GALICIAN MILITARY FACTOR IN THE STRUGGLE FOR UKRAINIAN STATEHOOD (FEBRUARY 1917 – MARCH 1918)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24919/2519-058x.3.101053Keywords:
First World War, Ukrainian central council, statehood, Ukrainian National Republic, military factor, Galicia-Bukovina kuren of Sich Riflemen, Legion of Ukrainian Sich RiflemenAbstract
The problem of the military factor in the struggle for Ukrainian statehood in the First World War is important in the study of the history of Ukraine and military history of leading European countries during the first quarter of the twentieth century. Based on involved scientific and historical works and archival documents the article highlighted the complete picture of participation of Galician military forces in the struggle for the restoration of Ukrainian statehood at the final stage of World War (February 1917 – March 1918).
The fall of the Russian Tsars in February 1917 caused a real explosion of national consciousness among Ukrainian soldiers. During spring and summer of 1917, tens of thousands of Ukrainians were involved into the process of Ukrainization of front-line units. Thus, about 120 thousand of soldiers and officers were Ukrainized in garrisons located in the territory of Ukraine. In addition, there were nearly 1.9 million of military prisoners of the Austro-Hungarian army in the Ukrainian territory, including many people from Western Ukraine.
In July 1917 NGO «Galicia-Bukovina Committee on assistance to victims of the war» tried to create a separate military unit of the Austro-Hungarian war prisoners. However, the leadership of the Central Council, fearing accusations of the Russian Provisional Government in collaboration with the enemy, banned Ukrainized units to make former Austrian military as its members.
After the Bolshevik Revolution in St. Petersburg at the end of October 1917, a Galicia-Bukovina kuren of Sich Riflemen was formed in Hetman Doroshenko Ukrainized Regiment. As in Kiev there was not the regular army, the first task of the kuren was to organize a guard duty in the Kyiv garrison. In January 1918 at the initiative of the former Austro-Hungarian officers of the Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen (USR) A. Melnyk, W. Kuchabskiy, R. Syshko, F. Chernik, I. Smola and etc., who were at this time in Kiev the kuren became an efficient military unit under the command of E. Konovalets. Basically the kuren served as a protection of the government of Ukrainian National Republic (UNR).
At the beginning of 1918, in terms of the increasing threat of Russian Bolshevik aggression, the government of UNR appealed to Austro-Hungary to assist – to send a Legion of USR and other military units, consisting of Ukrainian, to Ukraine. However, the Austrian authorities were in no hurry to help Ukrainians. This pace of developments forced many Galicians willingly went to serve in the army of UNR.
The situation changed dramatically after the signing the Brest peace treaty between UNR and central states in early February 1918. By the end of February, a group of Galician riflemen under the command of William Habsburg, the Colonel USR Legion, a representative of the Austrian ruling dynasty, made a trip to the Right-Bank Ukraine being a part in the Austro-Hungarian army. As it turned out, the only Sich Riflemen became one of the best organized military units of UNR army, which continued to struggle for the restoration of Ukrainian statehood.References
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