Mykola Kapustiansky
Encyclopedia
Mykola Kapustiansky was a General in the army of the Ukrainian National Republic and one of the founders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
.
Kapustiansky was born in Kateryunoslav gubernia (modern Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
) in central Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire
. He fought in the Russian-Japanese War and in 1912 graduated from the General Staff Academy
in Saint Petersburg
, reaching the rank of colonel
during the First World War. After the Revolution of 1917 Kapustiansky joined the Ukrainian units of the Russian army and rose rapidly in its ranks, becoming chief of staff of the First Division of the First Ukrainian Corps in August 1917, and in early 1918 chief of staff of the southwestern front. Under the Directory of the Ukrainian National Republic, he served as operations chief and then as general quartermaster of the Army of the Ukrainian National Republic. In 1920 he was promoted to brigadier general.
After the war, Kapustiansky emigrated to Poland and then France. Kapustiansky was a founder of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
and a member of its Provid, or Directorate, from 1929 until his death in 1969. During the rift between Andriy Melnyk
and Stepan Bandera
within the OUN, he took the side of the more moderate and conservative Melnyk. When the Germans occupied Ukraine during the Second World War, Kapustinsky served as vice-president of the Ukrainian National Council in Kiev
but was later arrested and imprisoned by the Germans. After the war he settled in Munich
and became the first chief of the military section of the Government-in-exile of the Ukrainian National Republic. He wrote Pokhid ukraïns’kykh armii na Kyïv–Odesu v 1919 rotsi (The March of Ukrainian Armies on Kiev–Odessa in 1919; 1922, 2nd edn 1946) and numerous articles on military affairs.
Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists is a Ukrainian political organization which as a movement originally was created in 1929 in Western Ukraine . The OUN accepted violence as an acceptable tool in the fight against foreign and domestic enemies particularly Poland and Russia...
.
Biography
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast is an oblast of central Ukraine, the most important industrial region of the country. Its administrative center is Dnipropetrovsk....
) in central Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
. He fought in the Russian-Japanese War and in 1912 graduated from the General Staff Academy
General Staff Academy (Imperial Russia)
The General Staff Academy was a Russian military academy, established in 1832 in St.Petersburg. It was first known as the Imperial Military Academy , then in 1855 it was renamed Nicholas General Staff Academy and in 1909 - Imperial Nicholas Military Academy The General Staff Academy was a...
in Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
, reaching the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
during the First World War. After the Revolution of 1917 Kapustiansky joined the Ukrainian units of the Russian army and rose rapidly in its ranks, becoming chief of staff of the First Division of the First Ukrainian Corps in August 1917, and in early 1918 chief of staff of the southwestern front. Under the Directory of the Ukrainian National Republic, he served as operations chief and then as general quartermaster of the Army of the Ukrainian National Republic. In 1920 he was promoted to brigadier general.
After the war, Kapustiansky emigrated to Poland and then France. Kapustiansky was a founder of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists is a Ukrainian political organization which as a movement originally was created in 1929 in Western Ukraine . The OUN accepted violence as an acceptable tool in the fight against foreign and domestic enemies particularly Poland and Russia...
and a member of its Provid, or Directorate, from 1929 until his death in 1969. During the rift between Andriy Melnyk
Andriy Melnyk
Andriy Melnyk , Ukrainian military and political leader.-Life:Born near Drohobych, Galicia into a peasant family. Between 1912 and 1914 he studied at the Higher School of Agriculture in Vienna...
and Stepan Bandera
Stepan Bandera
Stepan Andriyovych Bandera was a Ukrainian politician and one of the leaders of Ukrainian national movement in Western Ukraine , who headed the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists...
within the OUN, he took the side of the more moderate and conservative Melnyk. When the Germans occupied Ukraine during the Second World War, Kapustinsky served as vice-president of the Ukrainian National Council in Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
but was later arrested and imprisoned by the Germans. After the war he settled in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
and became the first chief of the military section of the Government-in-exile of the Ukrainian National Republic. He wrote Pokhid ukraïns’kykh armii na Kyïv–Odesu v 1919 rotsi (The March of Ukrainian Armies on Kiev–Odessa in 1919; 1922, 2nd edn 1946) and numerous articles on military affairs.
Honour and awards
- Imperial Order of St. VladimirOrder of St. VladimirThe Cross of Saint Vladimir was an Imperial Russian Order established in 1782 by Empress Catherine II in memory of the deeds of Saint Vladimir, the Grand Prince and the Baptizer of the Kievan Rus....
, 4th class with swords and bows - Order of St. AnneOrder of St. AnnaThe Order of St. Anna ) is a Holstein and then Russian Imperial order of chivalry established by Karl Friedrich, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp on 14 February 1735, in honour of his wife Anna Petrovna, daughter of Peter the Great of Russia...
, 4th class - Order of St. Stanislaus, 2nd and 3rd classes