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In March 2026, UAZA — in partnership with the Ukrainian Institute, the University of Pretoria and the University of Cape Town — is launching research on Ukraine’s role in the anti-apartheid struggle. We would be most grateful for any photographs, documents or stories of those who received support from the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic during 1962–1991.
We are looking for
- Military training in Ukraine. The first group of Umkhonto we Sizwe and the ANC arrived in Odesa, Ukraine, in 1963; during 1965 over 300 people were trained in Ukraine. If you know of people trained in Odesa or Sevastopol (Perevalne), or hold photographs or memories shared by those trained in Ukraine, please get in touch.
- Higher education at Ukrainian universities. Many ANC activists studied at Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Ternopil and other national universities from 1962 into the 1990s. If you or someone in your family — like Sindiso Mfenyana — received a degree in Ukraine, please share your story.
- Ukraine at the UN Committee against Apartheid. The Ukrainian SSR’s representative served as vice-chair from 1970 to 1994; names such as Hennadiy Udovenko and Volodymyr Kravets are honoured in Freedom Park. The Ukrainian representative was part of the committee during the Soweto massacre and submitted a report to the UN Secretary-General in August 1976. If you provided information to the committee or engaged with the Ukrainian representatives, please share your insights.
- Public campaigns inside the USSR. The Ukrainian SSR ran extensive public campaigns on the violence of the apartheid regime against South Africans. If you were interviewed by Ukrainian media at the time, please share your experience.
Get in touch
Please contact us with any photos, documents or stories: [email protected].