Kyiv - The Tragic History of Ukraine's Capital 

Love it when Dr. Felton unpacks current events giving us some understanding of the history, the run-up to the current situation.

The suffering is unimaginable. If it weren’t for images it may not be believed. Thank you for the role you play in making sure these moments in history aren’t forgotten. I admire you - I couldn’t do it; it’s too upsetting. God bless you.

A timely and fascinating insight into the history of Ukraine.

The video clip at 6:30 is an incredible piece of footage. Having just read Christopher Browning’s Ordinary Men, I’m familiar with photos and descriptions of Babi Yar, but seeing video of the massacre in progress absolutely floored me. I’ve never seen anything like that before, thank you Dr. Felton for finding and showing this, lest we forget.

Mark Felton's such a good historian he even managed to find footage of the Mongol conquest of Kyiv :D Great work Mark

Thanks for bringing attention to Ukraine Dr. Felton! Your history videos are some of the best content on RU-vid. Keep it up!

It certainly is one of those cities of history like Alexandria, Jerusalem, London, Constantinople, etc, although does not get as much recognition in the west as many of the others.

I love the pivot you've made to current events with historical context.

I'm deeply grateful for the work you do, Mr. Felton.

I wish more people could see these videos. A historical perspective is badly needed and you are doing a great job.

As always a great take on current events presented by Mark Felton....to bad history wasn't this entertaining when I was a kid in school back in the 70ies😇

Love your work Mark. Not only is every clip informative, but keep alive the memories of all those fallen in the name of freedom.

I've learnt more history from Dr Felton than I ever did in primary and secondary school. With current events, it's a refreshing yet terrifying change of pace.

All you have to do is wait for the Mark Felton video on a specific subject and you are set with all the important info. As always, down to earth, not too complicated, not too simple, succint, fast pace, brilliant

As always Dr. Felton continues to be informative and timely. Thank you for giving us a perspective of why helping Ukraine is so important. Much love from USA 🇺🇸

As always,well done Dr. Felton. .

Thank you Mr Felton for sharing the definitive story of the people of Ukraine and reminding us that it is not just related to a current event or war but a long saga.

Tragic, Ukraine seems to be the battleground for all these conflicts. It's been to hell and back and is still fighting. Great work Mark!

8mins.48seconds at such high quality. Hope people found this as excellent as I did. Thank you

Seems like you will never run out of content for your channels as long as man kind lives on. I enjoy your videos so much and you are a true testament to history!

Thank you, Mark, timely and informative, a reminder that history is never "the past" but knocking on the present's door. Like many I am horrified this can happen, and in the middle of Europe, in the 21st century, all the more so because Kyiv is the twin city of my hometown, Edinburgh. Hard to comprehend what they are going through right now

The importance of history has really hit home hard these last few weeks.

When I am dead, bury me In my beloved Ukraine, My tomb upon a grave mound high Amid the spreading plain, So that the fields, the boundless steppes, The Dnieper's plunging shore My eyes could see, my ears could hear The mighty river roar. When from Ukraine the Dnieper bears Into the deep blue sea The blood of foes... then will I leave These hills and fertile fields- I'll leave them all and fly away To the abode of God, And then I'll pray... But until that day I know nothing of God. Oh bury me, then rise ye up And break your heavy chains And water with the tyrants' blood The freedom you have gained. And in the great new family, The family of the free, With softly spoken, kindly word Remember also me. by Taras Shevchenko

Stalin's cruelty knew no bounds. What a truly evil man.

Thanks Mark, for the amazing content you are providing on your channel.

Perfect way to start the day off with extensively curated information by our favorite Historian!

Before you comment: Yes. We know. History is so much more enjoyable from Mark than it was in school. History is always more fun when you don’t have to try to remember every detail and aren’t tested on the material later.

Thank you Dr Felton for bringing history to light against those whom try to oppress it..

Good stuff Mark! Although a sad topic, you’re always the best at presenting the historical!

