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ON THE HISTORY OF THE ORGANIZATION OF UKRAINIAN NATIONALISTS (OUN) IN ROMANIA (BASED ON THE ARCHIVAL INVESTIGATION CASE OF H. POROKHIVSKY)
Authors: Vlasenko V. M. PhD (History), Assosiate Professor (Ukraine), Sumy State University. ScopusAuthor ID: 563-3026-3000, Sapsai O. V. student of the Faculty of Law, Sumy State University
Number of views: 473
The article deals with the history of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists in Romania, in general, and Northern Bukovyna, in particular, in the late 1930’s - early 1940’s. It describes the activities of individual members of the OUN through the prism of testimonies of its political opponent Hnat Porokhivsky, a representative of the Minister of War of the Ukrainian People’s Republic in Romania, in a criminal case about “counterrevolutionary” activity.
In November 1920, H. Porokhivsky, as the leader of the machine-gun crew of the Army of Ukrainian People’s Republic, crossed the Ukrainian-Romanian border. In 1921-1923, he was the commandant of the camp of Ukrainian military internees in Romania. After the liquidation of the camps, he took an active part in public life of Ukrainian emigration, and was one of the leaders of the central public emigre organizations in Romania - Public Aid Committee, a branch of the Ukrainian Society (supporters) of the League of Nations, Ukrainian savings and loan association “Zgoda”, Simon Petliura Committee, and the Society of former Soldiers of the Army of Ukrainian People’s Republic in Romania.
Since 1929, H. Porokhivsky served in the 2nd (intelligence service) department of the Romanian General Staff. At first, he was an interpreter, since 1932 - a reviewer of the economic and political intelligence service in Western Europe, 1942 - Chief of scientific bureau “Agents of the Eastern Front” of the Special Information Service (intelligence service). He repeatedly traveled to Western and Central Europe, maintained contact both with prominent Romanian politicians, members of parliament from Bukovina and with representatives of legal and illegal Ukrainian political parties and organizations in Romania, including the OUN. In November 1944, he was arrested by the Soviet secret service. He was under the investigation in Moscow and Kyiv. In 1947, he was sentenced by a military tribunal to 25 years in prison. He died in a camp not earlier than 1949.
Archival investigation case of H. Porokhivsky is an important and representative source of both the history of Ukrainian immigration in this Balkan country and the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. It provides an opportunity to determine the degree of interaction of Ukrainian immigrants from different socio-political environments, find out the reasons underlying the transition of supporters of the government of the Ukrainian People’s Republic in emigration on the side of the OUN before and in the early years of World War II, specify life record data of the OUN members Yury Furman, Ivan Hryhorovych, Orest Masykevych and others, and reveal peculiar features of use by the OUN members of service in the Romanian intelligence services to conduct secretive activities.
Key words: emigration, Gnat Porohivskyi, Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, Romania.