Volume 16. Volyn’ and Polissia in the Unknown Correspondence of the OUN and the UPA. 1945-1954

This volume contains 281 business letters as well as fragments spanning the period 1944–1954, which were declassified by the Security Service of Ukraine in the last three years. The authors of the letters are both leaders of the UPA and the armed underground of the OUN(B) (Roman Shukhevych, Vasyl’ Kuk) as well as krai-level functionaries (Mykola Kozak, Vasyl’ Halasa, et al.). The content of most of these docu-ments pertains to the Ukrainian regions of Volyn’ and southern Polissia. This body of business correspondence reveals various little known, and mostly tragic, events that occurred during the national liberation struggle in Volyn’ and Polissia in 1944–1954. The letters discuss the struggle of the Soviet secret services against the Ukrainian insurgent movement, the uncompromising steadfastness of the leaders of the OUN underground, and the heroic self-sacrifice of the last remaining insurgents. Examples are cited of the genuine and untainted patriotism of individuals who devoted their entire lives to the struggle for an independent Ukrainian state. The featured documents fill the lacunae in the set of sources on the history of the OUN and the UPA during the postwar period, and will thus be of inestimable value to the study of modern Ukrainian history. Kyiv-Toronto, 2011. Hardcover: 1024 pp. Illustrations. This volume was funded by Maria and Stefan Romaniuk From Edmonton, Canada.