SHORTLINK: https://wp.me/p4r8tT-mj

Extract from a Documentary by Crimean film maker, Sergey Strizhak: “Crimea, The Russian Sea” (2014)

This episode (above) is from Film #7, dedicated to the Second World War and the severe battles that took place in and around Crimea.

The full 9-part documentary project is about Crimean peninsula, its history and lesser known facts, its mysteries and hidden secrets.

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Five (x5) episodes can be watched via this VKontakte page.

The narration is in Russian, but please persevere. With practice, one can extract about 60 percent of a foreign language movie’s meaning simply by identifying the broad sweep of the narrative, along with the imagery provided.

We ethno-Europeans might not share the Y-Chromosome that dominates the Russian land-mass west of the Urals (Haplogroup R1a) but we nevertheless share the same humanity Russians rightly belong to.

During your Great Grandfather’s lifetime, Imperial Russia was considered part-and-parcel of the European family … with thousands travelling to the South of France [French Riviera] each year to escape the chill of Russia’s long winters.

It has been said that Russia’s Elite and “well-to-dos” established what today we call the French Riviera. Their annual arrival — which commenced during the mid-19th Century, while the United States was mired in its Civil War — brought about the Côte d’Azur: the wealthy yet (still) mythic coastline that stretches from Monaco to St. Tropez.

It is here you can find the legacy they freely bestowed to this iconic region. A rich legacy of uplifting art, sophisticated literature, and magnificent architecture, which includes the biggest Russian Orthodox cathedral in western Europe; conceived and financed by none other than Tsar Nicholas II.

So despite the heavy language barrier, please try and make best use of these free Russian videos. I’m fairly confident your effort will prove worthwhile in the long-run.

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Crimea was first settled by the Ancient Greeks … a newly discovered historical fact that metaphorically knocked me clean off of my seat when it first came to my attention. I was Gob-smacked!

Stumbling-upon the Ancient Greek possession of Crimea re-wrote my entire perception of both east and central European history in an instant, along with the history of the hitherto nomadic Turkic (Asiatic) tribes.

Further Reading