What are the most common questions asked to historians? "But what really happened?"

In "Polihistor" – the latest programme created by the Centre for Polish-Russian Dialogue and Understanding on YouTube – historian Bartek Gajos is going to ask top experts on Poland and Russia about, amongst other things, why Catherine II was afraid of the Polish revolution, whether Poland could have avoided the World War II, why the Soviets only attacked on 17th September 1939, and for what purpose the Kremlin invests millions of roubles in history-related projects.

- As a non-historian, I resent the self-serving call to "leave history to the historians". While research should be done by professionals, its results, interpretations, and conclusions are a common good. They should not stay in the ivory tower. Our "Polihistor" project originates in the desire to approach a larger audience looking for concise, but research-based answers to important questions about the history of Poland and Russia – says Ernest Wyciszkiewicz, PhD, director of the CPRDU.

- History fascinates us all, but not all of us have the time to read books that are several hundred pages long. That's why we want to publicise the findings of polihistorians: scientists and analysts, not just historians, whose findings often go against the popular perception of the past. At the same time, we want to show that specialised does not mean boring – explains Bartek Gajos, a historian at the CPRDU who specialises in the Russian Revolution and the Civil War of 1917-1922.

Videos are available here.