Ukrainian government 1941
Encyclopedia
The Ukrainian National Government ; Ukrainian State Board) of 1941 was a loose confederation of many political parties backed by Stepan Bandera
's faction of OUN, which tried to include politicians of many political affiliations.
The leader of the government was Yaroslav Stetsko
. Although often associated with the declaration of independence in 1941, Stepan Bandera
was not an official member of the government.
Originally planning to cooperate with Nazi Germany against the USSR, most of the leadership was arrested, deported, and imprisoned by the Nazis within a matter of weeks.
, many thought that they found a new ally in Nazi Germany.
On June 22, 1941, leaders of the OUN met in Kraków
, occupied Poland, and established a plan to create a Ukrainian state. The leaders of this meeting, Vsevolod Petriv and Volodymyr Horbovy
, sent a letter to Adolf Hitler
offering cooperation in exchange for Ukrainian independence.
. Prior to Nazi invasion, the OUN entered the city and proclaimed an independent and sovereign Ukrainian state.
The structure and nominclature of the government functionaries was quite extensive, however:
The Prime Minister was Yaroslav Stetsko
The government also featured a Council of Seniors, which was headed by Kost Levytsky
.
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 faction of OUN, which tried to include politicians of many political affiliations.
The leader of the government was Yaroslav Stetsko
Yaroslav Stetsko
Yaroslav Stetsko was the leader of the Bandera's Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists , from 1968 until death. In 1941, during Nazi Germany invasion into the Soviet Union he was self-proclaimed temporary head of the self-proclaimed Ukrainian statehood...
. Although often associated with the declaration of independence in 1941, 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...
was not an official member of the government.
Originally planning to cooperate with Nazi Germany against the USSR, most of the leadership was arrested, deported, and imprisoned by the Nazis within a matter of weeks.
Background
Leaders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, the OUN, first planned a declaration of Ukrainian independence in early June 1941. With the beginning of Operation BarbarossaOperation Barbarossa
Operation Barbarossa was the code name for Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union during World War II that began on 22 June 1941. Over 4.5 million troops of the Axis powers invaded the USSR along a front., the largest invasion in the history of warfare...
, many thought that they found a new ally in Nazi Germany.
On June 22, 1941, leaders of the OUN met in Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, occupied Poland, and established a plan to create a Ukrainian state. The leaders of this meeting, Vsevolod Petriv and Volodymyr Horbovy
Volodymyr Horbovy
Volodymyr Horbovy was a Ukrainian politician during World War II. As a member of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists , he was one of the main drivers of the Declaration of Ukrainian Independence in 1941.-Youth:...
, sent a letter to Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
offering cooperation in exchange for Ukrainian independence.
Declaration of Independence
By June 30, 1941, Soviet forces had abandoned LvivLviv
Lviv is a city in western Ukraine. The city is regarded as one of the main cultural centres of today's Ukraine and historically has also been a major Polish and Jewish cultural center, as Poles and Jews were the two main ethnicities of the city until the outbreak of World War II and the following...
. Prior to Nazi invasion, the OUN entered the city and proclaimed an independent and sovereign Ukrainian state.
Government Structure
The government of 1941 was an attempt to include as many political parties in Ukraine as possible.The structure and nominclature of the government functionaries was quite extensive, however:
The Prime Minister was Yaroslav Stetsko
Yaroslav Stetsko
Yaroslav Stetsko was the leader of the Bandera's Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists , from 1968 until death. In 1941, during Nazi Germany invasion into the Soviet Union he was self-proclaimed temporary head of the self-proclaimed Ukrainian statehood...
- Deputy Prime Minister - Marian Panchyshyn - no political affiliation
- Deputy Prime Minister - Lev RebetLev RebetLev Rebet was a Ukrainian political writer and anti-communist during World War II. He was a key cabinet member in the Ukrainian government which proclaimed independence on June 30, 1941...
(OUN)
- Minister of the Interior - Volodymyr Lysy (Socialist Radical Party)
- Minister of External Affairs - Volodymyr Stakhiv
- Minister of Defence - Vsevolod Petriv (Social Revolution Party)
- Minister of State Security - Mykola LebedMykola LebedMykola Lebed , also known as Maksym Ruban, Marko or Yevhen Skyrba, was a Ukrainian political activist, Ukrainian nationalist and guerrilla fighter. He was among those tried, convicted, and imprisoned for the murder, in 1936, of Polish Interior Minister Bronislaw Pieracki. The court sentenced him to...
(OUN) - Minister of Justice - Yulian Fedusevych
- Minister of Agriculture - Yevhen Khraplyvy (Ukrainian National-Democratic Party)
- Minister of Health Marian Panchyshyn (no political affiliation)
- Minister of Education Volodymyr Radzykevych (no political affiliation)
- Minister of Communication N. Moroz (no political affiliation)
- Minister of Information Oleksandr Hai-Holovko (no political affiliation)
- Minister of Political Coordination Ivan Klymiv-Lehenda (OUN)
- Deputy Minister of Interior Konstantyn Pankivsky (Socialist Radical Party)
- Deputy Minister of External Affairs Oleksandr Maritchak (Ukrainian National-Democratic Party)
- Deputy Minister of Defense Roman ShukhevychRoman ShukhevychRoman Taras Yosypovych Shukhevych was a Ukrainian politician and military leader, the general of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.-Childhood:Roman Taras Yosypovych Shukhevych was born in the city of Krakovets, Jaworow powiat, in Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria which is located today between Lviv and...
(OUN) - Deputy Minister of Defense Oleksandr Hasyn (OUN)
- Deputy Minister of Justice Bohdan Dzerovych (no political affiliation)
- Deputy Minister of Agriculture Andriy Piasetsky (Front of National Unity)
- Deputy Minister of Health Roman Osinchuk
- Secretary of the Ministry of Health Oleksandr Barvinsky (no political affiliation)
The government also featured a Council of Seniors, which was headed by Kost Levytsky
Kost Levytsky
Kost Levytsky was a Ukrainian politician. He was a founder of the Ukrainian National Democratic movement and the leader of the State Representative Body of the Ukrainian government declared on June 30, 1941-Biography:...
.