Felton, in all his consummate professionalism, can aptly yet succinctly tell us the history of Kyiv in under 9 minutes. Putin on the other hand, well… he’ll keep you a little longer. Another excellent video. Thanks for all you do

Thank you, Dr. Felton, for this excellent video. Your excellent research and presentation is as usual, factual and to-the-point. A rare thing on RU-vid!

I remember learning about the Mongol sack of the Kievan Rus when listening to Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History Podcast “Wrath of the Khans” episodes for the first time a few years ago. Crazy!

Served in dessert shield and storm , seeing what Kuwait city and later Baghdad looked, smelled and felt like ... my heart breaks again for regular people subjected to this horrible condition. May this end as quickly as possible. Thank you for another , historical viewpoint.

Been to Kyiv many times since 2010. Love the place and especially the people it’s a beautiful city steeped in history. Hope to return there soon.

My relatives escaped Russia, specifically Minsk, to avoid the invasion by the Nazis. My relatives in Austria and Poland weren’t so lucky, falling victim to the Nazi occupation during wartime. My other relatives in Russia were caught up in Stalin’s cleansing massacre before the war. Thank you for highlighting this horrific time in history that my relatives suffered.

Thanks Mark. Nice to keep up with the history of what is going on today.

It's channels like this that will help us really learn and grow as humans. Great job bravo!

Thanks so much for the scholarship you invest in your content as well as the objectivity with which you cover your subjects. You have no idea how needed these sorts of videos are in these days when so much slanted misinformation is floating about. Your work is greatly appreciated, sir.

WOW, have just re-visited your amazingly historic video, on Kyiv, many thanks for ALL your amazing historic work

The story of Kyiv (and Ukraine) are written in blood, fire and bone, and it continues. Thank you for this essential historical perspective, Dr. Felton.

There is a lot of blood-soaked ground within the borders of Ukraine. Just in WW2 many cities saw savage combat during the German advance and then became "fortress cities" during the withdraw. Kharkiv alone changed hands four times and the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd battles of Kharkiv loom large in the chronology of that struggle. It is incredible and unbelievable that so many of these places are again in flames as the dogs of war howl.

This channel will reach 10 million subs one day.

Thank you Mark for a new video to add to my workout playlist. It is going to be a sad reminder of how much the Ukrainian people had suffered in their history and currently.

Would of loved to have had Mr Felton as a school teacher as a kid ,outstanding as always sir

Keep producing these Ukraine peices Mark, they are excellent and informative to those of us in North America.

I'm watching this in Kyiv while sitting in the shelter with air raid sirens wailing outside... seems unreal. Was born here, lived my entire life here. Heard the stories from my grandparents about the WW2 Kyiv first hand. Never thought I'd be living through these stories.

I hope and pray all slavs to see peace one day. Just so many centuries of constant warfare have left them torn and battered. These are good, hard-working people too. Sure there was some corruption, but no worse than we see in the west. Here's to prayers of a brighter future for them!

Thank you Dr. Felton for keeping history and the present in context with one another using your platform. Anglophonic resources are not always easy to find, if they even exist, on Ukrainian history and culture. Much love і щиро дякую from the Ukrainian diaspora in North America!

Sir Mark Felton, you truly are a gem.

"Known until 1991 by it's Russian name Kiev..." I am pretty sure I can speak for a large group of people when I say that we knew it as Kiev until 2022 when we found out it was changed in 1991.

Another too short but great episode Mark. I'd like to see a few episodes on the Coast Watchers in the South Pacific during WW2. I've read extensively about them and they have fascinating stories. I'm a history nut and study all history from all times so this stuff is a never-ending well for me to drink from. Keep them coming.

