Gender in the USSR

The omnipresent “managing and leading force” of soviet gender norms dominated relationships between men and women in the Soviet Union, leaving a heavy imprint on their development and evolution

The Rise of the Celts

In the early 21st century, the words Celts and Celtic became entrenched in the arsenal of pop culture as well as commercially successful for everything from beer and cigarettes to basketball teams

Parallel Struggle

90 years ago, when Ireland gained its independence from Great Britain, Ukraine lost its independence on the other side of Europe

“The Black Sea Will Smile”

Ukraine’s Navy, set up 20 years ago, is struggling to survive

A Guide to the Scythian World

A golden pectoral saved poet and archeologist Borys Mozolevsky from prison in Mordvia

The Land of Oium

Despite their short sojourn in Ukrainian territory, Gothic tribes made a large contribution to the culture of ancient Ukraine

Fighting Over the Goths

Who has the right to claim Gothic heritage in 20th-century? This becomes part of an ideological struggle in Ukraine

Missed Opportunity

In March 1917 a wave of national revival surged over Dnieper Ukraine, only to be wasted later by the Central Rada

From the Imperial to the National Army

How Russian Army units were made Ukrainian

Unknown Eastern Ukraine

In the 1930s, millions of Ukrainians were killed and russified in Eastern Slobozhanshchyna* and the North Caucasus

Eastern Convicts

1942 saw the beginning of the mass deportation of people from Ukraine for forced labor in the Third Reich

Can Historians Be Trusted With History?

Historical memory invented by Russia – from books to films in which facts do not always match the reality – is being imposed on Ukrainian society

Grutas Park: a Social Realism Museum Attracts 100,000 Visitors a Year

Village Grutas is located near the small Lithuanian resort town Druskininkai. The village’s name evokes a range of emotions – from outrage to satirical smiles – but leaves no-one in Lithuania indifferent. The reason — its unusual open-air museum, Grutas Park, where the key exhibits are the sculptures of Soviet leaders that long "decorated" squares in Lithuanian cities. These are the monuments in front of which both rallies were held and pioneers took their oaths

Architects of Bygone Traditions

Under the pressure of Bolshevism, talented Kyiv architects were forced either to migrate or build monstrosities

Christmas Kutia Behind Bars*

Defying prohibition, Ukrainian political prisoners celebrated Christmas in Polish, Nazi and Soviet prisons and camps

So, There Was an Occupation, But No-one Did the Occupying?

The Occupation Museum of Latvia is a reflection of the country’s historical contradictions

Hryhoriy Kochur: Unwavering Translator

His translations span 26 centuries, three continents and almost 30 literatures. The Soviets “awarded” him with 10 years in labor camps and the status of a dissident with no right to travel

Children’s Literature: Lost in Translation?

More books for children are translated into Ukrainian than written in the language. Families seem to prefer “popular” classics and books made into Hollywood films

Natural Art

Several art villages have sprung up alongside ecological settlements in Ukraine

“Fun” Occupation

Estonia established a museum with a good sense of humor, evidently to attract more Russians

Men of the Crowd

How Homo Sovieticus was created

Bloody Massacre in Bazar

On November 21, 1921, the Bolsheviks stopped the Second Winter Campaign of the UNR army which was meant to launch a united struggle against the Soviets

European Optimist

Historian Andreas Kappeler speaks on the political concept of Europe and ways to forge European identity

Hostages to the System

The last mass deportation of Ukrainians was carried out 60 years ago to satisfy Moscow's interests

A Death Row Army

Stalin used penal battalions in the Red Army as an instrument of repression

House of Terror

A museum by this name opened in Budapest in 2002 to tell about two tragic periods in Hungarian history – the repressive rules of the Nazis and of the Soviets