Nash Holos Ukrainian Roots Radio

This Knyzhka Corner book review features Ukrainian Food Flair, a collection of more than 200 recipes by Sylvia Molnar, whose culinary life touched classrooms, home kitchens, and media studios across Vancouver. The collection captures Sylvia’s warmth, wit, West Coast Ukrainian sensibility, and her talent for making even ambitious dishes approachable. Edited and published posthumously, the cookbook draws from the archives of her long‑running segment on Nash Holos, preserving the dishes she shared over decades. If you enjoy cooking, collecting cookbooks, or discovering new takes on familiar Ukrainian flavours, this review offers a taste of what’s inside. Listen in—and you may find yourself planning your next batch of pyrizhky or eyeing the dessert chapter before the episode ends.Full review transcript at the Nash Holos website.

This conversation was recorded in early 2025. Event references reflect that date.Ukrainian newcomer Olena Lavrishcheva speaks with Pawlina about her family’s extraordinary journey from Kyiv to Nanaimo, their experience of the full‑scale invasion, and the community work now emerging on Vancouver Island.Olena recounts how she, her husband, and two of their daughters were unexpectedly outside Ukraine—on a cruise in Dubai—when Russia launched its brutal assault. Their four younger children and son‑in‑law were still in Kyiv. What followed was a frantic, days‑long effort to reunite the family at the Romanian border, followed by months of displacement in Turkey and Germany before finally settling in Nanaimo. Today, eleven family members are here.Before the war, Olena ran a private school in Kyiv and worked with youth through a missions foundation, including educational programs in Turkey. In Nanaimo, she is a teaching assistant at Nanaimo Christian School, while her adult daughters—also trained educators—have secured teaching positions. Alongside work and family responsibilities, Olena has helped launch a new community organization: the Canadian Alliance of Ukrainian Workers.She explains that the Alliance was created to unite Ukrainians and Canadians who want to support humanitarian needs in Ukraine and help newcomers integrate and contribute locally. The group brings together people with Ukrainian roots and local supporters who want to take meaningful, practical steps—small but impactful—to assist those affected by the war.Olena also describes the organization’s early initiatives, including a community cultural event held in February 2025 to mark the third year of the full‑scale invasion. The gathering featured music, reflections on Ukraine before and during the war, cultural presentations, video segments, and Ukrainian food. While the event has passed, the goals behind it remain central: to remember, to inform, to celebrate Ukrainian culture, and to strengthen community connections.Listeners wishing to learn more about the Canadian Alliance of Ukrainian Workers or to get involved may contact Olena by text at 778‑674‑8771.

This podcast features a review of the first book in a trilogy by Canadian author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch titled Kidnapped from Ukraine. The trilogy brings to light the horrific human impact of Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. His first invasion occurred in 2014 when he took Crimea and portions of Eastern Ukraine.Skrypuch's trilogy portrays the lived experience of Russia’s assault on Mariupol through the story of 12‑year‑old twins Rada and Dariia Popkova, and how this invasion turned their lives upside down when the first bombs fell on Mariupol. In her review, Myra Junyk discusses the book’s portrayal of the collapse of civilian life, the separation of families, and the documented abduction and “re‑education” of Ukrainian children in russian filtration campsKidnapped from Ukraine: Under Attack is the first in the series and tells the story of Dariia and her mother, who are out shopping when their apartment is bombed. In the ensuing chaos, they are separated from Rada and the twins' father, and Dariia ends up abducted and "adopted" by a russian family. Grounded in real events and supported by an Author’s Note and historical Q&A, the novel offers younger and adult readers a clear, accessible account of the real-life difficulties and dangers of civilians caught up in this unprovoked war. Reviewed by Myra Junyk for Nash Holos Ukrainian Roots Radio.Full transcript here.Book here.

Award‑winning Canadian author Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch returns to discuss her newly completed Kidnapped From Ukraine trilogy, set in Mariupol and grounded in the lived realities of Russia’s war on Ukraine. Her work continues to illuminate the human cost of this war for young readers at a time when few authors are writing into this space.This follow‑up conversation builds on last year’s Nash Holos interview discussing the first book in her trilogy. In this conversation, we discuss how she wove real‑world events into the storylines and how those events impacted her personally as well as professionally through the craft of writing the books.For the transcript of this interview, visit the Nash Holos blog.You can find our previous conversation — with the full transcript and embedded player — on the Nash Holos blog here.