For a full list, I compiled these battles fought over for Kiev throughout history that have been recorded. One thing I noted is Felton got the year of Batu Khan's sack wrong. 25000 BC: Pre-neolithic humans migrate to the area 3000 BC: Neolithic settlement of ancient humanity 482 AD: Officially founded by slavs or khazars (disputed) 882: Conquered by Oleg of Novgorodian Principality 968: Besieged by ? (unknown) of the Pechenegs 1068: Uprising within Kiev, Vseslav of Polotsk comes to power 1069: Conquered by Iziaslav Yaroslavich of Kievian Principality 1169: Sacked by Andrey Bogolyubsky of Vladimir-Suzdal Principality 1170-1200: City sacked or conquered by multiple Rus Princes 1201: Occupied peacefully by Roman the Great of Novgorodian Principality 1203: Sacked by Rurik Rostislavich of Kievian Principality 1203: Occupied by Vsevolod the Red of Kievian Principality 1203-1207: City changes hands between Rurik and Vsevolod several times 1208: Conquered by Vsevolod the Red of Kievian Principality 1211: Conquered by Mstislav Romanovich of Kievian Principality 1240: Razed by Batu Khan of Mongolia Khanate 1323?: Conquered by Gediminas of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania (exact date disputed) Raided by Crimean tatars in this time 1482: Razed by Meñli I Giray of Crimea Khanate 1648: Conquered by Bohdan Khmelnytsky of the Cossack Hetmanate 1654: Occupied peacefully by Alexis I of the Tsardom of Russia, through vassalage of Cossacks (officially recognized by treaty in 1868) 1918 Jan: Uprising within Kiev by Bolsheviks put down 1918 Feb: Sacked by Mikhail Muravyov of Russian SFSR 1918 Mar: Occupied by Max Hoffman of German Empire 1918 Dec: Liberated by Symon Petliura of Ukraine People's Republic 1919 Feb: Conquered by Vladimir Antonov-Ovseyenko of Russian SFSR 1919 Aug: Liberated by Nikolai Bredov of Russian Empire and Volodymyr Salsky of Ukraine People's Republic 1919 Dec: Conquered by Sergei Mezheninov of Russian SFSR 1920 May: Liberated by Józef Piłsudski of Second Polish Republic 1920 June: Conquered by Semyon Budyonny of Russian SFSR 1941: Conquered by Gerd von Rundstedt of German Third Reich 1943: Liberated by Nikolai Vatutin of Russian SFSR 2022: Besieged by Oleg Salyukov of Russian Federation

Dr. Felton, great update. I got to visit Kyiv twice while it was under the USSR. Beautiful city. Are you planning to cover the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia with 200,000 troops in 1968, since you covered the Hungary invasion?

Thank you for the video. It helps to understand the region.

Well done Dr Felton.....an important video at this moment!

I know is not relevant to modern times and events but if there is a possibility, could you please do a video like this for Budapest? I remember during a walked tour the guide mentioned Buda and Pest had both been destroyed 7 times in human history but all I could find was the invasion of the Mongols and then WWII. Thanks! I love your channel!

Great presso as usual, Mark. Perhaps you could do a follow-up sometime about the Ukrainian resistance post WW2 and also the fate of the Ukrainians that served against Stalin with Hitler? You did a really informative one on the Ukrainian SSi mutiny in France that could be topped off perhaps with a broader summary Ukrainian involvement in WW2?

Mark - You nailed it again, with another great presentation. God bless the people of Kyiy and the Ukraine.

Excellent summary of the historical background.

Most of it I learned at school but many things forgot by now. Thank you for your work!

God bless you. I love how you do historical videos related to current world events. The afghanistan kingdom one you did back during Kabul's fall was great too. It's great to eduacate us a little bit more on countries that we don't actually know the history of.

As a history guy, ive always known it as Kiev. Ever since this crisis started tho, everyones is spelling it Kyiv. Still seems weird to me.

What a sad repeating history for a wonderful Capital, Country and people.

Mark Felton is one of my favorite narrators. Thank you Dr Felton.

