National identity and resistance in Mykola Akhbash’s original and translated Rumeika-language poetry

Abstract

The work of the Ukrainian poet Mykola Akhbash, who writes in Rumeika, exemplifies resistance literature of a national minority in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion. His poems reflect author’s deep concern for the fate of Mariupol, initial confusion followed by resilience, and an appeal to the transcendent. These form the thematic core of his wartime verse. The author employs a range of perspectives, yet his values remain rooted in both the Ukrainian nation and the Azov Greek community. Writing in Rumeika and using ethno-cultural symbols, translating Ukrainian classics, and employing Ukrainian transcription, Akhbash articulates the identity and historical legacy of the North Azovian Greeks within a broader Ukrainian context.