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.

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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.

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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! 

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A Russian princess turned famed front-line doctor meets a young strapping Ukrainian Colonel of the Ukrainian People's Army in 1919. They marry, have a kid, and get interned in two different prisoners of war camps, divorce but still see each other. Who were these two remarkable people? It was Khrystyna and Roman Sushko and this episode explores their lives individually and together and how they both influenced early 20th century Ukrainian history. 

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A verbal look at a very visual art form - we'll look at the evolution of Ukrainian dance. From a very pagan, spiritual dance form asking the gods for help to a modern, ballet-inspired whirlwind of complexity and FUN! We'll also get a look at the history of the hopak and how Ukrainian dance evolution diverged between Soviet-style Ukrainian folk and Diaspora Ukrainian folk dance and who was important in this process of evolution. Special thank you to Anna Sudyk Photography for the picture use!

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Who was this Cossack whom a Polish historian described as: "A lion's courage, the mobility of the snake, the cunning of the fox and the light-heartedness of the wind trembled in Bohun’s every vein. Freedom, space, the steppe and war were his element"? A man who was a stubborn independentist and believed that Ukraine should not rely on any other power but its own. This was a man who inspired generations of Ukrainian men and women (for two different reasons) - this was Colonel Ivan Bohun. We delve into his military history and tactical brilliance on the battlefiled and try to get a glimpse into his fierce stubborness! 

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A man born in one empire, studied in Italy and Germany, came back to Lviv which was under Poland for his vocation, lived through the Second World War, was put in a GULAG for almost 20 years and freed by the efforts of an American President, a Vatican Pope and a Soviet Premier. This was Major Archbishop (and Patriarch for many Ukrainians) Josyf Slipyj - the successor of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky. His life was embroiled in politics, but he remained apolitical but supremely Ukrainian. What influenced him, how did he react to his imprisonment and what role did he play once freed from the Soviet prison of nations? Find out in this episode which concludes the sort of trilogy of Ukrainian religious history.

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A royal count who became a laywer who found his calling as a priest and became the head of his church at the age of 35! This was Metroplitan Andrey Sheptytsky - who came from a mixed Polish-Ukrainian family who valued the youth and Ukrainian national-consciousness. He was a man that didn't give the Vatican a dime of money but put it all back to his flock: by creating orphanages, hospitals and schools. He was admired as he was feared by imperialists, he openly condemned the killings that occurred on all sides of the Second World War and instigated a network of priests and nuns who saved thousands of Jews during the Holocaust. And this episode is all about him - a man who followed the principle of the law of love in his teachings and leadership of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. 

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What is the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and how did it come about? Who were the main characters who made it happen, who sort-of lost his mind in the process and how was it received? This Union wasn't the first attempt to unify the Eastern and Western Christian churches but it made a great impact on Ukraine's religious history. We'll take a look at the beginnings of the Uniate Church (another name for the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) and why they're (still) perceived as a threat to Moscow's Orthodoxy. 

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Our first interview of 2022 is with researcher and historian Alik Gomelsky. Originally from Kharkiv, he is a member of the Canadian Author’s Association, co-founder of the Ukrainian-Jewish International Association and the author of "History: Unlearned Lessons", "Simon Petliura: Facts against Myths" and his latest: "Jewish-Ukrainian Relations. 20thCentury" (all in Ukrainian). His work is based on declassified KGB, CIA, Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and German archives along with memoirs. He focuses is mainly on historical events and personalities through the prism of Jewish-Ukrainian relations.

In this episode we look through the more troublesome history of Ukrainian-Jewish relations throughout the 20th century, including the widespread pogroms that occurred in the Russian Empire, the creation of the Ministry of Jewish Affairs under the Ukrainian People’s Republic, Symon Petliura’s stance on Jewish affairs, a look at Arnold Margolin (a very important Ukrainian-Jewish figure), Russian and Soviet attempts to create disunity among both ethnicities and a look into this current Russo-Ukrainian war.

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