Education, History
Banderovtsy - who are they? Bandera during the war. Flag of Bandera
In the light of current events in Ukraine, many people are interested in Bandera. Who are these people, where did this movement come from? In this article we will try to answer these and other, very topical questions. To date, there are a lot of terrible stories about the past of this movement, some people justify it, some condemn or even treat with hatred.
Historical information about the appearance of Bandera
So, Banderaers - who are they? A lot of negative definitions of this movement. During the Patriotic War, these were people who supported the ideology of Stepan Bandera, one of the leaders of Ukrainian nationalism. Then they committed many murders of non-Ukrainians, justifying it with a desire for freedom and independence for their country.
To date, there are many evidence of crimes committed by Bandera's followers, committed during the Great Patriotic War. They killed those who did not belong to the Ukrainian nation, who had relatives of people of a different nationality. Some of the murders committed by Bandera (photo below), otherwise it's difficult to name atrocities. And it all began with the idea of liberating western Ukraine from the power of the Polish invaders.
Stepan Bandera. short biography
Now about the very leader of this movement. Stepan Bandera was born in 1909 in the family of a Greek Catholic priest. In addition to him, there were six children in the family. Obviously, Stepan absorbed the idea of nationalism with the instructions of his father, who tried to convey his worldview to children. This was further contributed by the First World War, which took place before an even more impressionable child.
Bandera lived in his father's house until 1919, after which he moved to the city of Stry and entered the gymnasium. In it, he studied for eight years. It was in the gymnasium that his nationalist activities began, which subsequently led to the emergence of Banderites in Ukraine. He became the leader of youth in Western Ukraine, defending her independence by any means, not disdaining even what is now called terrorism in the modern world.
Political activity of Stepan Bandera
After graduation from the gymnasium, Stepan, in addition to public activities, was engaged in the work assigned to him by the Ukrainian military organization. Bandera was in it from the senior courses of the gymnasium. He became an official member of this organization in 1927. Work began in the intelligence department, and then in the propaganda. He was followed by young people who adhered to his radical nationalist views.
During his time in this organization he reached great heights and popularity, especially in the city of Lviv, whose Bandera people (as they will later be called) really considered him an idol. He became the head of the underground organization of the OUN.
Now a little about Stepan's political career. On his account, several organized murders of prominent political figures, against which at that time the nationalists fought. For one of them in 34, he was convicted, sentenced to death, which, however, after some time replaced by life imprisonment. In prison, he stayed until the year 39 when, due to the occupation of Poland, all prisoners (with them and Stepan) were released.
The leader of the nationalists continued his activities. And if we discuss the issue of "Banderovtsy - who are they," then you can answer that these are his followers, who at one time supported him.
Bandera's activities during the Second World War
At this time, Stepan just went free. Having joined his supporters, he visited Lviv, where, assessing the situation, he decided that the main enemy of Ukraine's independence now is the Soviet Union.
We can assume that the Ukrainian Bandera officially appeared after the split of the OUN, when two people with absolutely opposite views began to claim the post of the head of this organization. This is S. Bandera and A. Melnik. The first one believed that Germany would not help the Ukrainians to gain the desired freedom, that's why they only need to rely on themselves. The union with the Germans could only be taken as a temporary act. The second thought was completely different. In the end, everyone went to their camps. The closest supporters of Bandera were S. Lenkavsky, J. Stetsko, N. Lebed, V. Okhrimovich, R. Shukhevych.
In June 1941, an act on the revival of the Ukrainian state was proclaimed, which resulted in Bandera's imprisonment in Germany. The Germans did not want this turn of events. As Stepan predicted, they had completely different plans for Ukraine.
In the German prison, Bandera remained until September 44. This was not the worst place, they contained exactly such political criminals. The Germans themselves in three years and released Stepan to freedom. It was rather an act of protest against his proclamation of an independent Ukrainian state.
These three years, Bandera could not engage in politics, although he maintained contact with his associates through his wife. However, all this time, Western Ukraine, whose Bandera did not abandon their activities, continued to fight against the invaders of the territories.
