Oleh Yastrebov

I. THE BOOK OF VELES ON THE ORIGINS OF KYI, SHCHEK, AND KHORYV It was not until the 1950s that the world learned about the most ancient Slavic chronicle known as the Book of Veles. It is a series of texts written in the 9th century by Novgorod priests (magi). The original Book of Veles...

KYIV — The introduction of Christianity in Kyivan Rus’ by Prince Volodymyr the Great was without a doubt an event of the utmost importance for both Kyiv, the Kyivan Rus’ state, and neighboring countries. It signified the victory of feudal relations over the decaying tribal system and played a...

According to the Oriental calendar, the year beginning on Feb. 7, 2008, is the Year of the Rat. Every Year of the Rat, which occurs once every 12 years, augurs a good financial situation but may also spell financial setbacks in subsequent years. Politics can lead to surprises in such periods...

In the contemporary history of Kyivan Rus’- Ukraine information about the Kyivan princes Askold and Dyr is based as a rule on the Tale of Bygone Years completed in 1113 by a monk named Nestor at the Kyiv Cave Monastery. G. F. Muller and A. L. Schlener, the first researchers of the Tale, had a high...

Today’s story is about one of the most mysterious rulers of Ukraine-Rus’, who was virtually “lost in the haze of history.” Prince Oleh of Kyiv was born approximately in 855. Various sources give differing information on the prince’s origins. For example, the Kyivan chronicler Nestor, in...

This article is about one of the most famous rulers of Kyivan Rus’. Born in 948, Prince Volodymyr Sviatoslavych was the youngest of the three sons of Kyivan Prince Sviatoslav Ihorevych the Brave and the youngest grandson of Kyivan Princess Olha the Wise. When Princess Olha died in 969, Sviatoslav...

When Tsar Peter I died in 1725, the government of Catherine I decided to “grace Ukraine with some care and affection.” But the tsarina’s sudden death in 1727 changed the situation. Peter II, who ascended the imperial throne, was a son of tsarevitch Aleksei, who was executed by order of his father...

In 1053, i.e., 951 years ago, Prince Volodymyr Vsevolodovych Monomakh (Monomachus) of Kyiv was born. He was a courageous and victorious warrior who wielded the sword during his entire lifetime, fighting the enemies of his native land. It is well known that he won victories over the Turkic peoples...

The “enlightened” public has always been taking a cautious attitude towards horoscopes. The church has also been trying to keep them at bay; but “nothing comes out of nothing:” we drew — at least once in a lifetime — something from zodiacal calendars (in addition to Oriental, there also are...