PRESS RELEASE
60th Anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War
UKRAINE IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR
May 9, 2005
60th Anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War
UKRAINE IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR
May 9, 2005
In the memory of several generations the Second World War has engraved as an event that
had split their lives into “before”, “during” and “after” war periods, each of them is
considered as a separate epoch.
In terms of Ukraine the WW II can be divided into two phases. The 1st started on
September 1, 1939 when Nazis attacked Poland and the USSR had later occupied its
Eastern part. This phase concerned mostly the Western Ukrainians because their lands
have been subordinated to the new ruling regime, first of all, the Soviet one. The 2nd phase
has started with the German military invasion in the USSR on June 22, 1941 and it lasted till
autumn 1944.
For the first time in mankind’s history the military conflict has gained a total character,
involving every sphere of economic and social life as well as all peoples and families,
despite age, gender or social status. But for the Ukrainian people it was especially harsh.
Ukraine became one of the most decisive military theatres, the deadly fire barrage rolled
over its territory twice.
The 3rd Reich leaders determined the Ukraine’s role as an inexhaustible source of
agricultural goods, energy, raw materials and human resources. Their plans of Ukraine’s
colonization saw no other role for Ukrainians than speechless slaves. The “unnecessary” or
“defective” peoples from the racist point of view had to be purposefully exterminated.
The very first months of war serve a vivid example of this. The aggressor was stubbornly
pushing into the territory of the country, having concentrated on its South-West the shock
troops of the German group of the “South” army: 1st armored, 6th and 17th field armies as
well as almost all aircraft of the 4th air fleet. In general having 57 divisions and 13 corps.
From the opposite side there were 80 divisions of the Kiev and Odessa regional commands,
which by the beginning of the war were transformed into South-Western and Southern
fronts. The Soviets enjoyed an advantage in terms of military equipment. Germans and their
allies had 850 battle tanks, 16,000 cannons, 1,300 aircraft. The Soviet troops possessed
5,625 battle tanks, 17,000 cannons and 2,700 aircraft. But due to mostly outdated equipment
as well as strategic gaps in defense arrangements this advantage could not be taken of.
The painful defeats take us to their reasons. Being excessive in numbers all European and
Soviet armies suddenly became unable to respond to the enemy. The losses due to the
Stalin’s political repressions in 30-s, slow introduction of up-to-date arms and military
equipment, drawbacks of the military doctrine as well as external policy mistakes. As a
result – during first 3 weeks of war the Soviet troops have lost 850,000 soldiers and officers,
3,500 aircraft, 6,000 battle tanks and 9,500 cannons.
After the embarrassment of the first days was over the necessary defense arrangements
have been made. The country’s economy as well as its whole life has been set onto the
military track under the slogan “All for the front, all for the victory!”
Due to this in autumn 1941 after easy victories on the Western front the Wehrmacht
command had to accept that they have never met an opponent as Red Army. Their
achievements have been made through considerable human victims and large equipment
losses.
But the enemy was still strong. Having occupied a considerable part of the European part of
the USSR and whole Ukraine the Nazis have established a cruel regime. It was not
surprising that Hitler had appointed a well known for its cruelty and hatred to the Slavs –
Erich Koch – as the Ukraine’s ruler. The genocide towards the civilians, POW’s have been
aggravated with robbery of material, cultural and spiritual gain of our people. The fact that
2,4 mln of Ukrainians have tried the bitter taste of “Ostarbeiter” stand for “advantage”
that has been given to them in labor migration to Germany.
But with some time the situation changed. The newly set up in USSR Eastern regions
enterprises, which included equipment from 550 evacuated industrial objects started
producing all necessary new equipment and ammunition. The unique for its enormous scale
transfer of the industrial base permitted to compensate the lost facilities and later to exceed
the military potential of Germany, its allies and occupied states. It became one of the
culminating points in war.
Highly efficient in their work for the defense needs were the world-famous Ukrainian
academicians Y. Paton, O. Bogomolets, O. Palladin, V. Filatov, M. Strazhesko, G. Proskurin.
