In the face of unfolding horrendous tragedy in Ukraine, I was remembering my “families and friends” in Kyiv, Minsk, and Moscow. There was this Soviet saying- Znanie Sila (Knowledge is power). In face of this tragedy, as a librarian, I was thinking of doing my part by presenting the readers of this blog with some choices on information sources.
I have been thinking about presenting some items from UC Berkeley Library’s collections that speak to Ukraine’s rich yet nuanced history. All histories are nuanced, and I am trying to avoid my implicit biases and opinions about the current tragedy unfolding in Ukraine. Ukraine was never a state until the Bolsheviks created the Ukrainian SSR is as problematic as cutting the long-standing intertwining of Russo-Ukrainian histories. However, the post-Soviet Ukraine is an independent modern European nation-state whose sovereignty and freedom to chart its destiny matter to humanity.
I remember today Gogol‘s Cтрашная месть or A Terrible Vengeance. This story is a part of a larger collection with the title: Vechera na khutori︠e︡ bliz Dikanʹki Mirgorod
Please think a minute about Ivane and Petro! And I refrain from discussing the modern-day Oligarchs from both sides.
History of Ukraine–Rus‘
Below are some subject-based links that will allow you to browse our catalog for additional resources on Ukraine.