The act of restoration of the Ukrainian state () or proclamation of the Ukrainian state of June 30, 1941, was announced by the

Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists The Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN; ) was a Ukrainian nationalist organization established on February 2, 1929 in Vienna, uniting the Ukrainian Military Organization with smaller, mainly youth, radical nationalist right-wing groups. ...

(OUN) under the leadership of

Stepan Bandera Stepan Andriyovych Bandera (, ; ; 1 January 1909 – 15 October 1959) was a Ukrainian far-right leader of the radical militant wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, the OUN-B. Bandera was born in Austria-Hungary, in Galicia (Eas ...

, who declared an independent Ukrainian state in

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

. The self-proclaimed prime minister was Yaroslav Stetsko, and the head of the Council of Seniors was

Kost Levytsky Kost Antonovych Levytsky (; 18 November 1859 – 12 November 1941) was a Ukrainians, Ukrainian politician. He was a leader of the Ukrainian National Democratic Alliance in the Second Polish Republic and the head of the Council of Seniors of a ...

. The OUN intended to take advantage of the retreat of Soviet forces from

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

during the

German invasion of the Soviet Union Operation Barbarossa was the invasion of the Soviet Union by Nazi Germany and several of its European Axis allies starting on Sunday, 22 June 1941, during World War II. More than 3.8 million Axis troops invaded the western Soviet Union along a ...

that began on June 22. Their leaders thought that their movement had found a new powerful ally in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

to aid them in their struggle against the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

. The Ukrainian nationalists began a series of pogroms against Jews, with many murdered and assaulted. Days after the German invasion and occupation of Lviv, however, the leadership of the newly formed government was arrested and sent to

concentration camp A concentration camp is a prison or other facility used for the internment of political prisoners or politically targeted demographics, such as members of national or ethnic minority groups, on the grounds of national security, or for exploitati ...

s in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Background

Ukrainian territory between the World Wars

After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Ukraine was divided into three parts: most of Central and Eastern Ukraine became the

Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

in 1921. The capital was

Kharkiv Kharkiv, also known as Kharkov, is the second-largest List of cities in Ukraine, city in Ukraine.

. The majority of current Western Ukraine became part of the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 7 October 1918 and 6 October 1939. The state was established in the final stage of World War I ...

. This included the city of Lviv, which at the time was the center of

Ukrainian nationalist Ukrainian nationalism (, ) is the promotion of the unity of Ukrainians as a people and the promotion of the identity of Ukraine as a nation state. The origins of modern Ukrainian nationalism emerge during the Cossack uprising against the Poli ...

activity. A small part of current far Western Ukraine, the Zakarpattia, became part of

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

Northern Bukovina Bukovina or ; ; ; ; , ; see also other languages. is a historical region at the crossroads of Central and Eastern Europe. It is located on the northern slopes of the central Eastern Carpathians and the adjoining plains, today divided betwe ...

belonged to

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

The Ukrainian nationalist movement in western Ukraine

For various reasons, the Ukrainian nationalist movement was more active in Western Ukraine than in Central Ukraine in the inter-war period. At the end of

, veterans of the

Sich Riflemen The Sich Riflemen Halych-Bukovyna Kurin () was one of the first regular military units of the Ukrainian People's Army. The unit operated from 1917 to 1919 and was formed from Ukrainian soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army (Ukrainian Sich Riflem ...

created the

Ukrainian Military Organization The Ukrainian Military Organization (), was a Ukrainian paramilitary body, engaged in terrorism (especially in Poland) during the interwar period. It was formed after the occupation of Ukraine by Soviet Russia following the Ukrainian–Soviet ...

in 1920 to promote the creation of an independent Ukrainian state. The leader was

Yevhen Konovalets Yevhen Mykhailovych Konovalets (; 14 June 1891 – 23 May 1938) was a Ukrainian military commander and political leader of the Ukrainian nationalist movement. A veteran of the First World War and the Ukrainian War of Independence, he is best kn ...

The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists

In 1929, the Ukrainian Military Organization became the

. The first leader was Bohdan Kravciv. The stated goal of the OUN was the creation of an independent Ukrainian State. In 1940, the OUN suffered a split into two groups - one group supported Andriy Melnyk (this group became known as the OUN-M, or "Melnykivtsi"), while the other group supported

(this group became known as the OUN-B, or

Banderivtsi A Banderite or Banderovite (; ; ; ) is a name for the members of the OUN-B, a faction of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. The term, used from late 1940 onward, derives from the name of Stepan Bandera (1909–1959), the Ultranationali ...

). The OUN-B was considered the more radical of the two.

