The strategy and tactics of the armed nationalist underground in the struggle for the Ukrainian state (1949 - mid-1950s): visions of contemporary scholars

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35774/app2023.03.115

Keywords:

Ukrainian liberation movement, armed nationalist underground, insurgent units, strategy, tactics, Soviet totalitarian regime

Abstract

A modern historiographical analysis has been conducted on the evolution of the strategy and tactics employed in the struggle of the armed nationalist underground movements for an independent and unified Ukrainian state during the concluding period of the liberation fight from 1949 to the mid-1950s.

It is argued that after the reorganization and temporary suspension of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) units' activities, its fighters integrated into the structures of the nationalist underground, bearing the entire burden of resistance against the punitive and repressive structures of the communist regime.

It is proved that in contemporary Ukrainian historiography, a conclusion has emerged regarding significant popular support for the Ukrainian liberation movement. This support is explained not only by the desire to restore Ukrainian statehood but also by the population's rejection of the essence of Soviet orders and the cruelty of the Soviet totalitarian regime in eradicating Ukrainian identity, which constituted the alpha and omega of the essence of communist government policy. The heroic struggle of the forces of the independence movement laid the foundations for subsequent stages of the liberation movement for the Ukrainian state.

In the context of further scholarly studies on the concluding stage of armed nationalist underground against the communist regime, it is advisable to focus on the continued search and publication of a comprehensive set of archival documents from the period of 1949 to the mid-1950s; the production of analytical and comparative monographs that would contextualize the struggle of the Ukrainian national liberation movement within a broader European framework, illustrate the mutual influence of the unfolding national liberation struggle in the context of the inter-bloc confrontation during the "Cold War" era.

References

Soroka, Yu. (2007). Borotba radianskoho totalitarnoho rezhymu proty natsionalno-vyzvolnoho rukhu v zakhidnykh oblastiakh Ukrainy: 1940-1950-ti roky [The struggle of the Soviet totalitarian regime against the national liberation movement in western regions of Ukraine: 1940s-1950s]. Visnyk Kyivskoho natsionalnoho universytetu im. T. Shevchenka - Bulletin of Kyiv National University named after T. Shevchenko, 89-90, 104-108; Khodanovych, O. L. (2010). Borotba radianskoi totalitarnoi systemy z ukrainskym natsionalno-patriotychnym rukhom: 40-50-ti roky XX st. [The fight of the Soviet totalitarian system against the Ukrainian national patriotic movement: 1940s-50s of the 20th century]. Visnyk Akademii pratsi i sotsialnykh vidnosyn Federatsii profspilok Ukrainy - Bulletin of the Academy of Labor and Social Relations of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine. Scientific and practical coll, 2, 186-191 [in Ukrainian]

Viedienieiev, D. V. & Lisov, O. S. (2015). Novitnia vitchyzniana istoriohrafiia rozvidky i kontrrozvidky rukhu ukrainskykh natsionalistiv i ukrainskoi povstanskoi armii u 1920-1950-kh rr. [Recent national historiography on intelligence and counterintelligence activities within the Ukrainian nationalist movement and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army from the 1920s to the 1950s.] Retrieved from http://www.asv.gov.ua/content/nauka/editions/26/2016-26/81.pdf; Ilnytskyi, V. (2015). Ukrainskyi natsionalno-vyzvolnyi rukh u Karpatskomu krai OUN (1945 – 1954): istoriohrafiia problemy [The Ukrainian national liberation movement in the Carpathian region of the OUN (1945–1954): historiography of the issue]. Drohobytskyi kraieznavchyi zbirnyk - Drohobytsk local history collection, Spetsvypusk, 2, 277-313 [in Ukrainian] ta in.

