A Village in Revolutionary Ukraine

This book examines the diary of a “common man,” Kostiantyn Sambursky, that stands out among the very few such known works. It provides a detailed account of daily events for almost 10 years in one village: Huzhivka in Chernihiv province.The diary describes the comings and goings of rival armies, confiscations, requisitions, the activities of the local officials, the role of the church in local affairs, personal rivalries, and how land re-allocation occurred in this settlement of approximately 3,000 people. The diary provides invaluable insight into the human element of rural revolutionary Ukraine.



This book explores the unique 30-year diary of Kostiantyn Sambursky, a villager from Huzhivka in Chernihiv province. His daily entries offer rare insights into rural life, local history, and revolutionary events, highlighting personal, social, and political dynamics often missing from official histories.



A Village in Revolutionary Ukraine is a history from below par excellence. It brings together a historical source and commentary to show how one of the most tumultuous periods of the 20th-century history was experienced in the Ukrainian-Russian borderlands, while also correcting misperceptions produced by writing and reading history from the perspective of centers and elites. A unique insight into the history of Ukraine and Europe. —Serhii Plokhy, Professor of Ukrainian History, Harvard University



Velychenko’s masterful use of an extraordinary diary on the Ukrainian countryside vividly illuminates the relationships between the war-revolution of 1917–1922 and Stalin’s terrible revolution from above.

—Andrea Graziosi, Professor of Contemporary History, University of Naples Federico II