Writing Ona's Tears
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. - MLK
1Mary Evans print
Why this post is about Cossacks
Ona’s Tears is based on real stories from first generation Americans.
A Russian soldier stands before a line of shivering people outside a bakery, methodically shooting each one. He moves down the row until he reaches a young woman clutching a baby; for reasons known only to him, he stops. This was the story told to me by Marion, who lived to be eighty-four and treated me like her own daughter. That woman was her Latvian nanny’s sister—an escape from death so narrow it prompted a mother to send her daughters across the ocean to survive the purge. To heighten the tension of that historical terror, I decided to place that soldier on horseback: I made him a Cossack.
This required some research.
Cossacks were paid agitators
Cossacks are often romanticized as free-spirited frontiersmen, but in the context of the late 19th-century, they functioned as the Tsar’s ultimate tool for suppression. They weren’t just soldiers; they were paid agitators. In Ona’s Tears, I leaned into their historical reputation for exceptional horsemanship.
I stripped away the idea of the “noble warrior” and focused on their role as mercenaries—nomads who aligned with whoever paid the highest price. I portray them as Russian tools who stir up dissent to disrupt the status quo with malicious intent, by using force to turn a peaceful village into a landscape with “every citizen a target.”
Creating drama and tension
There were no family stories about why my four grandparents left Lithuania. I had to learn what was going on near Kaunas, Lithuania before they left. I have yet to find the exact date when my paternal grandparents got off the ship in Locust Point, Baltimore.
I know they were born around 1890 which meant they were fifteen during the Russian Revolution. Bloody Sunday, January 1905, marks the beginning of the violent phase of the revolution when a boy was accidentally shot during a peaceful demonstration by the Tsar’s guard causing a riot and further shootings.
Relevance of Ona’s Tears Today
Bad things happen when peaceful protesters are accidentally shot. America’s Bloody Wednesday, January 7, 2026 has touched a nerve and America is waking up. I started writing Ona’s Tears in 2012 following my retirement from Academia. I became an expert in Russian and Lithuanian history. My book was never meant to be a cautionary tale. That changed when Russia invaded Ukraine again on February 24, 2022. If Ukraine falls, we all fall. Putin, like Stalin is a despot with the following characteristics:
Absolute Power: They typically hold total control over the state and its people, suppressing opposition.
Human Rights Abuses: Often associated with mass killings, torture, and severe oppression.
Cult of Personality: Frequently build a cult around themselves to maintain loyalty.
Use of Force: Utilize secret police, military, or paramilitary groups to enforce rule.
I will leave you with these facts to ponder on as I share posts from my Substack Village:
Minneapolis Is Not Far From Ukraine:
“From those invaded by Russia to those invaded by ICE”
Minneapolis is Kyiv.
I am Renee.
And this line holds until this machinery breaks and the law finally matters again.
—Viktor
The same day, Stephanie Raffelock wrote:
america lost its capital letter when cities became defiled by military occupation and every citizen now a target - no one is safe from the government - no longer a justice department to help - more, a JUST-ICE department
And in Honor of Martin Luther King Day, Marisol Muñoz-Kiehne wrote:
Fair Freedom We-Ways
MLK Day, but
white supremacy rules strong.
Up to us how long?
King, web weavers, us?
Bridge-building, joined bridge-crossing.
Splitting gaps closing.
Participation,
play our part, our role, our song.
True to our nature.
I encourage you to take the time to read the complete posts of my fellow villagers.
I participated in a discussion on Sunday. Here are a few takeaways:
We the people must vote
America is in a moral crisis
Can the whim and ego of any single person define us?






Paid agitators,
motivated by hate, greed?
Not “noble warriors.”
...
“Ona’s Tears,” today!
May we learn from history.
Lest turns destiny.
Thank you, Marisol, for penning the message succintly and beautifully.