A previously unknown letter by Mykhailo Drahomanov, dated May 17, 1885, has been discovered in the University of Geneva library and shared with researchers by writer Oles Ilchenko.

A previously unknown historical document has come to light thanks to Oles Ilchenko, a Swiss–Ukrainian writer. Ilchenko discovered a handwritten note by Mykhailo Drahomanov, addressed to Professor Eugène Ritter and dated May 17, 1885, preserved in the library of the University of Geneva. The discovery was made following a tip from Radosław Tyszko.

Ilchenko presented this find during the Evening of Ukrainian Culture at the University of Lausanne on Friday, September 12, where he also introduced his poetry collection “Просто неба. Вірші під час війни” (“Under the Open Sky. Poems During the War”). He shared with the project team the transcribed and translated text of the letter (from French into Ukrainian) along with a link to the original document.

After scholarly processing, the letter will be made publicly accessible in the Mykhailo Drahomanov Digital Archive, which aims to preserve and study the legacy of this prominent Ukrainian intellectual. The project team expressed sincere gratitude to Ilchenko for his assistance and engagement. This contribution offers new insights into Drahomanov’s intellectual network during his Swiss period.