Mykola Onufriyovych Veresa (22 December 1894 - 8 January 1938) was a bandura player, bandura master-inventor, creator of the Hetman's bandura, choirmaster; regent of the choir of the village Pokrovska church, chairman of the village court.
He was born in the family of a centurion of the Kuban Cossack army in the village of Sarativska in the Kuban (grandson of the village ataman). He came from an ancient Cossack family whose roots can be traced back to the first koshs of the Zaporozhian Sich. He received his primary education at the village school. According to indirect sources, he sang in the Katerynodar Cossack Choir. He received a degree in music. He was a highly skilled carpenter. He headed a team of carpenters. He played banduras of his own design: diatonic and chromatic. His repertoire included dumas, folk songs and dances. He was an active participant in the Ukrainian revival in the Kuban. He was a leader of drama and choral groups.
He was arrested on 11 December 1937 on charges of involvement in a "counter-revolutionary" insurgent organisation. On 23 December 1937, he was sentenced to death by the decision of the three members of the Krasnodar Regional Department of the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs. He was shot in Krasnodar. He was rehabilitated on 30 March 1957.