Life of Stepan Bandera after liberation
After liberation in September 1944, S. Bandera decides to stay in Germany. The impossibility of returning to the territory of the Soviet Union did not prevent the organization of a foreign branch of the OUN (b).
At this time, according to some sources, he was recruited and worked for intelligence and counterintelligence in Germany. And according to other sources, he refused this offer.
Until the fifties, this man led the life of a conspirator, as he was declared a hunt, but after that he moved to Munich with his family. Until the end of his days he went with the guard to protect himself from attempts, which, by the way, were many. Here he was known by the surname Popel.
However, this did not save him from death. In 1959, he was killed by a KGB agent B. Stashinsky. He shot Bandera in the face from a syringe gun (the contents - cyanide potassium). He did not have time to save him, he died on the way to the hospital. The shooter was arrested and imprisoned for eight years. After the release of it, Stashinsky's fate is unknown.
After the death of Bandera, the family remained - Yaroslav's wife Oparovskaya, Andrei's son, Natalia's daughter, and Lesya. Despite all his deeds, he loved the family and protected him in every possible way.
Thus ended the life of a man who was the ideological inspirer of the nationalist movement in Western Ukraine, as well as the organizer of numerous political assassination attempts. His followers committed many murders, hiding behind the idea of Ukraine's independence, its liberation from Polish, and then Soviet power.
In 2010, Bandera was awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine, despite the fact that many people condemned it. However, in 2011 the Supreme Administrative Court of Ukraine decided that this person can not be considered a hero.
Followers of Bandera during the Second World War
So, continuing their activities during the Second World War, Bandera people (photos of their atrocities today are widely available) actively began to fight first with the Polish occupation, and after with the defeating Germans by the Red Army. The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) was formed, which supported Stepan's idea of Ukraine's independence. Enemies were all - Jews, Poles and other nationalities. And all of them were subject to destruction.
Roman Bandy's fervent follower and friend was Roman Shukhevich, who in his absence practically ran the OUN. In 1941 he was subordinated to the battalion "Nachtigal", which destroyed a large number of residents of Lviv of Polish nationality. From this moment the excision of the peaceful population of Ukraine began.
If we talk further about his activities, it is this battalion that was guilty of the death of residents of the Belarusian village of Khatyn, which they simply wiped from the face of the earth.
In addition to this, other atrocities have also been committed on their account, namely the killing of the inhabitants of the village of Korbelisa in Volhynia. Many were burned alive. In total, about 2,800 people were killed.
The terrible atrocities were committed in the village of Lozovaya, where more than a hundred people were killed, with various bullying.
There are other evidences of the terrible fate of the civilian population. Virtually all children of non-Ukrainian nationality were subject to death, and martyrdom. Very many people tore or chopped off different parts of the body, ripped open their stomachs. Some were tied to the pillars with barbed wire. It really was a terrible time.
Today there are historians who believe that the representatives of the OUN-UPA really enjoyed the bribes they were carrying out. Even the German Nazis were not so happy. These data are collected from reports of arrested and questioned Banderites. Also it was claimed by some Germans who cooperated with them.
Banderovtsy in the UPA
Bandera UPA is a formed armed army that was subordinate to the leaders of the OUN (b). This was later joined by various representatives who supported this movement and their idea.
Its main goal was the Soviet partisans, as well as the destruction of all and all who were not related to Ukraine. Many people still remember about their cruelty, when whole settlements were cut out only because they belonged to another nationality.
At the time of the liberation of the Red Army in the UPA, there were about fifty thousand active fighters. Each of them had a clear ideological position, a hard character and hatred for "councils", which contributed to the years of past Stalinist repression.
However, there were weaknesses in the army. This, of course, is ammunition and the actual weapon.
How the Banderites acted during the war
If we discuss the crimes of Bandera members in the UPA, then to date, by the standards of historians, they are quite numerous. For example, about 200 people from the village of Kuty (Armenians and Poles) were subject to death. All of them were cut out during the ethnic cleansing of this territory.
