Ukrainian People's Revolutionary Army
Encyclopedia
Ukrainian People's Revolutionary Army (also Polissian Sich or the Ukrainian Insurgent Army) was a paramilitary formation of Ukrainian nationalists, nominally proclaimed in Olevsk
region in December 1941 by Taras Bulba-Borovets
by renaming an existing military unit known from July 1941 as the UPA-Polissian Sich (Poliska sich). It was a warlord
-type military formation without a strict central command. From spring 1942 until the autumn of 1943 it acted against the German rural civil administration and warehouses, from spring 1943 it also fought against Soviet Partisans and some units against Poles; from July–August 1943 it clashed with OUN-B
Bandera
’s UPA and SB
units.
To distinguish itself from Stepan Bandera
's Ukrainian Insurgent Army, on July 20, 1943 it was renamed the Ukrainian People's Revolutionary Army. However, among the local population and Soviet partisans
members of Bulba’s formation always known as “bulbovtsy”.
, with support from German occupation forces officials, decided to create his own military formation. At the beginning of July 1941 he was nominated by the Germans to the post of Ukrainian militia commander at Sarny
district. By the beginning of August 1941 he obtained German permission to create an armed military formation which he named as “The Polissian Sich”. The main tasks of this newly created formation was “ by the order of German military command … establishing a self defense against Bolshevik
s regular and partisan units”. Borovets' military formation obtained high praise from the Germans – they especially noted the cruel massacre of retreating Soviet Army
soldiers which this formation had conducted earlier.
At the beginning of August, Borovets made an attempts to obtain military support from the two rival factions of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
. Stepan Bandera
's OUN-B rejected his proposal while the OUN-M under Andriy Melnyk
faction agreed to provide support. Several military officials affiliated to the OUN-M joined the UPA-Polissian Sich. The Sich's chief of staff was Petro Smorodsky, formerly a lieutenant colonel of the UNR Army. After defeating a Soviet force at Olevsk
on 21 August, Borovets established his headquarters there. From this time till the middle of November 1941, the Bulba formation controlled a large territory of northwest Ukraine which lay away from central roads. By the autumn of 1941 it had 2,000-3,000 armed personnel and published an official newspaper, “Haidamaka”. Arms and ammunition were supplied by the Germans with which Borovets maintained friendly relations. In November 1941 the German administration began to disband nationalist military formations, some of which were reformed into Ukrainian auxiliary police under direct German command. On November 16, 1941 UPA/The Polissian Sich was formally demobilized.
removed “The Polissian Sich” from his formation name (numbering by this time only 300 persons), calling his formation the “Ukrainian Insurgent Army”. In February 1942, he made an unsuccessful attempt to negotiate with the Germans for the renewal of his formation. The winter of 1941/42 was spent by Taras Bulba-Borovets
at the General Government
, while his formation was inactive.
In March 1942, the Germans activated their program of the brutal exploitation of Ukraine. As a reaction to such measures, military units controlled by Borovets rapidly expanded with volunteers. These included Soviet POWs, local peasants, different type of nationalists from the OUN which had not adopted official line. At this time Borovets' force became an anti-German force. However, its activities were limited to actions that interfeed with the economical exploitation of selective regions by local German administrations. In general, its activities were limited to passive self defense of several rural areas and attacks on German food warehouses. On 19 August 1942 Bulba’s detachments at Shepetivka
captured 4 railway coaches with military equipment. Throughout the summer and autumn Taras Bulba-Borovets
tried to find a compromise with German administration and even Nazi security police
and SIPO
representatives met several time with Borovets' UPA to negotiate future cooperation. However, such meetings did not have any known results. During the autumn and winter of 1942 Borovets also conducted negotiations with Soviet partisans
and reached tricky “non-aggression” agreement, which lasted until February 1943.
Borovets' UPA refused to conduct military operations against Poles.
By the end of February 1943, the Bandera wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
(OUN-B) decided to create its own military formation. While conducting negotiations with Borovets about cooperative actions (in fact demanding that Borovets' units be placed under direct OUN-B control) on March 20, 1943 OUN (Bandera wing) issued an order about own military formation creation “using Bulba’s military personnel”. Such “formation” often involved forcible acquiring of Bulba units. Due the fact that Bulbas UPA was well known and popular amongst the local population, the commander of the OUN-B military formation Dmytro Klyachkivsky issued an order renaming the OUN-B military detachments as UPA.
Thus, from May 1943 two antagonistic Ukrainian nationalistic forces shared a common name, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (Ukrayins’ka Povstans’ka Armiya," or "UPA"), without merging into one army.
At the end of June 1943 the OUN-B issued an order according to which all Ukrainian nationalistic formation must follow the command of the OUN-B. That order lead to military actions of UPA/OUN-B against UPRA. In August, many of Bulba’s units were absorbed, disarmed or disbanded, and many commanders were killed by UPA Security Service – SB.
On 18 August 1943 Borovets and the UPRA headquarters was surrounded and ambushed by several UPA battalions. Some of UPRA command were captured, some killed – including Borovet’s wife. Borovets and a few of his staff escaped.