Shliakhtych, R. P. (2011). Protystoiannia, OUN(b, UPA ta radianskoi vlady na terytorii Zakhidnoi Ukrainy u povoiennyi chas (1945-ser. 1950-kh rr.) [Confrontation between the OUN (b), UPA, and Soviet authorities in the territory of Western Ukraine in the post-war period (from 1945 to the mid-1950s): abstract of the dissertation for the degree of Candidate of Historical Sciences].: avtoref. dys. … k.i.n. Kyiv, 2011 : avtoref. dys. … k.i.n. [in Ukrainian]

Viedienieiev, D. V. (2010). Orhanizatsiia, taktyka y metody dii radianskykh operatyvno-viiskovykh syl u protyborstvi z natsionalno-vyzvolnym rukhom v Zakhidnii Ukraini (1945-1950-ti rr.) [Organization, tactics, and methods of the Soviet operational-military forces in countering the national liberation movement in Western Ukraine (1945-1950s)]. Naukovi zapysky Natsionalnoho universytetu «Ostrozka akademiia»: Istorychni nauky - Scientific notes of the National University «Ostroh Academy»: Historical sciences, 16, 211-227 [in Ukrainian]

Pidlubnyi, V. M. (2010). Diialnist OUN ta UPA na Bukovyni 1940-1952 rr. [Activities of the OUN and UPA in Bukovina from 1940 to 1952]: avtoref. dys. ... k.i.n. Chernivtsi [in Ukrainian]

Ukrainskyi natsionalno-vyzvolnyi rukh na Prykarpatti v XX stolitti. Dokumenty i materialy [The Ukrainian national liberation movement in the Carpathians in the 20th century: documents and materials] (2009). T. 2. Kn. 1 (1939-1945). Ivano-Frankivsk: KPF «Lik» [in Ukrainian] ta in.

Litopys UPA [Chronicle of the UPA] (1987). T. 3. Chornyi Lis: vydannia komandy Stanyslavivskoho taktychnoho vidtynka UPA, 1947-1950 roky. Kn. persha: 1947-1948. 2-he, vypravlene vydannia. Toronto: Litopys UPA [in Ukrainian]

Litopys Ukrainskoi Povstanskoi Armii [Chronicle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army] (1984).Toronto: Litopys UPA, 1984. T. 10: Ukrainska Holovna Vyzvolna Rada: dokumenty, ofitsiini publikatsii, materialy. Kn. 3: 1949-1952 [in Ukrainian]

Litopys Ukrainskoi Povstanskoi Armii [Chronicle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army] (2010). T. 49. Ternopilshchyna: «Visti z Terenu» ta «Vistky z Ternopilshchyny». 1943-1950. Kn. 1 Toronto-Lviv: Litopys UPA [in Ukrainian]

Litopys Ukrainskoi Povstanskoi Armii [Chronicle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army] (2003). T. 7. Nova seriia. Borotba UPA i natsionalistychnoho pidpillia: informatsiini dokumenty TsK KP(b)U, obkomiv partii, NKVS-MVS, MDB-KHB (1949-1959). Kn. 4: 1949-1959 / Uporiadn.: M. Derkach, A. Kentii, V. Lozytskyi, I. Pavlenko. Kyiv-Toronto: Litopys UPA [in Ukrainian]

Litopys Ukrainskoi Povstanskoi Armii. Nova seriia [Chronicle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. New series] (2009). T. 12. Kn. 1. Voienna okruha UPA «Buh» 1943-1952 rr. Dokumenty i materialy. Lviv-Toronto: Litopys UPA [in Ukrainian]

Litopys Ukrainskoi Povstanskoi Armii. Nova seriia [Chronicle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. New series] (2011). T. 12. Volyn i Polissia u nevidomii epistoliarnii spadshchyni OUN i UPA. 1944-1954. Lviv-Toronto: Litopys UPA [in Ukrainian]

Starukh, Yaroslav (2012). Dokumenty i materialy [Documents and materials]. Nats. akad. nauk Ukrainy, In-t ukr. arkheohrafii ta dzhereloznavstva im. M. S. Hrushevskoho NAN Ukrainy, Vyd-vo «Litopys UPA», Haluz. derzh. arkh. Sluzhby bezpeky Ukrainy. Kyiv; Toronto: Litopys UPA [in Ukrainian]

Ishchuk, O. (2011). Molodizhni orhanizatsii OUN (1939-1955 rr.). Litopys Ukrainskoi povstanskoi armii [Youth organizations of the OUN (1939-1955). Chronicle of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army]. Biblioteka. T. 11. Toronto-Lviv: Litopys UPA [in Ukrainian]

Osmak, N. (2008). Kyrylo Osmak – neskorenyi Prezydent UHVR [Cyrylo Osmak – indomitable President of the UHVR (Ukrainian Supreme Liberation Council)]. Toronto-Lviv: Litopys UPA [in Ukrainian]

