Ukrainian Partisan Army Remembered

Commemoration of Ukrains’ka Povstans’ka Armija – UPA Soldiers Who Died in Battle Against Soviet Occupying Forces in January 1946

In January 1946, in the Village of Dubkivtsi, Husjatyn Region, Ternopil’s’ka Oblast, Ukraine, four Ukrainian Partisan Army soldiers died in extreme battle with occupying forces. The Bolsheviks so despised the Ukrainian partisans that their dead bodies were desecrated by eyes being gouged out, arms broken and twisted around and thrown out to be left under the open sky. After a couple of days, the dead, mutilated and stripped soldiers were thrown onto a wagon and driven to a common grave in Hrymajlova. They were driven in such a manner for all inhabitants of local villages and roadside to see and told to recount by telling others what “Reds” from Moscow do with Ukraine’s fighters.

In the 1960’s, on the spot of the buried fighters for an independent Ukraine, the Soviet authorities built a gas service station. The burial ground  itself was paved over with asphalt. This was not out of the ordinary. History has many such examples which show that the enemy not only wanted to erase from the memory of Ukrainians but also to maximally prevent recall  and access to the graves of our knights.

However, this did not happen according to plan. Now the descendants of the glorious soldiers have brought back to memory this forgotten page of history. Eyewitness accounts of the activities in January 1946 in the Village of Dubkivtsi were heard by two childhood friends, two Ihors – Dubkivtsi parish priest Ihor Futa and Ihor Kozak, an active community member, now living in Canada. When they heard the story about the slaying of the four soldiers, they decided that it was their duty to honour their memory. Ihor Futa organized a committee and with extraordinary enthusiasm went to task to bring the idea to life. Ihor Kozak collected funds from among the Ukrainian Diaspora in Canada and began preparations for political action. The monument marker was ordered, commissioned by the talented local architect Mykhajlo Kurkevych from the neighbouring Village of Samoluskivtsi. Inhabitants from local villages under the leadership of Father Ihor and active support from Stepan Turetskyj (Head of the Husjatyn Regional Council), Wasyl Trysnyuk (Head of the Husjatyn Administration) and other representatives from authorities and interest groups, joined forces to start preparations for the occasion to unveil the monument marker. The Association of Officers in Ukraine from Kyiv and then representatives from the Armed Forces of Ukraine were also included in the task at hand.

The spring morning of April 11, 2007 arrived. In the Village of Dubkivtsi, gathered near the church, were hundreds of inhabitants from neighbouring villages, the clergy, representatives of municipal authorities and guests from Ternopil’ and Kyiv. With an aromatic korovai ceremonial bread, the villagers greeted Bishop Iryney and religious church servants from the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyivan Patriarchate.

After a short ceremony, a religious service commenced for the deceased partisan soldiers who died fighting for Ukraine’s freedom. The Divine Liturgy was offered by the Bishop, adding greater significance to the service as felt by the attendees in and around the church. After the liturgical service, the participants gathered near the monument marker, constructed in honour of the slain UPA soldiers, to continue with the official function of day’s events.

The monument marker was created with sincerity from the heart. Emanating from within it, one feels the warmth of individual villagers and the talented architect’s soul. Small, wrought iron fencing encloses an Archangel Michael standing on a base platform. In back of the archangel with a sword – as eternal guardian of rest for the glorious soldiers – is a metal Cross. The culmination of the marker is a canopy over the archangel on four supports is a golden dome with a cross. Written on the memorial plaque is the following: “On 01.20.1946, members of OUN-UPA were killed on this site: Mykhajlo Fedchyshyn, b. 1913 from Dubkivtsi; Mykhajlo Laybida, b. 1922 from Horodnytsya; Stepan Semenyuk, b. 1925 from Sadzhivky; Wasyl “Chubatyj” from Kharkivschyna”. Further down are the words from the motto “Gain Statehood for Ukraine or Die in the Struggle for Her”.

Until people finally gathered around, kozak and partisan marching songs were in abound. At this time, a little further on, kozaks were putting in place antiquated cannon guns, decorated with deep red coloured flags and banners. To the side of the monument marker was an army camp honour bon fire, kindled by the artillery brigade from Ternopil’ and a group of salute honour guards. Recognition was given to the local authority for their concerted and maximum effort to bring the road and territory around the monument into good condition.

The official program started with a speech by local school teacher Maria Boyko, about the events in January 1946. Materials collected under this teacher’s direction lay primarily in the school’s museum. The story is familiar – Ukrainian villagers sensed the breath of death from occupying forces directed by Moscow and formed an OUN-UPA local, putting their live ahead of the struggle for freedom. Young men and boys entered UPA because they did not wish to live under conditions of incarceration, as mute slaves.

The Bishop blessed the monument and addressed the people expressing how it is important to place life’s spiritual aspect over and together with the physical realm in the world.

Appropriately, for the first time in 60 years, UPA soldiers were given military honour with the singing of Ukraine’s Anthem and gun salute from army and kozak groups.

Later, for over two hours, witnesses recounted memories and patriotic speeches were delivered by representatives of the Diaspora, authorities and national-democratic community groups from Ternopil’ Oblast and Kyiv. Singing from three choirs and two ensembles, a brass wind band playing, school children reciting verses, wreaths and flower – all were offered from the heart, which were accepted that day by these Ukrainian knights who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of future generations.

On this same day in Kyiv, the intrigue of political events occurred as a continuation of the struggle started by our ancestors in the 1920’s and into the 1940’s. The day’s speakers referred to the activities in Kyiv and unequivocally supported the President of Ukraine.

In reference to the political activities in the Capital, the majority of the invited special guests could not attend the commemoration, however, greetings were given from the: National Union of “Our Ukraine”; eponymous Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc; National Movement Rukh of Ukraine; Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists; Ukrainian National Party; all-Ukrainian Federation “Freedom”; (Army) Officers Association of Ukraine; Writers Association of Ukraine, Stepan Bandera Centre for National Renaissance (Kyiv), and League of Ukrainian Canadians (Toronto). Written greetings were passed on to the community by National Deputies Hryhorij Omel’chenko and Volodymyr Yavorivskyj together with Levko Luk’yanenko, donated hundreds of books to the school library for the Husyatyn Region.

The commemoration concluded with a memorial lunch, organized by business entrepreneur Stepan Karpom from the neighbouring village of Samoluskivtsi.

The organizing committee is grateful for the support from event sponsors: League of Ukrainian Canadians; Ukrainian Foundation “Prometheus” (Canada); Ukrainian War Veterans’ Association (Canada), . Romanyshyn (Canada), M. Szkambara (Canada), I. Andrusiak (Canada), S. Chupak (Canada), I. Huzyliak (Canada), O. Polityka (Canada), S. Turetskyj (Ukraine), W. Shmata (Ukraine), L. Sorokolit (Ukraine), V. Bojchuk (Ukraine), S. Batih (Ukraine).

Translated by John Pidkowich