Hetman Ivan Mazepa is a controversial historical figure - but he was also the longest ruling Hetman of the Cossacks and the only one to die a natural death, in freedom. His life was a bit of a soup opera with some wild adventures throughout Europe, he had a bromance with Peter the Great which eventually turned ugly and he inspired some great writers like Voltaire and Lord Byron. So who was this great political and military leader and what did he do to become such a controversial figure? This episode will explore that and more. You'll also get some information about the tourist town of Baturyn - Mazepa's capital. 

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King Danylo Halytsky or Daniel of Galicia or the King of Ruthenia or Danylo Romanovych or Prince of Galicia, Przemysl and Volodymyr - a 13th century mediaval noble with many titles. The son of a great "prince" and a foreign princess, a knight-king who ruled and expanded his kingdom, who fought the Golden Horde, reworked his armies, increased his kingdom's political and economic strength and was given a Papal crown - this was King Danylo and his life and feats are the focus of this episode. You'll also get to explore some of Lviv's great museums - a city founded by Danylo himself and named after his son Lev. 

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The Brotherhood of Sts. Cyril and Methodius was a secret literary club including some of Ukraine's most prominent Romantic literary figures, including Taras Shevchenko, during a time where literary clubs were all the rage throughout Europe. In this episode, you will meet some of them but also get a glimpse at their impact for Ukrainian history and the Ukrainian national consciousness and how all of this was part and parcel of the wider Spring of Nations revolutions gripping Europe. Plus, you'll get some info about all the "intellectual" hot-spots of Kyiv!

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Do you know how small the 11th century medieval European royal courts were? How did Yaroslav the Wise become known as the "father-in-law of Europe"? How his four daughters became influential among the Hungarian, Norwegian, English and French royalty? Well, this episode looks at Yaroslav the Wise's four daughters: Anastasia, Agatha, Elizabeth and Anne and how their marriages happened, what we know of their life stories and who their descendants were. You'll also learn about the various airlines that fly into the various airports of Ukraine and why the bankruptcy of AeroSvit was such a sweet, sweet moment!

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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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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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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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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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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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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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