonid Kaufman, Divchyna z Legendy. Marusia Churai (1974)

* Maryna Romanets, "His Stories Becoming Histories: Lina Kostenko's Poetic Martyr-Drama" in Canadian Slavonic Papers (2003)

* "Women" in Encylopedia of Ukraine (Online)

* Natalia Sviatokum, "Zhinky Kozachchyny. Marusi, Roksolany, Berehyni" in UaModerna (2017)

* Paul Robert Magosci, A History of Ukraine: The Land and Its Peoples (2010)

* Martha Bohachevsky-Chomiak, Feminists Despite Themselves: Women in Ukrainian Community Life (1988)

* V.M. Pischanska, "Women in the Culture of Ukrainian Cossacks" in Kulturna Ukraina (2014)

This episode explores the story of Olha of Kyiv – saint, mother, queen, diplomat, reformer and warrior (probably). The woman whose revenge is part of history, who outsmarted the Emperor of Byzantium and who inspired the bloodiest weddings in the "Game of Thrones" world. This episode places her in a wider historical European world but also looks at her story through a more Viking perspective. Also, take a trip to Kyiv's St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery - outside of which you can find a great statue of Olha herself. 

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Facebook & Instagram: @Wanderedgeukraine

Travel Options for you in this episode:

* St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, 8 Triokhsviatytelska St, Kyiv

* Mykhailivska Square

Sources:

* Matt Robinson, "Kiev Monastery a Sanctuary for the Bloodied and Bruised" in Reuters (2014)

* Mark Whittow, "The Making of Byzantium, 600-1025" (1996)

* N.K. Chadwick "The Beginnings of Russian History: An Enquiry into Sources" (1946)

* Wladyslaw Duczko, "Viking Rus: Studies on the Presence of Scandinavians in Eastern Europe" (2004)

* Joanna Hubbs, "Mother Russia: The Feminine Myth in Russian Culture" (1993)

* Francis Butler, "A Woman of Words: Pagan Olga in the Mirror of Germanic Europe" in Slavic Review (2004)

* Roman Kovalev, "Grand Princess Olga of Rus Shows the Bird: Her Christian Falcon Emblem" in Russian History (2012)

* Miroslav Lubanka, "Religious Centers and their Missions to Kievan Rus: From Olga to Volodimer" in Harvard Ukrainian Studies (1988/1989)

* Aleksandr Koptev, "Ritual and History: Pagan Rites in the Story of the Princess' Revenge" in Mirator (2010)

* Primary Chroincle (Laurentian Text)