The Proskurov pogrom took place on February 15, 1919, in the town of Proskurov (now Khmelnytskyi) during the Ukrainian War of Independence, which was taken from

Bolshevik The Bolsheviks, led by Vladimir Lenin, were a radical Faction (political), faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party (RSDLP) which split with the Mensheviks at the 2nd Congress of the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, ...

control by militants claiming to be Haidamacks. In mere three and a half hours at least 1,500 Jews were murdered, up to 1,700 by other estimates, and more than 1,000 wounded including women, children and the elderly. The massacre was carried out by

Ukrainian People's Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR) was a short-lived state in Eastern Europe. Prior to its proclamation, the Central Council of Ukraine was elected in March 1917 Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, as a result of the February Revolution, ...

soldiers of Ivan Semesenko. They were ordered to save the ammunition in the process and use only lances and bayonets. One witness writing of the violence said "It is impossible to image what happened here on Saturday, February 15, 1919. This was not a

pogrom A pogrom is a violent riot incited with the aim of Massacre, massacring or expelling an ethnic or religious group, particularly Jews. The term entered the English language from Russian to describe late 19th- and early 20th-century Anti-Jewis ...

. It was like the Armenian slaughter." Semesenko was executed in 1920. At the time, it was claimed that Semesenko was executed for organizing pogroms. However, modern historians concluded that he was instead shot for dissent against Symon Petliura.

History

According to historians Yonah Alexander and Kenneth Myers the soldiers marched into the centre of town accompanied by a military band and engaged in atrocities under the slogan: "Kill the Jews and save Ukraine." The pogrom was initiated by Ivan Semesenko following a failed

uprising against the Ukrainian People's Republic in the city. The mention of pogrom was brought up during the Schwartzbard's trial in Paris, France. Reportedly, the evidential proof of an order by

head Symon Petliura himself was discussed during the proceedings. The actual cable was burned by a Jew fearing death. According to Canadian historian Henry Abramson the cable is probably a forgery "Given the repeated publications condemned by Petliura of pogroms".Proskurivsky pogrom. Petliura's fault?
by Henry Abramson,

Ukrayinska Pravda ''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...

(25 February 2019) A few days later, the Red Cross representative in Proskurow witnessed Semosenko's verbal report to Petliura, admitting to killing 4,000 Jews, which nevertheless remained unconfirmed. The town of Proskurov was renamed Khmelnytskyi in 1954 during the Stalinist era, in spite of the fact that

Bohdan Khmelnytsky Zynoviy Bohdan Mykhailovych Khmelnytsky of the Abdank coat of arms (Ruthenian language, Ruthenian: Ѕѣнові Богданъ Хмелнiцкiи; modern , Polish language, Polish: ; 15956 August 1657) was a Ruthenian nobility, Ruthenian noble ...

himself committed a terrible

there against the Jews already in the 17th century.

Notes

Sources

* {{Massacres of Jews 1919 in Ukraine 1919 riots Antisemitism in Ukraine Anti-communism in Ukraine Anti-communist terrorism Anti-Jewish pogroms of the Russian Civil War February 1919 in Europe Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine Massacres in 1919 Massacres in Ukraine Massacres committed by Ukraine 1919 in Judaism