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Olha Puhach

Olha Puhach is a Ukrainian publicist, researcher, and civic activist, an activist of the Kyiv City Association (KMO) "Prosvita" named after Taras Shevchenko. Author of publications in the newspaper "Krymska svitlytsia" (Crimean Light-Room) devoted to the preservation of the Ukrainian language, culture, and ethnic self-identification of the population of Crimea.

Overview

Olha Puhach covers issues of the Ukrainian presence in Crimea, the history of the settlement of the peninsula, and the transformation of the self-identification of its inhabitants. In her materials for the All-Ukrainian civic-political and literary newspaper "Krymska svitlytsia", she provides valuable field observations and records of conversations with local residents of Crimea, collected during trips across the peninsula in the first years after the restoration of Ukraine's independence.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Work in the KMO "Prosvita": Takes an active part in the educational and civic work of the Kyiv City Association "Prosvita" named after T. Shevchenko, aimed at popularizing the Ukrainian heritage.
  • Research on self-identification in Crimea: In her 2016 article "Ruski liudy Krymu" (Rus People of Crimea), she analyzed the phenomenon of the colloquial use of the self-designation "ruski liudy" (Rus people) among the old Ukrainian-speaking population of Western Crimea (the urban-type settlement of Chornomorske).
  • Local history work: Based on the exhibits of the Chornomorske Local History Museum, she recorded important historical evidence about the first Ukrainian settlers in the area of Ak-Mechet (Chornomorske), the settlement of peasants in the 18th–20th centuries, and the activity of the Ukrainian theater in Olenivka.
  • Ruski liudy Krymu — Primary source of Olha Puhach's article in the newspaper "Krymska svitlytsia" (2016, No. 33).
  • Origin of the Name "Rus" in Crimea — An analytical concept of the self-identification of the Ukrainian-speaking population of Crimea, researched in the work of O. Puhach.
  • Chornomorske — A settlement in western Crimea where Olha Puhach conducted field research and local history analysis.
  • Andriy Shchekun — Editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Krymska svitlytsia".