Mykola Urban is a survivor of Sachsenhausen and usually lives in Kharkiv, Ukraine. Due to the Russian attack on Ukraine in 2022 he became a refugee and currently lives in Switzerland, where he met Swiss journalist, Maria Kafantari. When Mykola decided to visit Sachsenhausen for the 80th Commemoration of the Liberation in May of 2025 Maria came along. In this interview, Kelsey speaks with both Maria and Mykola.
Descendants Stuff podcast is produced by Jakob Feisthauer, Kelsey Snook and Nicole Wines – three descendants of Sachsenhausen prisoners and co-creators of the Sachsenhausen Stuff project.
The Descendants Stuff team would like to extend a special thank you to the team at Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum especially Dr. Astrid Ley, and the members of the educational department’s project “What Voice Do We Have?”, as well as the descendant’s collective Voices of the Next Generation.
Our theme music, “Heil, Sachsenhausen!” was written and performed by former Sachsenhausen prisoner Aleksander Kulisiewicz. Thanks to the United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum and the Aleksander Kulisiewicz collection for granting permission for its use.
If you are a Sachsenhausen descendant who would like to share your story, please contact us.