Known to all the Volyn massacre affected many settlements. It was a terrible time. Some of the leaders of the movement we are considering were of the opinion: let there be less population on the territory, but they will be pure Ukrainians.
According to various estimates, then from twenty to one hundred thousand people (and this was a peaceful population!) Died at the hands of people who supported the idea of nationalism under the leadership of S. Bandera. No, even very noble motives, can not justify the violent death of so many people.
Confront Bandera
The crimes of Bandera caused a huge opposition to them by the Soviet partisans during the war. As the territory of Ukraine was liberated from the Germans by the Red Army, the formation of the UPA also became more active. They tried to prevent the establishment of the Soviet power in their "own" land. Various diversions were carried out, for example, burning shops, destroying telegraph communications, as well as killing people who were in the ranks of the Red Army. Sometimes whole families were cut out just because they were loyal to the Russian partisans.
Soviet troops, as the territories were liberated, also carried out a sweep of German-Ukrainian nationalists. Almost all large groups of the UPA were destroyed. However, there were small detachments, which became increasingly difficult to catch.
This was a difficult time for Western Ukrainians. On the one hand, the Soviet Army, which mobilized the adult male population. On the other - the formation of the UPA, which exterminated everyone who was at least somehow connected with the Soviets.
After the end of the Second World War, workers of NKGB and NKVD were sent to this territory for liberation from the nationalist groups. In addition, explanatory work was carried out among the population, as a result of which so-called "fighter squads" were created. They helped in the liquidation of bandit formations.
The struggle against Bandera continued until the fifties, when the underground groups OUN-UPA were finally routed.
Bandera's followers of today
To date, on the Ukrainian territory, one can observe the revival of the followers of Stepan Bandera. Many Ukrainians adopted the idea of nationalism, but they completely forgot about the terrible times that were then. Perhaps they even find an excuse for them. Stepan Bandera became the idol of many young people, as it once was. Some representatives of the older generation consider (and regret) that not all Bandera people were destroyed once by their grandfathers. Opinions differ, and very much.
Supporters and followers of the OUN leader celebrate the birthday of his idol with a torchlight procession, with red and black flags. They cover their faces with bandages and hold in their hands portraits. The procession takes place practically throughout the city, but this does not happen everywhere. Some people are rather negative about such a vivid manifestation of the veneration of Stepan Bandera.
As for ideology, the modern Bandera people in Ukraine took it from their predecessors. Even the slogan "Glory to Ukraine - Heroes of Glory" was borrowed from them.
Symbolism of the followers of Stepan Bandera
The symbol of today's nationalists, as in past times, is a red-black canvas. This flag of Bandera was approved back in 1941. It symbolizes the revolutionary movement, the struggle against the occupiers of the Ukrainian lands. True, during the Second World War it was not used as often as it is now.
Speaking specifically about the flag, such colors are found in many countries at similar revolutionary events. For example, in Latin America it was used very often.
Thus, when considering the issue: "Banderaers - who are these people?" It is necessary to mention their flag, which after the Maidan of Ukraine and subsequent events became very recognizable.
Modern monuments to Bandera and its victims
To date, there are a lot of monuments reminiscent of the atrocities and sacrifices that the Bandera left after the war. They are located in many cities and villages. The largest number of them is in Lviv and its environs. Also there are similar facilities in Lugansk, Svatovo, Shalygino, in Simferopol, in Volyn and Ternopil regions.
In Poland, in Legnica, there is a whole alley dedicated to the dead at the hands of the UPA. In Wrocław there is a monument-mausoleum in memory of the victims, who fell at the hands of OUN-UPA in 39-47 years of the last century.
However, there is also a monument to Bandera in Poland. It is located near Radymno. Established illegally, there is even an order for its demolition, but the memorial is still worth it.
In addition, there are numerous monuments to Stepan Bandera. In Western Ukraine, they are scattered a sufficient number - from large monuments to small busts. There are also abroad, for example, in Germany, where the leader of the nationalist Ukrainian movement was buried.
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