The retreated from Ukraine troops took active part in defeating the Nazis “Blau” plan,
which had to play a decisive role in the Germans’ victory. It was at that very time when the
conditions for Ukraine liberation in 1942 have been set.
The Ukrainian military and strategic factor increased even more after the famous Kursk
battle that ended with liberation of the Ukrainian city Kharkov. Further developments have
moved into the territory of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The violent offensive of
the Soviet troops all over the left bank of the Dnipro river has logically ended with the
assault of the Eastern Wall – defense line on Dnipro considered by the Nazi’s General Staff
as unassailable.
During 1943-44 on the territory of Ukraine 1 defensive, 11 strategic and 23 frontal offensive
operations involving millions of soldiers and military equipment took place. The Southern
segment of the Eastern front became the decisive in all-European operations theatre.
The staff of 6 fronts – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Ukrainian, 1st, 2nd Belarussian ones, the Black Sea
fleet, 3 military flotillas, several air force armies.
Quite a considerable assistance to the regular army has been provided by the partisan
formations under command of O. Fedorov, S. Kovpak, M. Samburov and others, who had
arranged the real “rail war” disorganizing the enemy’s communications, providing the
headquarters with intelligence information, etc. The Ukrainians’ share in general number of
those formations was about 46 %.
On October 28, 1944 the Soviet troops have liberated from Nazis the last township of USSR
– railroad station Lavochne in Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ukraine.
In order to evaluate the contribution of the Ukrainian people into WW II, we should, first of
all, mention its military efforts. About 7 mln Ukrainians put on the Red Army’s uniform,
dozens of thousands were in Resistance movement. At least 5,3 mln persons, or every 6th
inhabitant of Ukraine, have died, millions were crippled.
For the courage in battles 2,5 mln Ukrainians were awarded with medals and orders, 2,000
soldiers were given an honorary title of “Hero of the Soviet Union”.
The representatives of 130 nationalities took part in the liberation of the territory of
Ukraine from the Nazi invaders. 3,755 soldiers were given the “Hero of the Soviet Union”
title for courage in the battles for Ukraine.
The honorary title of the “Hero City” was conferred to the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv,
Kharkov, Odessa, Kerch, Sevastopol. Many more other big and small cities have deserved
to be marked too.
The Ukrainian people paid for its freedom with lives of its best sons and daughters. 27,000
monuments and obelisks all over Ukraine remind about that war nowadays. In Beds of
Honor all over Europe rest the nameless heroes who took this historical mission to free the
world of Nazi and Fascism forever.
But the WW II history has many other bitter pages, which can not be ambiguously accepted
by the modern society. The problem of the activities, captivity, desertion and collaboration
of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Rebel Army (UPA).
The historical peculiarities that formed certain political views of the Western Ukraine
inhabitants influenced their special opinion to the war and its participants. A certain amount
of people have quite negatively considered the Soviet regime and hoped that the German
invasion would create opportunities for creation of the national state. It was the fatal
mistake of nationalists’ forces. Berlin’s attitude towards renewal of the Ukrainian state was
absolutely negative. It caused a confrontation between the German rulers and OUN-UPA.
Quite often the Ukrainian nationalists were fighting the Nazis to defend their villages from
robbery, exporting people to works in Reich, punitive operations.
After expulsion of Nazi army the nationalists concentrated their efforts against establishing
Stalin’s regime. This bloody confrontation lasted 10 more years after the WW II was over.
Reasons and consequences of the OUN-UPA activities need an objective and honest
analysis and fair conclusions. Those who committed crimes against humanity deserve
punishment and blame. Accusation of all participants of the nationalist movement would not
be fair. Moreover, the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg did not include OUN-
UPA into the list of those institutions that committed crimes against humanity. As these
people were conducting “three wars” at once – against renewal of the Polish state in 1917-
1919, against Germany and against USSR – many historians consider that those soldiers
should be granted the status of the participants of national liberation struggle for the
Ukrainian state.
Truth about war is only one and it is consecrated with the multi-million sacrifices of our
compatriots.
The memory of war is that bridge, which unites the new generations with those who
withstood in battles. It makes persistent the process of consolidation of the Ukrainian
nation as full-fledged member of the world community and defender of the common human
values.
