North Azovian Greeks

Mariupol State University, once a center for Greek cultural studies in Ukraine, was forced to abandon its collection and relocate to Kyiv during Russian destruction and occupation of the Azov Sea port city of Mariupol. NV attended a ceremony marking the donation of a new collection of Greek-language books, presided over by Cypriot Ambassador Michalis Firillas.

Olga Tsuprykova, co-founder and activist of the North Azovian Greek Community, represents one of Ukraine’s most overlooked cultural voices — the descendants of the autochthonous Crimean Christians who settled along the northern shores of the Sea of Azov nearly 250 years ago. In this conversation, she speaks about the struggle to preserve her community’s endangered Urum and Roumean languages, the devastating impact of Russia’s occupation of Mariupol, and the broader fight for recognition as an indigenous people of Ukraine. Her story is one of survival, revival, and the determination to keep a unique identity alive amid war.