On October 5, 1943 Borovets issued an order which claimed “new tactics of UPRA warfare” – move deep underground. In reality, this was the actual disbandment of Borovets' peasants army.
The steady loss of men to the rival UPA and the decline in peasant support prompted Borovets to rename his force the Ukrainian People's Revolutionary Army. However some of UPRA detachments were active even later. In December 1943 they captured and released a senior OUN-B officer. Later, some Soviet sources reported about clashes with UPRA units. In autumn 1944 Soviet authorities reported that an UPRA unit prevented wood-cutting activities in one Polissya county.>
Borovets’, T. Armiia bez derzhavy: slava i trahediia ukraïns’koho povstans’koho rukhu (Winnipeg 1981)
Olevsk
Olevsk is a city in Olevsk Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Olevsk Raion. The population was 10,896 ....
region in December 1941 by Taras Bulba-Borovets
Taras Bulba-Borovets
Taras Dmytrovych Borovets’ , pseudonym Taras Bulba was a Ukrainian nationalist political activist.-Biography:...
by renaming an existing military unit known from July 1941 as the UPA-Polissian Sich (Poliska sich). It was a warlord
Warlord
A warlord is a person with power who has both military and civil control over a subnational area due to armed forces loyal to the warlord and not to a central authority. The term can also mean one who espouses the ideal that war is necessary, and has the means and authority to engage in war...
-type military formation without a strict central command. From spring 1942 until the autumn of 1943 it acted against the German rural civil administration and warehouses, from spring 1943 it also fought against Soviet Partisans and some units against Poles; from July–August 1943 it clashed with OUN-B
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...
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...
’s UPA and SB
SB
SB or Sb may refer to:* Spina bifida* S.B., Scientiæ Baccalaureus or Bachelor of Science, an academic degree* Senate Bill, especially when quoting a bill's code SB or Sb may refer to:* Spina bifida* S.B., Scientiæ Baccalaureus or Bachelor of Science, an academic degree* Senate Bill, especially when...
units.
To distinguish itself from 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...
's Ukrainian Insurgent Army, on July 20, 1943 it was renamed the Ukrainian People's Revolutionary Army. However, among the local population and Soviet partisans
Soviet partisans
The Soviet partisans were members of a resistance movement which fought a guerrilla war against the Axis occupation of the Soviet Union during World War II....
members of Bulba’s formation always known as “bulbovtsy”.
UPA/The Polissian Sich
By the end of June 1941 Taras BorovetsTaras Bulba-Borovets
Taras Dmytrovych Borovets’ , pseudonym Taras Bulba was a Ukrainian nationalist political activist.-Biography:...
, with support from German occupation forces officials, decided to create his own military formation. At the beginning of July 1941 he was nominated by the Germans to the post of Ukrainian militia commander at Sarny
Sarny
Sarny translated as Deer, is a small city in the Rivne Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Sarny Raion , and is a major railway node on the Sluch River.The current estimated population is 27,700....
district. By the beginning of August 1941 he obtained German permission to create an armed military formation which he named as “The Polissian Sich”. The main tasks of this newly created formation was “ by the order of German military command … establishing a self defense against Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
s regular and partisan units”. Borovets' military formation obtained high praise from the Germans – they especially noted the cruel massacre of retreating Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
soldiers which this formation had conducted earlier.
At the beginning of August, Borovets made an attempts to obtain military support from the two rival factions 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...
. 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...
's OUN-B rejected his proposal while the OUN-M under 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...
faction agreed to provide support. Several military officials affiliated to the OUN-M joined the UPA-Polissian Sich. The Sich's chief of staff was Petro Smorodsky, formerly a lieutenant colonel of the UNR Army. After defeating a Soviet force at Olevsk
Olevsk
Olevsk is a city in Olevsk Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast, Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Olevsk Raion. The population was 10,896 ....
on 21 August, Borovets established his headquarters there. From this time till the middle of November 1941, the Bulba formation controlled a large territory of northwest Ukraine which lay away from central roads. By the autumn of 1941 it had 2,000-3,000 armed personnel and published an official newspaper, “Haidamaka”. Arms and ammunition were supplied by the Germans with which Borovets maintained friendly relations. In November 1941 the German administration began to disband nationalist military formations, some of which were reformed into Ukrainian auxiliary police under direct German command. On November 16, 1941 UPA/The Polissian Sich was formally demobilized.
Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA)
In December 1941 BulbaTaras Bulba-Borovets
Taras Dmytrovych Borovets’ , pseudonym Taras Bulba was a Ukrainian nationalist political activist.-Biography:...
removed “The Polissian Sich” from his formation name (numbering by this time only 300 persons), calling his formation the “Ukrainian Insurgent Army”. In February 1942, he made an unsuccessful attempt to negotiate with the Germans for the renewal of his formation. The winter of 1941/42 was spent by Taras Bulba-Borovets
Taras Bulba-Borovets
Taras Dmytrovych Borovets’ , pseudonym Taras Bulba was a Ukrainian nationalist political activist.-Biography:...
at the General Government
General Government
The General Government was an area of Second Republic of Poland under Nazi German rule during World War II; designated as a separate region of the Third Reich between 1939–1945...
