Yevhen Konovalets
Encyclopedia
Yevhen Konovalets was a military commander of the UNR army and political leader of the Ukrainian
nationalist movement. He is best known as the leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
between 1929 and 1938.
, Lviv powiat, which today is in Zhovkva Raion
, Lviv Oblast
, Ukraine
(then Austro-Hungarian
Galicia
). His mother, Katarzyna née Wengrzynowska, was ethnically Polish
. In his youth he studied in Lviv
and in 1909 enrolled in the University of Lviv where he studied law. In 1910 participated in the protest to accommodate Ukrainians with their own university in the city of Lviv
. During this protest at least one person was killed. He became an active member of the Prosvita
, the Ukrainian educational association, and a representative in the Executive Committee of the National-Democratic Party. He became the secretary of the Lviv department of the Prosvita
organization in 1912. In 1913 he became one of the leaders of the local student movement. He was greatly influenced by the nationalist ideology and rhetoric of such prominent Ukrainians as Ivan Bobersky, Myroslav Sichynsky, Dmytro Shelkoperov
(better known as Dontsov), and others.
and during the First World War rose to the rank of a Second Lieutenant
serving in the 19th Regiment of the Lviv Regional Defense. In 1915 he was taken prisoner of war
by the Russians during the battles near the mountain Makivka (Carpathian Mountains
) and interned in POW camp
near Tsaritsyn, Chornyi Yar. In 1916 he was transferred into the concentration camp near Dubovka
. While in captivity he joined a group of former Galician officers
(such as Andrii Melnyk, Roman Sushko, and Fed Chernyk among others) who fled to Kyiv
together. In November 1917 together with the Galician-Bucovina Committee organized the Halytsko-Bukovynsky Kurin
of the Sich Riflemen
as part of the Doroshenko Regiment. Two months later he assumed its command and helped suppress the Communist uprising
in Kyiv
as well as resisting the Antonov-Ovseenko offensive. In March 1918 his riflemen together with the Zaporizhia Corps of the Ukrainian People's Republic
, and the reformed Haydamaky Kish of the Sloboda Ukraine
liberated Kyiv
from the Soviets. In May 1918 his military unit was disbanded due to its political views.
which was established in Bila Tserkva
. In November 1918 he officially requested a void of the Federal Union with Russia
from the Hetmanate and actively supported the forces of the Directoria in the Motovylivka battle in the ousting of Pavlo Skoropadsky
. On December 6, 1919 by the Order of the Head Otoman he demobilized his military formations. The same year he was taken prisoner and interned in a Polish
POW camp in Lutsk
, although he was released and in the spring of 1920 and moved to Czecho-Slovakia. In 1920, as a result of the shattered struggle for Ukrainian independence, Konovalets set up a new organization capable of clandestene activities within the borders of the new "occupying powers", i.e. Poland
, Bolshevik Russia, Romania
and Czechoslovakia
. Created in August of that year in Prague
, the Ukrainian Military Organization
(UVO) was aimed at armed resistance against Poland and Russia, and was involved in the military training of youth and the prevention of any form of cooperation between Ukrainian and Polish authorities. The foundation of the organization became the leaders of the Ukrainian Halych Army. After the end of the Polish-Bolshevik War and the fights for Lwów
, Konovalets became the leader of UVO in the city. However, after several acts of sabotage his organisation was broken by the police and in December 1922 Konovalets fled the country.
, Germany
, Switzerland
and Italy
. In 1929 he took part in the first congress of Ukrainian nationalists in Vienna
. During the congress it was decided to form the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists
(OUN) and Konovalets was elected as its leader. Konovalets then actively promoted its influence among the Ukrainian emigres throughout Europe and America while establishing contacts with intelligence offices of Lithuania
, Germany
, Italy
, Great Britain
, and others. With his direct help were formed the Societies of Sich Rifelemen in North America, hromady. The goal of the OUN was to revive an independent Ukraine through armed struggle.
Konovalets' activities raised fear in Kremlin
because of penetration of the OUN into the Soviet Union. On May 23, 1938 he was assassinated
in Rotterdam
by a bomb rigged to explode hidden inside a box of chocolates. This booby-trap was masked as a "present" from a close friend. This friend, however, was in reality an NKVD
agent who had infiltrated the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, Melitopol
-native, Pavlo Sudoplatov
.
