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On 11-22 May 2023, I made my 15th trip to Ukraine, 10th since the war started in 2014, and arrived in Kyiv on the express train from Warsaw. My interpreter, Elena Krivova, who lives in Kherson, came to Kyiv to help me with my research at the Ukraine State Archive 15-18 May. On May 16 we were attacked by an armada of 18 Russian drones and missiles, including a hypersonic missile, but were protected by an almost impenetrable air defense system. At the archive, we found a gold mine of historical documents, signed by the Prime Minister of USSR, Georgi Malenkov, and First Secretary of the Ukrainian SSR, Aleksei Kirichenko, about the construction of the Kremenchuk hydroelectric station and the North Crimean Canal in 1953. As a result of this trip, I was able to finish the two most important chapters in my Malenkov biography, "The Great Construction Projects of Communism" and "Building the North Crimean Canal."

In November 2014 I visited Ukraine. The main purpose was to go to Nova Kakhovka to see the Hydroelectric Energy Station and the Museum of History of Nova Kakhovka. I also wanted to see the canal was designed to take about 3 million gallons of water per day to Crimea. The canal starts in Nova Kakhovka. This video shows the history of the construction of the HES and North Crimean Canal, which was started in 1950.
Nova Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Plant Construction History Video

In June 2023 the Russians destroyed the Kakhovska hydroelectric power station at Nova Kakhovka. It was a traumatic event for me because I was in Nova Kakhovka two times. I've been intensely studying its history for nine years because it provides water and electric power for the North Crimean Canal and irrigation of millions of acres of farmland in Southern Ukraine and Crimea. So, I worked hard, even staying up all night editing, to create a video featuring my interview with Vladimir Lozovoy, director of the Museum of the History of the City of Nova Kakhovka, in December 2014. Mr. Lozovoy told me I was the first American to visit his museum and easily persuaded me to sign the guest book. Here's the video that I produced. The first five minutes features my historical text of Kakhovka, with Prokofiev's ballet music "On the Dnieper". Following that is a 18-minute audio recording from my interview with Mr. Lozovoy, and includes my photos of museum exhibits. The last three minutes feature photos of the city and power station and music from the Russian Civil war (1917-22) "Song of Kakhovka".
Remembering the Post-War Years in Nova Kakhovka
Sofievska Square, Kyiv, Ukraine 19 May 2023 Nova Kakhovka - December 1, 2014
Director of the Museum of History of Nova Kakhovka, Vladimir Lozovoy Kreshatik Street, Kiev
Odessa Opera Theater Kiev - December 6, 2014
Southern Ukraine Map