Very well made, thank you

Great work. Very well researched to wit: as a child of a Ukrainian immigrant; this video is the first mention I've seen in ANY media of the Holodomor.

Another great presentation, Mark! It’s unfortunate that the people in Ukraine looked on the Germans as their liberators in 1941. After what Stalin had done you could hardly blame them!

Man I really really wish there was more reliable, straightforward, earnest, fact based content like Mr. Felton’s out here on the utubes versus all the propaganda being vomited at the “homepage feed” on a daily basis. Maybe there are others like Mr. Felton?

The work of Professor Mark Felton is nothing short of amazing, bringing the true history of many European subjects before the world.

Great presentation, enjoying your marriage of past and present Dr. Felton. 🙂👍

Sad to see history repeating itself. Thanks for all you do Mark :)

As Kiev resident admit very accurate picture from Mark! Thank you Mark Felton, appreciate your work.

Once more, Mark exceeds all expectations. Thank you so much for this eye opener!

You singlehandedly bring back memories of what the history channel was.

Your expertise is welcome, Mr. Felton. Thanks for the good work done, especially here.

I like how despite it being involved in current events Mark Felton does not do any political pandering or moral grandstanding. Just pure facts and history. Very refreshing and interesting, feels a lot more professional than most media these days.

The flag shown at 2:43 is upside down. The blue stripe like the sky should be above the yellow stripe of the wheat field.

Beautiful narrative, excellent research, intersects content, inspired presentation. Thank you Mark!

Great video, thanks for this info helps to feel a bit more knowledgeable about Kyiv,

You’re the history teacher we all deserve

Really appreciate the Modern videos Mark, They are really helpful

Poor Kiev. Like Poland, it was geographically and politically caught between opposing powers. Kharkov also traded hands many times between Germany and Russia in WW2.

Excellent video, Slava Ukraini.

Thank you for this.

Great job, thanks for your work.

Oh, thanks for this Mark Felton, how fitting! Was wandering why Putin had the gall to say," they are not really a country." Long live Kyiv, Long live Ukraine!

You forgot about 20% of Kyiv's population being Polish until 1831. Polish people really contributed a lot to the rise of this city.

I’ve learned more about the Ukrainian problems now through Marks videos than anything else in the last few months.

Very timely and meaningful perspective that escapes the current headlines. Rich in graphics too. Many thanks!!

I’m glad you cleared the pronunciation up too , no new outlet has !

I am honored to have discovered this channel

As a student of WWII, names in the headlines today are “deja Vu all over again”. As mentioned here, Kyiv changed hands twice with bloody battles both times. Kharkov changed hands multiple times. After Stalingrad, the Soviets recaptured it, the Germans recaptured it in a counter attack early in 1943, only to lose it again in the summer of 1943. Odessa, Korsun and other sites of bloody WWII battles are in the news again. The Soviets reconquered Ukraine in 1943-44 with massive armies numbering in the millions. Can the Russians, even with modern weapons, conquer Ukraine with 150,000 men?

Great you shed light on this city in WW2. It has seen much tragedy. I do have to point out that the Germans in WW2 did not want to turn Ukraine in a vassal state. The Germans wanted to colonize the region and cities such as Kyiv and Kharkiv were deliberately withheld food. In WW1 (1918) the region was a German vassal state led by Pavlo Skoropadsky.

Mark Felton thee best war Historian...the go too Guy on RU-vid.

Fascinating, as always, ty Dr. Felton

This is important info to understand that the current conflict goes back centuries. The book "Crimes of Stalin" , avail on YT, covers the Bolshevik terror campaign and produce looting done in Ukraine. This is why the Ukrainians welcomed the Germans in 1941.

Yeah I agree with everybody else mark it's fantastic that you're associating old WWII information with current events obviously they're extremely tied together

It's haunting seeing the headlines intertwined in history...

Thank you, Dr. Felton.

Interesting video. Mark, can you do a discussion of the four battles for Kharkov/Kharkiv between 1942-43?