Strokes of the biography of Stepan Sosnovy – the first Ukrainian Researcher of events Holodomor 1932–1933

Among the large number of researchers of the Holodomor of 1932–1933, a special place is occupied by the figure of Stepan Mykolayovіch Sosnovy, whose biography became known to the general public thanks to many years of research by the author of this article. The purpose of the article. Through a comprehensive study and analysis of a large array of historical sources, to explore the life and socio-political activities of Kharkiv economist Stepan Sosnovy, who was the first to apply a scientific approach to studying the events of the Holodomor of 1932–1933. The research methodology is determined by the selection and optimal combination of a number of research methods, in particular: biographical, chronological, subject-logical, analytical, etc. The novelty of the work is that for the first time in domestic historical science an attempt was made to comprehensively study the life of Stepan Sosnovy, whom modern historians and demographers refer to as early apologists in studying the genocide of the Ukrainian peasantry during Stalinʼs collectivization. Conclusions. This manʼs biography is full of dramatic episodes in which he managed to change professions, adapt to the variability of historical events and simply survive. His life can be divided into three stages: pre-war, occupation and post-war. The first stage is characterized by productive scientific and creative activity, which was interrupted as a result of the loud expulsion of the scientist from the Kharkiv Land Management Institute. It is probable that his worldview and attitude to the Soviet government also changed then. Manifestation of hidden anti-Soviet positions was his short but vivid research activities during the Nazi occupation of Kharkiv. It was during this period that the «Nova Ukraina» newspaper published his articles in which the author subjected the Stalinist agrarian revolution in Ukraine to devastating criticism, which ultimately led to the tragic events of the Holodomor. The third – the postwar stage of life, includes subperiods: before and after arrest. It should be noted that after serving his sentence and amnesty, Sosnovy became a completely different person who never criticized the Soviet system. Despite the fundamentality of this study, the biography of Stepan Sosnovy contains a number of white spots, the presence of which opens for historians new directions in the study of his life.