 He was an internationally acclaimed historian, civic and community activist whose roots in the Ukrainian community meant his focus was on Ukrainian national identity, the struggle for independence and achieving statehood.”

Orest Subtelny was born in Krakow, General Government, on May 17, 1941.His father, Myroslav, was a lawyer who had lived in the city in the mid-1930s and returned with his wife, Ivanna, in late August, 1939, to take a government job.The following day, Germany invaded, forcing the family to return to Ukraine.