A Memorandum to the Swedish Prime Minister in 1921: a Brief Introduction to Ukrainian History in the National Archives of Sweden

Abstract

The National Archives of Sweden is the offi cial archive of the Swedish State and is responsible for the management of records from Sweden’s public authorities. Although the archive functions primarily as the archives of the Swedish States, it also preserves documents from private individuals and organizations. The National Archives is one of the oldest public authorities in Sweden. This article gives a short introduction to historical sources in the National Archives of Sweden connected to Ukraine and thus contextualizes a Memorandum sent to the Swedish Foreign Ministry from the Ukrainian Diplomatic Mission in Scandinavia in 1921. The Memorandum is a plea for help through a description of the political situation in Ukraine during times of violence and oppression by the Bolsheviks. The memorandum echoes frighteningly with the present and reminds us that Russian aggression against Ukraine has a long history. The Memorandum and other historical sources connected to Ukraine from the 17th to the early 20th century are now being digitized and published online. New archives within the fi eld will be published continuously. The research methodology is descriptive and combines the analysis of special collections of archival documents with the Memorandum, published both in English and its original language, Swedish. The scientifi c novelty is the publishing of a valuable historical document from the National Archives of Sweden on the history of Ukraine that have never been published before in English and Swedish as well as expanding information about the activities of the Ukrainian diplomatic mission in Stockholm in the early 1920s. Conclusions. Hopefully this publication will draw attention of the Ukrainian and European historians to and encourage further research of these important historical sources and that the publishing online will support their future use.