On a recent visit to the Soviet Union
, Sudoplatov had been personally ordered by Joseph Stalin
to assassinate Konovalets. "The Boss" had told Sudoplatov, "This is not just an act of revenge, although Konovalets is an agent of German fascism
. Our goal is to behead the movement of Ukrainian fascism on the eve of the war and force these gangsters to annihilate each other in a struggle for power."
After delivering the bomb to Konovalets, Pavlo Sudoplatov calmly walked away and waited nearby to know that it had successfully detonated. He then traveled on foot to Rotterdam's railway station and boarded a train for Paris
. Then, with the assistance of the NKVD, Sudoplatov was smuggled to the Second Spanish Republic
, where he briefly served in combat against Francisco Franco
's nationalists.
city administration announced the future transference of the remains of Yevhen Konovalets, Stepan Bandera
, Andriy Melnyk
and other key leaders of OUN
/UPA to a new area of Lychakivskiy Cemetery
specifically dedicated to heroes of the Ukrainian liberation movement.
In June 17, 2011 in Vilnius
, Lithuania
there was a conference "Yevhen Konovalets: Lithuanian citizen - the Ukrainian patriot. Celebration of 120th birthday" organised by The Lithuanian Parliamentary Foreign Affairs
Committee, People's Liberation
Movement Research Centre (Ukraine
) and Ukrainian organizations in Lithuania.
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
nationalist movement. He is best known as the leader 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...
between 1929 and 1938.
Early ages
Konovalets was born June 14, 1891 in the village of ZashkivZhovkva Raion
Zhovkva Raion is a raion in Lviv Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Zhovkva. It has a population of 109 173.It was established in 1940.-External links:*...
, Lviv powiat, which today is in Zhovkva Raion
Zhovkva Raion
Zhovkva Raion is a raion in Lviv Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Zhovkva. It has a population of 109 173.It was established in 1940.-External links:*...
, Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast
Lviv Oblast is an oblast in western Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Lviv.-History:The oblast was created as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic on December 4, 1939...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
(then Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
Galicia
Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria
The Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria was a crownland of the Habsburg Monarchy, the Austrian Empire, and Austria–Hungary from 1772 to 1918 .This historical region in eastern Central Europe is currently divided between Poland and Ukraine...
). His mother, Katarzyna née Wengrzynowska, was ethnically Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
. In his youth he studied in Lviv
Lviv
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...
and in 1909 enrolled in the University of Lviv where he studied law. In 1910 participated in the protest to accommodate Ukrainians with their own university in the city of Lviv
Lviv
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...
. During this protest at least one person was killed. He became an active member of the Prosvita
Prosvita
Prosvita is a society created in the nineteenth century in Ukrainian Galicia for preserving and developing Ukrainian culture and education among population....
, the Ukrainian educational association, and a representative in the Executive Committee of the National-Democratic Party. He became the secretary of the Lviv department of the Prosvita
Prosvita
Prosvita is a society created in the nineteenth century in Ukrainian Galicia for preserving and developing Ukrainian culture and education among population....
organization in 1912. In 1913 he became one of the leaders of the local student movement. He was greatly influenced by the nationalist ideology and rhetoric of such prominent Ukrainians as Ivan Bobersky, Myroslav Sichynsky, Dmytro Shelkoperov
Dmytro Dontsov
Dmytro Ivanovych Dontsov was a Ukrainian nationalist writer, publisher, journalist and political thinker whose radical ideas were a major influence on the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists.-Biography:...
(better known as Dontsov), and others.
Military career
In the summer of 1914 Konovaletz was mobilized into the Austro-Hungarian ArmyAustro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
and during the First World War rose to the rank of a Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces.- United Kingdom and Commonwealth :The rank second lieutenant was introduced throughout the British Army in 1871 to replace the rank of ensign , although it had long been used in the Royal Artillery, Royal...
serving in the 19th Regiment of the Lviv Regional Defense. In 1915 he was taken prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
by the Russians during the battles near the mountain Makivka (Carpathian Mountains
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians are a range of mountains forming an arc roughly long across Central and Eastern Europe, making them the second-longest mountain range in Europe...
) and interned in POW camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
near Tsaritsyn, Chornyi Yar. In 1916 he was transferred into the concentration camp near Dubovka
Dubovka, Volgograd Oblast
Dubovka is a town and the administrative center of Dubovsky District of Volgograd Oblast, Russia, located on the right bank of the Volga River northeast of Volgograd. Population:...
