On the Frequency of Freedom: A Conversation About Radio “Aphrodite”

A presentation-discussion of the documentary novel about the underground radio station of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which broadcast in multiple languages for a year and a half, telling the world about the Ukrainian struggle in occupied territories.

Though the story may seem extraordinary, not a single word is fictional. In the fall of 1943, at the height of World War II, Europe’s airwaves began to speak about Ukraine. “Attention! Attention! You are hearing the voice of ‘Free Ukraine’!” — several times a day in English, French, German, and even Russian.

The radio continued broadcasting even when German occupiers were replaced by Russian forces. The news from Ukraine was read by Belgian Albert Hazenbrucks, who became one of the station’s announcers.

Radio “Aphrodite” tells a story of struggle, courage, and bravery, but also of betrayal and love. Oleg Kryshtopa spent 14 years researching archives, conducting interviews, traveling through the Carpathians in search of graves and hideouts, and visiting Belgium and the Netherlands to write this book.

The publishing house Babylon Library presented the documentary novel Radio “Aphrodite” on May 14, 2025.

Participant: Oleh Kryshtopa