Millions of people know the song "Only in Our Ukraine" performed by Iryna Fedyshyn. Few have wondered who wrote it. The author — Mykola Yanchenko, People's Artist of Ukraine from the village of Kanava in Vinnytsia region — died on July 1 in Stryzhavka near Vinnytsia. According to preliminary information confirmed by several local sources, he suffered a fatal electric shock in a swimming pool on his own property.
From Wedding Musician to Hit Songwriter
Yanchenko was born in 1959 in the village of Kanava in Tyvriv District — a region where folk song was not a folkloric archive but a living part of everyday life. He graduated from Tulchyn Cultural and Educational College with a degree in dramatic theater directing and headed the House of Culture in the village of Moivka in Chernivtsi District for over 20 years.
He began his active creative career in 1993 by releasing the collection "Moivka Wedding." He initially performed at weddings and family celebrations — and it was this that gave him an understanding of which songs "resonate" with a live audience. Later, he switched to concert performances and wrote dozens of songs for other performers.
"Mykola Yanchenko is gone — a man who gave Ukraine beautiful songs that will live forever. Just the day before yesterday we were singing on the same stage together, talking, spending time together."
Iryna Fedyshyn, singer
Fedyshyn recorded under Yanchenko's authorship "Only in Our Ukraine," "Perelay," "Family," "Sad Holy Evening" — songs that garnered millions of views and became part of the repertoire of Ukrainian celebrations long before the capital's critics learned of him.
Podillia as a Conscious Position
Yanchenko was a deputy of the Vinnytsia Regional Council for several terms and, according to journalist Tetyana Redko, "always had a clear civic position and went on concert tours wherever he was expected." He remained in the region when most artists of his caliber gravitated toward Kyiv — and it was this that made him a cultural beacon of Podillia, rather than simply a "regional singer."
His wife Natalia was the first to report his death, followed by stage colleagues Natalia Falion from the "Lisapetnyi Batalion" and Iryna Fedyshyn. The farewell will take place in Vinnytsia on July 3 at "Requiem Hall" on Akademika Yanhelya Street.
The official cause of death has not been announced; the circumstances of the tragedy are being clarified. One question remains practical: does Ukraine have a mechanism for recording and preserving manuscript scores and musical archives of regional composers — or will Yanchenko's legacy be preserved only as much as it is remembered by the performers who are still alive.