. While in captivity he joined a group of former Galician officers
Austro-Hungarian Army
The Austro-Hungarian Army was the ground force of the Austro-Hungarian Dual Monarchy from 1867 to 1918. It was composed of three parts: the joint army , the Austrian Landwehr , and the Hungarian Honvédség .In the wake of fighting between the...
(such as Andrii Melnyk, Roman Sushko, and Fed Chernyk among others) who fled to Kyiv
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....
together. In November 1917 together with the Galician-Bucovina Committee organized the Halytsko-Bukovynsky Kurin
Kurin
Kurin is a military term that was established by the cossacks.During the Second World War, the basic combat unit of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army was a kurin...
of the Sich Riflemen
Sich Riflemen
The Sich Riflemen Halych-Bukovyna Kurin were one of the first regular military units of the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic. The unit operated from 1917 to 1919 and was formed from Ukrainian soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army, local population and former commanders of the Ukrainian Sich...
as part of the Doroshenko Regiment. Two months later he assumed its command and helped suppress the Communist uprising
Kiev Arsenal January Uprising
Kiev Arsenal January Uprising, sometimes called simply the January Uprising or the January Rebellion , was the Bolshevik organized workers' armed revolt that started on January 29, 1918 at the Kiev Arsenal factory during the Ukrainian-Soviet War....
in Kyiv
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....
as well as resisting the Antonov-Ovseenko offensive. In March 1918 his riflemen together with the Zaporizhia Corps of the Ukrainian People's Republic
Ukrainian People's Republic
The Ukrainian People's Republic or Ukrainian National Republic was a republic that was declared in part of the territory of modern Ukraine after the Russian Revolution, eventually headed by Symon Petliura.-Revolutionary Wave:...
, and the reformed Haydamaky Kish of the Sloboda Ukraine
Sloboda Ukraine
Sloboda Ukraine was a historical region which developed and flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries on the southwestern frontier of the Tsardom of Russia....
liberated Kyiv
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....
from the Soviets. In May 1918 his military unit was disbanded due to its political views.
Political career
In the summer of 1918 he convinced the Pavlo Skoropadsky, Hetman of Ukraine, to create a Special Platoon of Sich RiflemenSich Riflemen
The Sich Riflemen Halych-Bukovyna Kurin were one of the first regular military units of the Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic. The unit operated from 1917 to 1919 and was formed from Ukrainian soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army, local population and former commanders of the Ukrainian Sich...
which was established in Bila Tserkva
Bila Tserkva
Bila Tserkva is a city located on the Ros' River in the Kiev Oblast in central Ukraine, approximately south of the capital, Kiev. Population 203,300 Area 34 km².-Administrative status:...
. In November 1918 he officially requested a void of the Federal Union with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
from the Hetmanate and actively supported the forces of the Directoria in the Motovylivka battle in the ousting of Pavlo Skoropadsky
Pavlo Skoropadsky
Pavlo Petrovych Skoropadskyi 3 May 1873, Wiesbaden, Germany – 26 April 1945, Metten monastery clinic, Bavaria, Germany) was a Ukrainian politician, earlier an aristocrat and decorated Imperial Russian Army general...
. On December 6, 1919 by the Order of the Head Otoman he demobilized his military formations. The same year he was taken prisoner and interned in a Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
POW camp in Lutsk
Lutsk
Lutsk is a city located by the Styr River in northwestern Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Volyn Oblast and the administrative center of the surrounding Lutskyi Raion within the oblast...
, although he was released and in the spring of 1920 and moved to Czecho-Slovakia. In 1920, as a result of the shattered struggle for Ukrainian independence, Konovalets set up a new organization capable of clandestene activities within the borders of the new "occupying powers", i.e. Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Bolshevik Russia, Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
and Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
. Created in August of that year in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, the Ukrainian Military Organization
Ukrainian Military Organization
The Ukrainian Military Organization was a Ukrainian resistance and sabotage movement active in Poland's Eastern Lesser Poland during the years between the world wars...
(UVO) was aimed at armed resistance against Poland and Russia, and was involved in the military training of youth and the prevention of any form of cooperation between Ukrainian and Polish authorities. The foundation of the organization became the leaders of the Ukrainian Halych Army. After the end of the Polish-Bolshevik War and the fights for Lwów
Battle of Lwów (1920)
During the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 the city of Lwów was attacked by the forces of Alexander Ilyich Yegorov. Since mid-June 1920 the 1st Cavalry Army of Semyon Budyonny was trying to reach the city from the north and east. At the same time Lwów was preparing the defense...
