Proclamation of Ukrainian Independence

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Proclamation of Ukrainian Statehood

On June 22, 1941 Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union. On Monday June 30, 1941 after the German troops occupied Lviv, a meeting was held in Lviv where members of the the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists proclaimed Ukrainian independence. The proclamation, despite reflecting the aspirations of the Ukrainian people, did not reflect the views of the German regime and was quashed within a few days and the interim Ukrainian administration was arrested.

Contents

[edit] Preamble

Vasyl Kuk in his memoires states:

On Monday June 30, at 6 p.m. on the second floor of the Prosvita building in Lviv (Rynok square 10) there was a community meeting. Community members of the Lviv and its environs, clergy, leading members of OUN, and members of the Ukrainian underground. The all was overflowing with delegates. The meeting was called by the first assistant to the leader of the OUN Yaroslav Stetsko to honour the Ukrainian fighters who had laid down their lives fighting for Ukraine. In an intensive speech he spoke about the political situation which Ukraine was in with the declaration of war, stating that once again this war will take place in Ukraine over these rich lands and that the Ukrainian people cannot stand idly by but must be active and participate. Regarding Germany he stated that a Union with Germany was only possible if Germany recognized Ukrainian independence and its government. Stetsko read out the Proclamation of Ukrainian independence. Those present listened to the proclamation standing, unanimously endorsed it and sang the Ukrainian national anthem "Shche ne vmerla Ukraina".[1]

[edit] Text

The Act of Proclamation of Ukrainian Statehood

1. By the will of the Ukrainian people, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists under the direction of Stepan BANDERA proclaims the formation of the Ukrainian State for which have laid down their heads whole generations of the finest sons of Ukraine.

The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, which under the direction and founder and leader Yevhen KONOVALETS has undertaken in the past ten years a bloody battle with the Moscovite-Bolshevik enslavers in an energetic battle for freedom, calls all the Ukrainian people not to place down its weapons until on all Ukrainian lands are united to form a Sovereign Ukrainian Government.

The Sovereign Ukrainian Government will guarantee Ukrainian people order, unilateral development of all its energies and all its needs.

2. In the western lands of Ukraine a Ukrainian Government is formed, which is subordinate to the Ukrainian National Government that will be formed in the capital of Ukraine – Kyiv.

3. The newly formed Ukrainian state will work closely with the National-Socialist Greater Germany, under the leadership of its leader Adolf HITLER which is forming a new order in Europe and the world and is helping the Ukrainian People to free itself from Moscovite occupation.

The Ukrainian National Revolutionary Army which has been formed on the Ukrainian lands, will continue to fight with the ALLIED GERMAN ARMY against Moscovite occupation for the sovereign and united State and a new order in the whole world.

Long live the Ukrainian Sovereign United Ukraine! Long live the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists! Long live the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the the Ukrainian people – STEPAN BANDERA[2].

GLORY TO UKRAINE!

[edit] Provisional Government

State seal of the provisional government of the Ukrainian state 1941.
State seal of the provisional government of the Ukrainian state 1941.

After the proclamation of the Ukrainian independence the Ukrainian state had been restored and a provisional government was formed with the following composition:

  • Prime Minister Yaroslav Stetsko (OUN)
  • Deputy Prime Minister Marian Panchyshyn (no political affiliation)
  • Deputy Prime Minister Lev Rebet (OUN)
  • Minister of Interior Volodymyr Lysyi (Socialist Radical Party)
  • Deputy Minister of Interior Konstantyn Pankivsky (Socialist Radical Party)
  • Minister of External Affairs Volodymyr Stakhiv (OUN)
  • Deputy Minister of External Affairs Oleksandr Maritchak (Ukrainian National-Democratic Party)
  • Minister of Defence Vsevolod Petriv (Social Revolutionary Party)
  • Deputy Minister of Defence Roman Shukhevych (OUN)
  • Deputy Minister of Defence Oleksandr Hasyn (OUN)
  • Minister of State Security Mykola Lebed (OUN)
  • Minister of Justice Yulian Fedusevych (no political affiliation)
  • Deputy Minister of Justice Bohdan Dzerovych (no political affiliation)
  • Secretary of the Ministry of National Economy Dmytro Yatsiv (OUN)
  • Secretary of the Ministry of National Economy Roman Ilnytsky (OUN)
  • Minister of Agriculture Yevhen Khraplyvy (Ukrainian National-Democratic Party)
  • Deputy Minister of Agriculture Andriy Piasetsky (Front of National Unity)
  • Minister of Health Marian Panchyshyn (no political affiliation)
  • Deputy Minister of Health Roman Osinchuk
  • Secretary of the Ministry of Health Oleksandr Barvinsky (no political affiliation)
  • Minister of Education Volodymyr Radzykevych (no political affiliation)
  • Minister of Communication N. Moroz (no political affiliation)
  • Minister of Information Oleksandr Hai-Holovko (no political affiliation)
  • Secretary of the Ministry of Information Osyp Pozychaniuk (OUN)
  • Secretary of the Ministry of Information Yaroslav Starukh (OUN)
  • Minister of Political Coordination Ivan Klymiv-Lehenda (OUN)
  • Director of Government Administration Mykhailo Rosliak (Socialist Radical Party)

A Council of Seniors headed by Konstantyn Levytsky as president was also formed.[3]

[edit] Reactions to the proclamation

The act of proclamation was soon broadcasted by Yaroslav Stetsko over the radio in Lviv, which probably made many to believe it was supported by the advancing German troops. But the act got immediate support from several Ukrainian church officials such as Metropolitan Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Metropolitan Bishop Polikarp Sikorsky of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church and Bishop Hryhoriy Khomyshyn Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

An SS Einsatzgruppe arrived in Lviv three days after the act of proclamation but waited until July 9 before they went into action and put Yaroslav Stetsko and his deputy Lev Rebet in honorary arrest, but on July 12 they were arrested. At the same time Stepan Bandera with several other Ukrainian nationalists were arrested in the General Government. They all were assembled to Berlin where the Germans tried to convince them to withdraw the act of proclamation, but with no success. On September 15 they were dispatched to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp. At the same time Gestapo arrested hundreds of other Ukrainian nationalists who had participated in the process of restoration of the Ukrainian state.[4]

[edit] Notes

  • 1) There seem to be a number of versions of the Proclamation which differ slightly in text
  • 2) Section 3 is often omitted in publications by the Ukrainian Diaspora dealing with this subject.
  • 3) In many Ukrainian diaspora publications the word "formation" is often changed to "re-establishment"

[edit] Sources

  1. ^ (In Ukrainian: Ukrainska Povstanska Armiya - Istoriya Neskorenykh - Lviv, 2007 p.29
  2. ^ From the front page of the Newspaper "Samostiyna Ukraina" published in Stanislaviv, July 10, 1941
  3. ^ The Restoration of the Ukrainian State in World War II. Published by Ukrainian Central Information Service, London 1987. ISBN 0-902322-35-4.
  4. ^ The Restoration of the Ukrainian State in World War II. Published by Ukrainian Central Information Service, London 1987. ISBN 0-902322-35-4. John Alexander Armstrong, Ukrainian Nationalism, Columbia University Press, 1963.