Honouring Ukraine’s Defenders Together with “Treasures of Swedish Archives”

During the lecture "The Swedish-Ukrainian struggle for the independence of Ukraine”, Marina shared how she discovered original documents in the Swedish state archives that prove Sweden's historic commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty.  

Swedish-Ukrainian relations through history

The Swedish State Archives contain approximately 800 kilometres of shelves with documents, many related to Swedish-Ukrainian relations. These materials were largely taken during the Polish-Swedish War in the 1650s and survived a major fire in 1697 that destroyed two-thirds of the archive. Marina has spent years researching these historical records from the 1600s-1700s.  

Now she leads a team of Ukrainian historians and Swedish State Archive workers processing these documents. Together, they are helping create a virtual map of Ukrainian-related documents in archives worldwide, making them accessible to researchers globally and ensuring that historical truth cannot be hidden or distorted.

The documents show that Swedish kings recognized Ukraine's role in European politics. King Charles XII's 1711 letter explicitly instructed Sweden's envoy to "defend the interests of Ukraine as an independent country, its rights and freedoms, territory, and to seek recognition of Orlyk as Hetman of Ukraine."  

A copy of this letter was gifted by Swedish PM Magdalena Andersson to President Zelenskyy.

Marina traced the history from Hetman Pylyp Orlyk to the Cossack alliances, showing how these authentic records break down Russian myths and propaganda, restore historical truth, and give Ukraine back its voice in the world.

The event included a screening of "Incognito: A Secret Network to Save Ukraine and Defend Europe," followed by discussion connecting historical and contemporary struggles for Ukrainian independence.

Community Support

After the lecture, everyone was invited to enjoy Ukrainian borsch in exchange for a donation. Thanks to your incredible support, we raised over 6,000 SEK toward our campaign for 10 ambulances for the frontline and completed funding for one ambulance!

We are deeply grateful to Marina Trattner for sharing her invaluable research and to everyone who joined us that evening. By learning our true history, we strengthen our identity and our resolve.

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