, Konovalets became the leader of UVO in the city. However, after several acts of sabotage his organisation was broken by the police and in December 1922 Konovalets fled the country.
Exile and assassination
During his exile years he lived in CzechoslovakiaCzechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. In 1929 he took part in the first congress of Ukrainian nationalists in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. During the congress it was decided to form 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) and Konovalets was elected as its leader. Konovalets then actively promoted its influence among the Ukrainian emigres throughout Europe and America while establishing contacts with intelligence offices of Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, and others. With his direct help were formed the Societies of Sich Rifelemen in North America, hromady. The goal of the OUN was to revive an independent Ukraine through armed struggle.
Konovalets' activities raised fear in Kremlin
Kremlin
A kremlin , same root as in kremen is a major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
because of penetration of the OUN into the Soviet Union. On May 23, 1938 he was assassinated
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
by a bomb rigged to explode hidden inside a box of chocolates. This booby-trap was masked as a "present" from a close friend. This friend, however, was in reality an NKVD
NKVD
The People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs was the public and secret police organization of the Soviet Union that directly executed the rule of power of the Soviets, including political repression, during the era of Joseph Stalin....
agent who had infiltrated the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, Melitopol
Melitopol
Melitopol is a city in the Zaporizhia Oblast of the southeastern Ukraine. It is situated on the Molochna River that flows through the eastern edge of the city and into the Molochnyi Liman, which eventually joins the Sea of Azov....
-native, Pavlo Sudoplatov
Pavel Sudoplatov
Lieutenant General Pavel Anatolyevich Sudoplatov was a member of the intelligence services of the Soviet Union who rose to the rank of lieutenant general...
.
On a recent visit to the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, Sudoplatov had been personally ordered by Joseph Stalin
Joseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
to assassinate Konovalets. "The Boss" had told Sudoplatov, "This is not just an act of revenge, although Konovalets is an agent of German fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
. Our goal is to behead the movement of Ukrainian fascism on the eve of the war and force these gangsters to annihilate each other in a struggle for power."
After delivering the bomb to Konovalets, Pavlo Sudoplatov calmly walked away and waited nearby to know that it had successfully detonated. He then traveled on foot to Rotterdam's railway station and boarded a train for Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Then, with the assistance of the NKVD, Sudoplatov was smuggled to the Second Spanish Republic
Second Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
, where he briefly served in combat against Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
's nationalists.
Legacy
Due to his sudden disappearance, the OUN immediately suspected Sudoplatov of Konovalets' murder. Therefore, a photograph of Sudoplatov and Konovalets together was destributed to every OUN unit. According to Sudoplatov,In the 1940s, SMERSHSMERSHSMERSH was the counter-intelligence agency in the Red Army formed in late 1942 or even earlier, but officially founded on April 14, 1943. The name SMERSH was coined by Joseph Stalin...
... captured two guerilla fighters in Western Ukraine, one of whom had this photo of me on him. When asked why he was carrying it, he replied, "I have no idea why, but the order is if we find this man to liquidate him."
Commemoration
In 2006, the 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...
city administration announced the future transference of the remains of Yevhen Konovalets, 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...
, 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 other key leaders of OUN
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...
/UPA to a new area of Lychakivskiy Cemetery
Lychakivskiy Cemetery
-History:Since its creation in 1787 as Łyczakowski Cemetery, it has been the main necropolis of the city's inteligentsia, middle and upper classes. Initially the cemetery was located on several hills in the borough of Lychakiv, following the imperial Austro-Hungarian edict ordering that all...
specifically dedicated to heroes of the Ukrainian liberation movement.
In June 17, 2011 in Vilnius
Vilnius
Vilnius is the capital of Lithuania, and its largest city, with a population of 560,190 as of 2010. It is the seat of the Vilnius city municipality and of the Vilnius district municipality. It is also the capital of Vilnius County...
, Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
there was a conference "Yevhen Konovalets: Lithuanian citizen - the Ukrainian patriot. Celebration of 120th birthday" organised by The Lithuanian Parliamentary Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is an American magazine and website on international relations and U.S. foreign policy published since 1922 by the Council on Foreign Relations six times annually...
Committee, People's Liberation
Liberation
-Publications:* Libération, French newspaper* Libération , a Moroccan newspaper* Liberation , monthly pacifist magazine founded, published, and edited by A.J...
Movement Research Centre (Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) and Ukrainian organizations in Lithuania.