Banderite

A Banderite or Banderovite (Ukrainian: бандерівець, romanized: banderivets; Polish: banderowiec; Russian: бандеровец, romanized: banderovets) is a name for members of 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 ultranationalist leader of this faction of the OUN. Because of the brutality utilized by OUN-B members, the word "Banderite" quickly earned a negative connotation, particularly among Poles and Jews. By 1942, the expression was well-known and frequently used in western Ukraine to describe the Ukrainian Insurgent Army partisans, OUN-B members or any other Ukrainian perpetrators. The OUN-B had been engaged in various atrocities, including murder of civilians, most of whom were ethnic Poles, Jews, and Romani people.

In Soviet propaganda, "Banderite" became a pejorative term for Ukrainian nationalists in general, regardless of their individual attitude to Bandera. In Soviet society, "Banderite" at times served as an ethnic slur for Ukrainian speakers in general, especially from Western Ukraine; as such, "Banderstadt" became a common nickname for Lviv. This usage persists in neighbouring Russia under Vladimir Putin, particularly after Bandera's posthumous decoration as a Hero of Ukraine in 2010. In Russian propaganda, "Banderites" has effectively served as a synonym for Euromaidan activists, and more broadly for any Ukrainians who support more sovereignty from Russia.