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“Thank you for your empathy. During the war, this feature is especially valuable.”—Tetiana Boriak
Author’s note: After our recent Sunday Speakeasy with Dr. Tetiana Boriak, part of our ongoing series with the Ukrainian historian, I sent her a letter to thank her for her lecture. I told her I wish there was more I could do. The lecture focused on Russia’s trafficking of Ukrainian children, as well as the brainwashing techniques being used in Russian occupied areas. Among them: identity transformation; militarization of consciousness; cadet camps — erasing identity and history. As I noted last week, it seems inconceivable that this is happening in the 21st century, and that we are not talking about a long ago history where facts were difficult to obtain. No, we have ICC arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova, Russia’s commissioner for ‘children’s rights,’ for trafficking children. We have multiple UN reports, and a Human Rights Watch report. We have the film I co-executive produced, Kherson; Human Safari. And still, the war crimes continue. In response to my note to her, she sent the letter below. With her permission I am sharing it with you. Since the date of the original letter, she wants you to know “the alarm system is running in Kyiv and Kyiv oblast for the fifth day, almost with no breaks.” Below her letter, you will also find the compilation of print reports based on our interview series. Once again, I make a plea to share her words with your networks and continue your support of Ukraine.—hsc
29 August 2026
Dear Heidi,
Thank you for the chance to share this horror with a broader audience. And this is only part of everyday life during the war. The Kremlin has adjusted new tactics: it now bombs food and business logistic centers, freight cars, trains with passengers, trucks, gas stations, electricity producing stations, gas and water facilities - besides residence buildings and military objects. And Tolstoj (yes, a descendant of the “great” writer Lev Tolstoj), the deputy head of the Duma speaker, yesterday openly confessed that Russia will bomb Ukrainian cities non-stop to force Ukrainian population to surrender. Why recognition of Russia as a terrorist state does not follow after this statement? A rhetorical question. For 48 hours, air alarm was on in Kyiv almost non-stop, can you imagine? With drones flying and flying, and shootings against them. The authorities have already warned Kherson residents to leave the city for winter since there would be no electricity, heating and hot water during winter after the last Russian bombing of critical infrustructure. And Russia is definitely preparing this fate for other border cities - Kharkiv, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia, and my native Kyiv. And nobody cares... So thank you for your empathy. During the war, this feature is especially valuable.
Have a good weekend,
Tetiana
Dr. Tetiana Boriak
Doctor of Historical Sciences
Associate Professor, Researcher
History Faculty, Vilnius University
For those of you who are new to Bette Dangerous, here is a compilation I put together from our series with Tetiana. Missing from the list below is the latest one — on the trafficking of children. I have not been able to return to the interview transcripts just yet. But I will.
SLAVA UKRAINI: Exposing a Century of Russian Imperialism
Originally published in Bette Dangerous 19 January 2016
My most powerful reports enter the newsphere on little cat feet.
Their power builds slowly over time. This boutique magazine is small but mighty, read by former prime ministers, US Senators, Oscar-winning filmmakers, veteran actors, politicos, renowned historians, retired journalists, global activists, and you. I’ve boxed above my weight my entire career, which began in the dark ages when men in newsrooms behaved very badly and women like me learned to bob and weave.
I rarely ask for much anymore, because we are all dancing as fast as we can. But today I am asking all of you to share this compilation of reports from our series of interviews with Ukrainian historian Dr. Tetiana Boriak with those in your network.
Each day we wake up to the Kremlin-sponsored reality TV show starring that D-list actor Donald Trump, who pretends each day to vanquish imaginary enemies — All Clickbait Fascism! All the Time! Selling Fear and Despair!
And if we are stuck on that treasony channel, it takes us out of action — and we have so much work to do. That work will look different for each of us, but collectively it adds up.
So I am asking you to please share this post with embedded links below to understand what happened between the Russian imperialists and Ukrainians in the 20th century, so you can spot the repeating patterns today and how every single democratic nation still left on this earth is being targeted.
Everything comes down to what happens between Russia and Ukraine.
Yesterday, as I was writing my report on the Executed Renaissance, I realized that Ukraine should be judge and jury on whether or not Russia should be able to exist in its current form, a decrepit, predatory empire, bringing the free world to its knees through its traitor-proxies and internet tricks.
When you learn about the stunning works of art, literature, films, theater, poetry, and history produced by Ukrainians in just nine years from 1923 to 1932, and how the Russian state methodically and violently tried to erase all memory of these culture bearers, you might take a new interest in Ukraine’s fight against the Russian invaders.
When you learn that the man-made famine began the same year that Stalin canceled Ukraine’s brief period of cultural liberation, that too, will make sense. If people are starving and weak, they cannot resist.
I derive strength from knowing history, and I hope you do, too.
I don’t write these reports to read my own words or hold community meetings to hear my own voice. I write and host meetings with the hope that you will be informed and be able to then inform others.
Billionaires are trying to crush our ability to understand and defend reality.
When we know what came before, we are better able to see through their volcanic lies.
Sharing reports on Ukraine’s century old fight against Russian imperialism is action. Thank you in advance.—Heidi Siegmund Cuda for Bette Dangerous, 19 January 2026
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Bette Dangerous reporting to date with Ukrainian historian Tetiana Boriak, now a refugee in Lithuania:
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More on Tetiana Boriak: refugee from the Russian war, Ukrainian historian, and Doctor of Historical Sciences (Dr. habil.) (2024), PhD in History (2008), Associate Professor, Researcher at History Faculty, Vilnius University (Lithuania). Received her MA in History from Kansas University (Lawrence, KS, 2004–2006). She specializes in Holodomor, Soviet totalitarianism, memory studies and social history. Author of three books, two awards: “Oral History as a Source for Holodomor Studies: Formation of Eyewitness Testimony Collections and their Informative Value” (2024; Research Prize of the Rector of Vilnius University 2024 for “significant research work”); “1933: “Why Are You Still Alive?” (2016; the all-Ukrainian award “the Book of the Year” (2016, nomination “History”, category “Research/Documents”). MSCA4Ukraine (Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for Ukraine) Fellow (2025–2027). In 2013–2014 Fulbright Fellow at Harvard University (Ukrainian Research Institute, Boston, MA). Author of 90 articles of them about 40 articles on Holodomor. In 2010–2017 was an assistant of the journalist, researcher, columnist of the Washington Post, Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Applebaum in the project of preparation of an English-language book about the Holodomor in Ukraine for a Western audience: “Red Famine: Stalin’s War on Ukraine” (2017; two awards). Host of the historical educational program “History with meat” (2017– February 2022) – about 70 episodes, available on YouTube. Editorial board member of several journals and a member of several historical professional associations. Participated in more than 70 conferences.
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Begin each day with a grateful heart.
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