The article highlights the activities of historian, ethnographer, cultural and social activist Borys Ivanovych Tkachenko (born in 1937), the author of 11 books – original studies on the most resonant and painful topics of Ukrainian history.

It was established that the author, who is an agronomist and historian by profession, devoted his first works to problematic issues of land management, including ecological factors as the main ones for preserving land resources. Attention is focused on the significant results of B. Tkachenko's research work on the repression of the Soviet authorities in Ukraine in the 1930s of the XX century. In particular, the author's book "Under the Black Brand" was analyzed, which became the first book published in Ukraine that revealed the crimes of the Holodomor in 1932-1933, both on the basis of archival sources and the memories of eyewitnesses.

It is noted about B. Tkachenko's significant contribution to the development of local history, in particular his works, which highlight the history of individual territories of Ukraine, starting from the time of their settlement. The researcher managed to research and record facts and documents related to the life and development of a particular area, thereby enriching the impoverished idea of certain phenomena and events of our general history. After all, the general is revealed in the individual, and the individual exists in the general.

The scientific work of the researcher as a folklorist in the collection and popularization of folk songs of the region was noted.

When writing the article, general historical (comparative-historical, retrospective) methods and the method of source analysis were used.

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