Gene Berezovsky of Ukraine War Amps joins Pawlina with a clear, unvarnished update on the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Ukraine as Russia escalates winter attacks on civilian infrastructure. He discusses how sustained missile and drone strikes have left seniors, families, and thousands of displaced children struggling to survive in unheated dwellings with limited water, heating and electricity. Gene details Ukraine War Amps’ current relief efforts:• Supplying footwear for displaced children • Delivering food parcels across Ukraine• Assisting wounded veterans and amputees, including volunteers now helping distribute aidHe also shares firsthand accounts from volunteers and beneficiaries, offering a grounded look at daily life under bombardment and the impact of donor support during the harshest winter of the war.For more information or to contribute, contact theukrainewaramps@gmail.com or visit Ukraine War Amps on Facebook or Instagram.Full Transcript at our website.

Originally recorded in 2014 and first published in 2025. Resurfaced for listeners who may have missed it.In this Nash Holos exclusive interview from 2014, Pawlina speaks with Mirko Petriw, Vancouver-based author of two spy thrillers set in Ukraine and president of the Ukrainian-Canadian Congress Vancouver branch.Recorded during the Maidan Uprising, in the tense weeks leading up to Russia’s annexation of Crimea, this conversation delves into the intersection of energy politics, propaganda, and democratic struggle in Ukraine.Listeners will hear about:• Ukraine’s shale gas ambitions and what they could have meant for energy independence  • How Russia and Gazprom sought to block Ukraine’s EU association and undermine shale gas development  • The propaganda battles around fracking and environmental fears, echoing debates in the West  • The political crackdown on protesters, including restrictive laws and state-directed violence against demonstrators  • The broader struggle for sovereignty, democracy, and Ukraine’s future direction  Petriw’s insights reveal how hopes for energy independence collided with Russian influence, Gazprom’s pressure, and authoritarian tactics during one of Ukraine’s most pivotal moments.This interview originally aired on the Vancouver edition of Nash Holos on AM1320 CHMB on January 18, 2014.Transcript at our blog here.

In this 2011 interview, Valya Dudycz Lupescu discusses her debut novel, The Silence of Trees, a story that moves between post–World War II Ukraine and contemporary America. Drawing on years of interviews with elders who had never spoken about their wartime experiences, she explores the fear‑driven silences, cultural traditions, and fragmented memories carried by the Ukrainian diaspora.We talk about the real histories that informed her fictional heroine, the trauma and secrecy surrounding displaced‑persons camps, and the complex reasons so many immigrants chose not to speak about their past. Valya also reflects on the novel’s early reception, including its success in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award competition and the strong support from Ukrainian communities worldwide.This conversation from 2011 lands differently in 2026. The forces shaping her story haven’t disappeared; they’ve re‑emerged, making this discussion newly relevant.

Canadian veteran and sniper Wali was among the first foreign volunteers to answer President Zelensky’s call in early 2022. He served near Kyiv, Irpin, Bucha, and in parts of the Donbass during the most uncertain weeks of the full‑scale invasion. After speaking to the Ukrainian community in Vancouver, he joined Pawlina to discuss what compelled him to go, what he witnessed on the ground, and how those experiences continue to shape his support for Ukraine today.In this interview, Wali reflects on• why he felt an immediate obligation to volunteer• the urgency and chaos of the invasion’s early days• the psychological impact of facing overwhelming force• the realities of sniper work versus popular portrayals• the challenges of language, logistics, and training• why he describes his experience as a “frustrating victory”• his ongoing efforts to provide equipment and resources, especially dronesThis episode offers a clear, personal look at the motivations and experiences of a foreign volunteer who chose to stand with Ukraine at a critical moment.Check our website for the full transcript. This episode also marks a small addition to the Nash Holos ecosystem: we’ve recently opened a Substack as another place to share selected transcripts and occasional background notes. It’s still very new, but you’re welcome to take a look if you’d like to follow along as it develops.Listeners can also hear the full original broadcast, including music and additional segments, on Mixcloud.Links: WebsiteSubstack Mixcloud

A previously aired conversation with Paulina Zelitsky, author of the two‑volume memoir The Sea Is Only Knee Deep. She discusses her work as a marine engineer at a soviet submarine station in Cuba at the height of the Cold War, her experiences inside the soviet system, and her 1971 defection to Canada with her two young children. The interview also includes a discussion about possible recently (2020) renewed russian activity at the Cuban site where she once worked.This conversation originally aired in 2020 in two parts as part of the Ukrainian Jewish Heritage series. • Nash Holos website here. • Full episode archives on Mixcloud — follow Nash Holos • Subscribe to this podcast and to the blog for transcripts• Subscribe to my Substack — all articles are free• Follow me on BlueSky, LinkedIn, and Instagram