Embassy of Ukraine
in the Republic of Singapore
had split their lives into “before”, “during” and “after” war periods, each of them is
considered as a separate epoch.
In terms of Ukraine the WW II can be divided into two phases. The 1st started on
September 1, 1939 when Nazis attacked Poland and the USSR had later occupied its
Eastern part. This phase concerned mostly the Western Ukrainians because their lands
have been subordinated to the new ruling regime, first of all, the Soviet one. The 2nd phase
has started with the German military invasion in the USSR on June 22, 1941 and it lasted till
autumn 1944.
For the first time in mankind’s history the military conflict has gained a total character,
involving every sphere of economic and social life as well as all peoples and families,
despite age, gender or social status. But for the Ukrainian people it was especially harsh.
Ukraine became one of the most decisive military theatres, the deadly fire barrage rolled
over its territory twice.
The 3rd Reich leaders determined the Ukraine’s role as an inexhaustible source of
agricultural goods, energy, raw materials and human resources. Their plans of Ukraine’s
colonization saw no other role for Ukrainians than speechless slaves. The “unnecessary” or
“defective” peoples from the racist point of view had to be purposefully exterminated.
The very first months of war serve a vivid example of this. The aggressor was stubbornly
pushing into the territory of the country, having concentrated on its South-West the shock
troops of the German group of the “South” army: 1st armored, 6th and 17th field armies as
well as almost all aircraft of the 4th air fleet. In general having 57 divisions and 13 corps.
From the opposite side there were 80 divisions of the Kiev and Odessa regional commands,
which by the beginning of the war were transformed into South-Western and Southern
fronts. The Soviets enjoyed an advantage in terms of military equipment. Germans and their
allies had 850 battle tanks, 16,000 cannons, 1,300 aircraft. The Soviet troops possessed
5,625 battle tanks, 17,000 cannons and 2,700 aircraft. But due to mostly outdated equipment
as well as strategic gaps in defense arrangements this advantage could not be taken of.
The painful defeats take us to their reasons. Being excessive in numbers all European and
Soviet armies suddenly became unable to respond to the enemy. The losses due to the
Stalin’s political repressions in 30-s, slow introduction of up-to-date arms and military
equipment, drawbacks of the military doctrine as well as external policy mistakes. As a
result – during first 3 weeks of war the Soviet troops have lost 850,000 soldiers and officers,
3,500 aircraft, 6,000 battle tanks and 9,500 cannons.
After the embarrassment of the first days was over the necessary defense arrangements
have been made. The country’s economy as well as its whole life has been set onto the
military track under the slogan “All for the front, all for the victory!”
Due to this in autumn 1941 after easy victories on the Western front the Wehrmacht
command had to accept that they have never met an opponent as Red Army. Their
achievements have been made through considerable human victims and large equipment
losses.
But the enemy was still strong. Having occupied a considerable part of the European part of
the USSR and whole Ukraine the Nazis have established a cruel regime. It was not
surprising that Hitler had appointed a well known for its cruelty and hatred to the Slavs –
Erich Koch – as the Ukraine’s ruler. The genocide towards the civilians, POW’s have been
aggravated with robbery of material, cultural and spiritual gain of our people. The fact that
2,4 mln of Ukrainians have tried the bitter taste of “Ostarbeiter” stand for “advantage”
that has been given to them in labor migration to Germany.
But with some time the situation changed. The newly set up in USSR Eastern regions
enterprises, which included equipment from 550 evacuated industrial objects started
producing all necessary new equipment and ammunition. The unique for its enormous scale
transfer of the industrial base permitted to compensate the lost facilities and later to exceed
the military potential of Germany, its allies and occupied states. It became one of the
culminating points in war.
Highly efficient in their work for the defense needs were the world-famous Ukrainian
academicians Y. Paton, O. Bogomolets, O. Palladin, V. Filatov, M. Strazhesko, G. Proskurin.
The retreated from Ukraine troops took active part in defeating the Nazis “Blau” plan,
which had to play a decisive role in the Germans’ victory. It was at that very time when the
conditions for Ukraine liberation in 1942 have been set.