Ilnytskyi, V. I. (2016). Karpatskyi krai OUN v ukrainskomu vyzvolnomu rusi (1945-1954): monohrafiia [Carpathian region of the OUN in the Ukrainian liberation movement (1945-1954): monograph]. Instytut ukrainoznavstva im. I. Krypiakevycha NAN Ukrainy. Drohobych: Posvit, 239-258 [in Ukrainian]

Patryliak, I. (2012). «Peremoha abo smert»: ukrainskyi vyzvolnyi rukh u 1939-1960 rokakh [«Victory or death»: the Ukrainian liberation movement from 1939 to 1960]. Tsentr doslidzhen vyzvolnoho rukhu. Lviv: Chasopys [in Ukrainian]

Kentii, A. V. (1999). Narys borotby OUN-UPA v Ukraini (1946-1956 rr.) [Outline of the struggle of the OUN-UPA in Ukraine (1946-1956)]. Kyiv: Instytut istorii Ukrainy NAN Ukrainy, Holovne arkhivne upravlinnia pry Kabineti Ministriv Ukrainy, TsDAHO Ukrainy [in Ukrainian]

Pater, I. (2012). Sprotyv halychan totalitarnomu rezhymovi u povoiennyi chas (1944-1953) [Resistance of Galicians to the totalitarian regime in the post-war period (1944-1953)]. Ukraina: kulturna spadshchyna, natsionalna svidomist, derzhavnist [Ukraine: cultural heritage, national consciousness, statehood]: Zb. nauk. pr. Lviv: Instytut ukrainoznavstva im. I. Krypiakevycha NAN Ukrainy, 21 [in Ukrainian]

Pater, I. H. (2010). Borotba komunistychnoho rezhymu z ukrainskym vyzvolnym rukhom (40-50-i roky XX st.) [The struggle of the communist regime against the Ukrainian liberation movement (1940s-1950s)]. Visnyk Lvivskoi komertsiinoi akademii. Seriia. Humanitarni nauky - Bulletin of the Lviv Commercial Academy. Series. Humanities, 9, 76-87 [in Ukrainian]

Khodanovych, O. L. (2010). Borotba radianskoi totalitarnoi systemy z ukrainskym natsionalno-patriotychnym rukhom: 40-50-ti roky XX st. [The struggle of the Soviet totalitarian system against the Ukrainian national patriotic movement: 1940s-50s of the 20th century]. Visnyk Akademii pratsi i sotsialnykh vidnosyn Federatsii profspilok Ukrainy - Bulletin of the Academy of Labor and Social Relations of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, 2, 178-195 [in Ukrainian]

Viedienieiev, D. (2012). Pisliavoienna evoliutsiia stratehii, taktyky, orhanizatsiino-funktsionalnoi pobudovy ozbroienoho rukhu oporu pid provodom OUN(b) v Zakhidnii Ukraini [The post-war evolution of strategy, tactics, and organizational and functional structure of the armed resistance movement led by the OUN(b) in Western Ukraine]. Ukraina: kulturna spadshchyna, natsionalna svidomist, derzhavnist - Ukraine: cultural heritage, national consciousness, statehood, 22, 179-184 [in Ukrainian]

Yanevskyi, D. (2012). Proekt «Ukraina»: Zhertva UPA, misiia Romana Shukhevycha [Project «Ukraine»: The victime of the UPA, the mission of Roman Shukhevych]. Kharkiv: Folio [in Ukrainian]

Kyrychuk, Yu. (2003). Ukrainskyi natsionalnyi rukh 40-50-kh rokiv XX stolittia: ideolohiia i praktyka [The Ukrainian national movement of the 1940s-50s: ideology and practice]. Lviv: Dobra sprava [in Ukrainian]

Published

2023-12-08

Issue

Section

ACTUAL DISCUSSIONS

How to Cite

Ukhach, Vasyl. “The Strategy and Tactics of the Armed Nationalist Underground in the Struggle for the Ukrainian State (1949 - Mid-1950s): Visions of Contemporary Scholars”. Actual Problems of Law, no. 3, Dec. 2023, pp. 115-23, https://doi.org/10.35774/app2023.03.115.