The Activity of Ukrainian Nationalists in Yuzivka (Donetsk) City in 1941–1943

Abstract

The activities of the OUN(b) in eastern Ukraine, in particular in the Donetsk region, are becoming relevant in light of current events in Ukraine. The narrow topic of research on this issue in the eastern territories has not yet received sufficient coverage, which has led to the appearance of a “blank spot” in the geographical spectrum of studies of liberation struggles. At first, this was due to the unavailability of the source base in the Soviet period, and later, due to the political involvement and weak interest in the topic of representatives of the local historical cohort, with a certain passivity of the latter. Among the scientists who touched on the issue of the existence of the OUN in the Donetsk region, it is worth noting O. Dobrovolsky, V. Nikolsky, V. Kovalchuk, Y. Shchur, V. Serhiychuk. However, a thorough and qualitatively self-sufficient scientific study of this issue is currently lacking. In view of this, this article aims to analyse the activities of the nationalist underground in Donetsk during World War II, based on archival materials with the processing and analysis of previous research. The article reveals aspects of the appearance of representatives of the first OUN mobile groups in the Donetsk region, the deployment and establishment of the work of the city and regional OUN cells, and the main directions of the work of nationalists in the political, social, and military spheres. The main aspects of the activities of the Donetsk underground of the OUN are identified as relations with the German occupation administration and the reactionary policy of the latter in the form of repressive and punitive measures, work in the public and political sectors with the local population, features of communication with the central leadership, and the internal politics of the organization. Special attention is paid to the issues of conspiracy and preparatory processes for the armed and political struggle for independence against the German and Soviet regimes. The chronological framework of the study is limited to the period of German occupation of Donetsk during World War II and ends with the retreat of German troops with the approach of the Red Army. The article includes quantitative indicators of underground members and the names of key OUN participants in Donetsk.