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Florida Atlantic Undergraduate Research Journal

College

Dorothy F Schmidt College of Arts and Letters

Document Type

Article

Abstract

During and following World War II, the Soviet, and later, Russian Federation enforced the narrative that Ukrainians fighting in the war against the Soviets were Nazis. The author utilized his proficiency in the Ukrainian and Russian languages, conducted research regarding Ukrainian participation in WWII, and concluded that this narrative is largely anti-Ukrainian propaganda. The author’s research focused on the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) which was formed in 1942 by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) as a militant wing. The OUN was the center of Ukrainian nationalism starting in 1929, and strove for an independent Ukrainian state. Russian regimes repressed Ukrainian nationalism, which caused many nationalists to turn to the Reich, who promised Ukrainian statehood. After Ukrainians proclaimed independence in 1941, the Nazis jailed leaders and massacred civilians. This research demonstrates that the UPA fought the Nazis between 1943-1945 and the Soviets between 1939 to 1960, for an independent Ukrainian state during World War II, not for Nazism.

Advisors

Doug McGetchin

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