The Ukrainian military and strategic factor increased even more after the famous Kursk
battle that ended with liberation of the Ukrainian city Kharkov. Further developments have
moved into the territory of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. The violent offensive of
the Soviet troops all over the left bank of the Dnipro river has logically ended with the
assault of the Eastern Wall – defense line on Dnipro considered by the Nazi’s General Staff
as unassailable.
During 1943-44 on the territory of Ukraine 1 defensive, 11 strategic and 23 frontal offensive
operations involving millions of soldiers and military equipment took place. The Southern
segment of the Eastern front became the decisive in all-European operations theatre.
The staff of 6 fronts – 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Ukrainian, 1st, 2nd Belarussian ones, the Black Sea
fleet, 3 military flotillas, several air force armies.
Quite a considerable assistance to the regular army has been provided by the partisan
formations under command of O. Fedorov, S. Kovpak, M. Samburov and others, who had
arranged the real “rail war” disorganizing the enemy’s communications, providing the
headquarters with intelligence information, etc. The Ukrainians’ share in general number of
those formations was about 46 %.
On October 28, 1944 the Soviet troops have liberated from Nazis the last township of USSR
– railroad station Lavochne in Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ukraine.
In order to evaluate the contribution of the Ukrainian people into WW II, we should, first of
all, mention its military efforts. About 7 mln Ukrainians put on the Red Army’s uniform,
dozens of thousands were in Resistance movement. At least 5,3 mln persons, or every 6th
inhabitant of Ukraine, have died, millions were crippled.
For the courage in battles 2,5 mln Ukrainians were awarded with medals and orders, 2,000
soldiers were given an honorary title of “Hero of the Soviet Union”.
The representatives of 130 nationalities took part in the liberation of the territory of
Ukraine from the Nazi invaders. 3,755 soldiers were given the “Hero of the Soviet Union”
title for courage in the battles for Ukraine.
The honorary title of the “Hero City” was conferred to the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv,
Kharkov, Odessa, Kerch, Sevastopol. Many more other big and small cities have deserved
to be marked too.
The Ukrainian people paid for its freedom with lives of its best sons and daughters. 27,000
monuments and obelisks all over Ukraine remind about that war nowadays. In Beds of
Honor all over Europe rest the nameless heroes who took this historical mission to free the
world of Nazi and Fascism forever.
But the WW II history has many other bitter pages, which can not be ambiguously accepted
by the modern society. The problem of the activities, captivity, desertion and collaboration
of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Rebel Army (UPA).
The historical peculiarities that formed certain political views of the Western Ukraine
inhabitants influenced their special opinion to the war and its participants. A certain amount
of people have quite negatively considered the Soviet regime and hoped that the German
invasion would create opportunities for creation of the national state. It was the fatal
mistake of nationalists’ forces. Berlin’s attitude towards renewal of the Ukrainian state was
absolutely negative. It caused a confrontation between the German rulers and OUN-UPA.
Quite often the Ukrainian nationalists were fighting the Nazis to defend their villages from
robbery, exporting people to works in Reich, punitive operations.
After expulsion of Nazi army the nationalists concentrated their efforts against establishing
Stalin’s regime. This bloody confrontation lasted 10 more years after the WW II was over.
Reasons and consequences of the OUN-UPA activities need an objective and honest
analysis and fair conclusions. Those who committed crimes against humanity deserve
punishment and blame. Accusation of all participants of the nationalist movement would not
be fair. Moreover, the International Military Tribunal in Nuremberg did not include OUN-
UPA into the list of those institutions that committed crimes against humanity. As these
people were conducting “three wars” at once – against renewal of the Polish state in 1917-
1919, against Germany and against USSR – many historians consider that those soldiers
should be granted the status of the participants of national liberation struggle for the
Ukrainian state.
Truth about war is only one and it is consecrated with the multi-million sacrifices of our
compatriots.
The memory of war is that bridge, which unites the new generations with those who
withstood in battles. It makes persistent the process of consolidation of the Ukrainian
nation as full-fledged member of the world community and defender of the common human
values.
Embassy of Ukraine
in the Republic of Singapore
Since December 2002!
| Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Singapore |
| Посольство України в Республіці Сінгапур |