Prelude to the Declaration

The OUN realized that an opportunity was available to fulfill their mandated plan: the creation of a new independent Ukraine. On June 22, 1941, the

Ukrainian National Committee The Ukrainian National Committee ( ) was a Ukrainian political structure created under the leadership of Pavlo Shandruk, on March 17 (or March 12), 1945 in Weimar, Nazi Germany, nearly two months before the German Instrument of Surrender, with the ...

was created in Kraków, with Volodymyr Horbovy as a president. The UNK published an essay, "Memorial", which outlined the plans of the OUN to declare independence. This essay was met with severe disapproval of the Nazi authorities, and the leaders of the UNK, Horbovy and Bandera, were told to rescind the document. They refused, and made their way to Lviv. On June 26, 1941, Soviet forces fled from Lviv, and the Ukrainian

Nachtigall Battalion The Nachtigall Battalion (), also known as the Ukrainian Nightingale Battalion Group (), or officially as Special Group NachtigallAbbot, Peter. ''Ukrainian Armies 1914-55'', p.47. Osprey Publishing, 2004. () was a subunit under command of the Ge ...

, led by its commander

Roman Shukhevych Roman-Taras Osypovych Shukhevych (, also known by his pseudonym, Tur and Taras Chuprynka; 30 June 1907 – 5 March 1950) was a Ukrainian nationalism, Ukrainian nationalist and a military leader of the nationalist Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) ...

, entered the city in triumph to cheering crowds of joyful Ukrainians. With the departure of the Soviet Red Army, the OUN set up its headquarters in Lviv, and began to prepare for the big day.

Preamble

In his memoirs Vasyl Kuk said:

Text

Government

After the proclamation of the Ukrainian state, a government was announced. This government included politicians from various parties, as well as political ideologies. They were: *Prime Minister Yaroslav Stetsko (OUN) *Deputy Prime Minister Markian Panchyshyn (no political affiliation) *Deputy Prime Minister Lev Rebet (OUN) *Minister of Interior Volodymyr Lysy (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 Defense Vsevolod Petriv (Social Revolutionary Party) *Deputy Minister of Defense

(OUN) *Deputy Minister of Defense 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 Markian 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

as president was also formed.

Reactions to the proclamation

Reaction in Ukraine

The act of proclamation was broadcast by Yaroslav Stetsko over the radio in

, which made many believe it was supported by the advancing German troops. The act received immediate support from several Ukrainian church officials such as Metropolitan Archbishop

Andrey Sheptytsky Andrey Sheptytsky, OSBM (; ; 29 July 1865 – 1 November 1944) was the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Metropolitan of Galicia and Archbishop of Lviv from 1901 until his death in 1944. His tenure in office spanned two world wars and six political r ...

and Bishop Hryhoriy Khomyshyn of the

Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) is a Major archiepiscopal church, major archiepiscopal ''sui iuris'' ("autonomous") Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic church that is based in Ukraine. As a particular church of the Cathol ...

, Metropolitan Bishop Polikarp Sikorsky of the

Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC; (UAPTs)) was one of the three major Eastern Orthodox churches in Ukraine in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, together with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate (UOC-KP) ...

. Apparently convinced that the group of Stetsko had the backing of the Germans, Metropolitan wrote a pastoral letter in which he exhorted the people to support the newly proclaimed government "the scarifies which the final attainment of our goals require demand above all dutiful obedience to the just orders of the government which do not conflict with God’s law." Moreover, he declared: :''We greet the victorious German Army as deliver from enemy. We render our obedient homage to the government which has been erected. We recognize Mr.Yaroslav Stetsko as Head of State Administration of Ukraine''. The pastoral letter was read over the radio by chaplain of

Father Hryn’okh the same morning. It appeared to have removed any doubts which may have been lingering in the mind of most prominent Ukrainians in Lviv concerning the origin of the Stets’ko government. Supporters of Ukrainian independence have been divided in their assessment of the proclamation. Some considered it brilliant, others considered it reckless or even foolish.

Reaction by the German government

The Declaration of Independence took the German authorities completely by surprise, and they saw it as an attempted coup. When Nazi troops entered Lviv, the German authorities told the leadership of the Ukrainian government to disband. However, it did not, and in reprisal the leaders of the government were arrested and interned in the

Sachsenhausen concentration camp Sachsenhausen () or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a German Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used from 1936 until April 1945, shortly before the defeat of Nazi Germany in May later that year. It mainly held political prisoners t ...

. These included President Yaroslav Stetsko, and

. Within two years of the declaration, the Nazis had imprisoned or killed 80% of OUN-B leadership.Timothy Snyder. The Causes of Ukrainian-Polish Ethnic Cleansing 1943. Past & Present, No. 179 (May, 2003), pp. 207

Notes

References

Sources

* Hai-Nyzhnyk P. P. The attitude of senior management of the German Reich to the Act of the Ukrainian state in 1941 and the military-political tactics of the OUN(r) in 1941–1943.– Collection of scientific works "Gileya: scientific bulletin", Kyiv: National Pedagogical University named after MP Drahomanov; VGO Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, 2015.— Issue.98 (No. 7) .— P. 49–65. {{DEFAULTSORT:Declaration Of Ukrainian Independence, 1941 Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists Political history of Ukraine 1941 in Ukraine Ukrainian collaboration during World War II

1941 The Correlates of War project estimates this to be the deadliest year in human history in terms of conflict deaths, placing the death toll at 3.49 million. However, the Uppsala Conflict Data Program estimates that the subsequent year, 1942, wa ...

1941 documents