, while his formation was inactive.
In March 1942, the Germans activated their program of the brutal exploitation of Ukraine. As a reaction to such measures, military units controlled by Borovets rapidly expanded with volunteers. These included Soviet POWs, local peasants, different type of nationalists from the OUN which had not adopted official line. At this time Borovets' force became an anti-German force. However, its activities were limited to actions that interfeed with the economical exploitation of selective regions by local German administrations. In general, its activities were limited to passive self defense of several rural areas and attacks on German food warehouses. On 19 August 1942 Bulba’s detachments at Shepetivka
Shepetivka
Shepetivka is a town located on the Huska River in the Khmelnytskyi Oblast of Western Ukraine. The city's population is 48,212 . Shepetivka is a town of oblast subordinance, and the administrative center of Shepetivka Raion .Shepetivka is an important railway junction with five intersecting...
captured 4 railway coaches with military equipment. Throughout the summer and autumn Taras Bulba-Borovets
Taras Bulba-Borovets
Taras Dmytrovych Borovets’ , pseudonym Taras Bulba was a Ukrainian nationalist political activist.-Biography:...
tried to find a compromise with German administration and even Nazi security police
Sicherheitsdienst
Sicherheitsdienst , full title Sicherheitsdienst des Reichsführers-SS, or SD, was the intelligence agency of the SS and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany. The organization was the first Nazi Party intelligence organization to be established and was often considered a "sister organization" with the...
and SIPO
Sicherheitspolizei
The Sicherheitspolizei , often abbreviated as SiPo, was a term used in Nazi Germany to describe the state political and criminal investigation security agencies. It was made up by the combined forces of the Gestapo and the Kripo between 1936 and 1939...
representatives met several time with Borovets' UPA to negotiate future cooperation. However, such meetings did not have any known results. During the autumn and winter of 1942 Borovets also conducted negotiations with Soviet partisans
Soviet partisans
The Soviet partisans were members of a resistance movement which fought a guerrilla war against the Axis occupation of the Soviet Union during World War II....
and reached tricky “non-aggression” agreement, which lasted until February 1943.
Borovets' UPA refused to conduct military operations against Poles.
By the end of February 1943, the Bandera wing 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...
(OUN-B) decided to create its own military formation. While conducting negotiations with Borovets about cooperative actions (in fact demanding that Borovets' units be placed under direct OUN-B control) on March 20, 1943 OUN (Bandera wing) issued an order about own military formation creation “using Bulba’s military personnel”. Such “formation” often involved forcible acquiring of Bulba units. Due the fact that Bulbas UPA was well known and popular amongst the local population, the commander of the OUN-B military formation Dmytro Klyachkivsky issued an order renaming the OUN-B military detachments as UPA.
Thus, from May 1943 two antagonistic Ukrainian nationalistic forces shared a common name, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (Ukrayins’ka Povstans’ka Armiya," or "UPA"), without merging into one army.
The Ukrainian People's Revolutionary Army
To separate his own military formations from such actions on the 20th (or 27th) of July 1943 Bulba issued an order renaming his own UPA into the Ukrainian People's Revolutionary Army (the name which OUN-B hadadopted in 1941 for future Ukrainian army in Bandera’s Ukraine).At the end of June 1943 the OUN-B issued an order according to which all Ukrainian nationalistic formation must follow the command of the OUN-B. That order lead to military actions of UPA/OUN-B against UPRA. In August, many of Bulba’s units were absorbed, disarmed or disbanded, and many commanders were killed by UPA Security Service – SB.
On 18 August 1943 Borovets and the UPRA headquarters was surrounded and ambushed by several UPA battalions. Some of UPRA command were captured, some killed – including Borovet’s wife. Borovets and a few of his staff escaped.
On October 5, 1943 Borovets issued an order which claimed “new tactics of UPRA warfare” – move deep underground. In reality, this was the actual disbandment of Borovets' peasants army.
The steady loss of men to the rival UPA and the decline in peasant support prompted Borovets to rename his force the Ukrainian People's Revolutionary Army. However some of UPRA detachments were active even later. In December 1943 they captured and released a senior OUN-B officer. Later, some Soviet sources reported about clashes with UPRA units. In autumn 1944 Soviet authorities reported that an UPRA unit prevented wood-cutting activities in one Polissya county.>
Sources
- http://history.org.ua/oun_upa/upa/ Організація українських націоналістів і Українська повстанська армія Chapter 3 p. 104-154
Borovets’, T. Armiia bez derzhavy: slava i trahediia ukraïns’koho povstans’koho rukhu (Winnipeg 1981)
- Son of Polissia
- Army without country
- Taras Borovetz History of the UIA
- Taras Borovetz - Our opinion of Russia and General Vlasov
- Володимир Дзьобак. Тарас Боровець і “Поліська Січ”, "З архівів ВУЧК-ГПУ-НКВД-КГБ", №1/2(2/3), 1995.