On October 14, exactly seven decades have passed since the moment when the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, which was part of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, was formed. During the presidency of the "orange" political leaders, the head of this organization, Roman Shukhevych, was even recognized as a hero of Ukraine. Was it worth calling a man a hero who, in fact, did not commit anything heroic, who collaborated with the Nazis and cruelly dealt with his own compatriots?
It should be noted right away that the date of October 14 is only provisionally considered the moment of the creation of the UPA, which appeared as a result of the decision of the leadership of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. The real baptism of fire of the organization took place much earlier, even before the start of the war. In this case, we are talking about the leadership of the UPA, in particular, the commander of the rebels, who received and then lost the title of Hero of Ukraine, Roman Shukhevych.
His biography does not differ much from the majority of Ukrainian nationalists, many of whom had become German agents even before the start of the war. At the beginning of the Second World War, Shukhevych was a member of the fascist special unit "Nachtigall". And it was he who, according to historians, was the initiator of what happened in Lviv on the night of June 30, 1941, when thousands of Jews, Poles and Communists were killed. Among those killed were the ordinary Ukrainian population, who were considered disloyal.
This was followed by no less bloody massacres at Babi Yar near Kiev. It is noteworthy that some modern nationalists, adherents of the UPA, pretend that they do not remember some pages of the “hero's” biography. In particular, in addition to "Nachtigal", they do not remember that in 1942 Shukhevych joined the 201st German security battalion, which was sent to Belarus to organize the fight against partisan formations. As a result, Shukhevych distinguished himself, having received two "iron crosses" and the rank of captain of the German army for faithful service. For almost a year in Belarus, the German battalion killed more than 2 thousand Soviet soldiers. This is such an interesting struggle for the interests of Ukraine …
Many fans of Ukrainian nationalism argue that all this is not true, and that the UPA commander is simply slandered. According to them, Ukrainian nationalists fought not only against Soviet troops, but also against the Nazis. But there is no confirmation of their words. Yes, an effective and successful struggle was waged against the Red Army, but as for the fight against fascism … Until now, not a single document has been found that at least indirectly confirmed the UPA war against the Germans. The most that can be found is information about small clashes, which, however, also occurred between the allied forces.
At the same time, a huge number of facts of cooperation between nationalists and fascists have been provided. One of the proofs of such cooperation can serve, for example, the protocol of interrogation of one of the Banderaites, Ivan Kutkovets, according to which Bandera in February 1944, at the behest of the Nazis, proclaimed the independence of Ukraine. At the same time, the Germans tried in every possible way to delay the process of creating a Ukrainian national government, because they considered Ukraine their colony, and did not want to share power over it with anyone. And besides, at that time, the members of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, who organized the police, were actively serving in the fascist rear, searching for and destroying Soviet political activists and partisans.
There is also other evidence of active collaboration with the Nazis. So, in particular, according to the German circular of 1944, it is obvious that there was an agreement between the two forces that the Bandera pledged not to attack German troops, but to supply scouts to conduct actions in the interests of Germany. Therefore, all members of the UPA, who had special certificates signed by a certain Felix, were obliged to pass freely, even with weapons. In addition, the identification marks were thought out to avoid attacks.
An interesting feud turns out …
In addition, Roman Shukhevych and his subordinates were responsible for numerous murders. So, in particular, they are guilty of the death of more than 10 thousand Poles in 1943-1944 in Volyn. The killings were carried out with particular cruelty. In 1999, one of the Polish editions published a material that listed 135 (!) Methods of murder used by Bandera.
And this is not a complete list of the “hero's” crimes. The victims of Ukrainian nationalists were Jews, Czechs, and Russians, and most often - what is most terrible - Ukrainians, who did not share the ideologies of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the UPA. So it's a shame to be proud of such "heroes" …
Nevertheless, in our time there is a certain number of political forces that consider the Bandera people to be the real heroes of Ukraine. Moreover, some part of the country's population adheres to this opinion. As a result, on October 14 this year, a march was held in Lviv in honor of the anniversary of the Ukrainian Insurgent Party, in which not only veterans of the movement took part, but also several thousand residents of the country.
The participants of the march marched along the main city streets, and then on the Market Square was held the posthumous ceremony of awarding 20 commanders of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army with the "iron cross" (medal of the "Plast" organization).
A similar march was held in the Ukrainian capital, initiated by the leaders of the political party "Svoboda", headed by Oleg Tyagnibok. More than three thousand people took part in it, who marched in columns along the central streets with flags and symbols of the UPA and drums. It should be noted that such a march is held annually, and the requirements remain the same - to return the titles of heroes to Roman Shukhevych and Stepan Bandera, and, in addition, to proclaim October 14 as a national holiday.
It should also be noted that this year supporters of the communist ideology held their march at the Lenin monument - an anti-fascist action against the march of the "svobodovtsy". Several hundred supporters of the Communist Party of Ukraine took part in the action. During this event, calls were made to prevent the return of fascism to Ukraine, as well as military-patriotic songs. A resolution was adopted at the rally, which contains a request to the authorities to take the necessary measures to prevent the Nazis from entering Ukraine. At the end of the action, the communists staged an impromptu tribunal at which cardboard figures of the commander of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army Roman Shukhevych and the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists Stepan Bandera were sentenced to death by hanging.
Be that as it may, the situation is unlikely to change in the near future. Nationalist supporters will continue to demand recognition of their leaders, while their opponents will throw mud at them and put forward their demands in response. But in any case, the truth can no longer be hidden. And if the destruction of the adult population, moreover, of a different nationality, can be tried to be explained and justified by directives from above or by ideological and political positions, then there is no and cannot be any justification for the murder of children. This is not any heroism, but a real atrocity …
