THE SOVIET SPECIAL SERVICES’ PROPAGANDA AND SABOTAGE ESPIONAGE ACTIVITIES IN THE TERRITORY OF WESTERN VOLYN (1919 – 1921)

Abstract

The purpose of the article is to represent the forms, methods and means of the Soviet special services activity on the territory of Western Volyn during the period of functioning in the region of the Polish Provisional Administration (1919 – 1921). The methodology of the research is based on the principles of scientificity, historicism, systematicity, verification. The general scientific methods of the historical cognition have been applied: analysis, synthesis, generalization, comparison. Among the special historical methods the most important for the study were the historical typological, historical comparative, historical chronological, historical systemic, historical geographical methods. The scientific novelty consists in the archival documents’ introduction into the scientific circulation, which makes it possible to clarify the role of Western Volyn in the communist revolution export task realization to Europe, conducted by the Bolsheviks. It has been shown that the Soviet special services sabotage subversive activity’s main purpose in Volyn was to destabilize the region, liquidate the bodies of the temporary Polish administration, establish the Soviet power with the subsequent accession of the region to the USSR during 1919 – 1921. The Conclusions. During 1918 – 1921, the western Ukrainian lands became the object of fierce confrontation between three states: Poland, Ukraine (UNR-ZUNR) and the Soviet Russia., The Western Volyn and Eastern Galicia became the part of the Polish state due to the ZUNR’s (Western Ukrainian People’s Republic) defeat in the Polish-Ukrainian War of 1918 – 1919 and the Soviet Russia in the Polish-Soviet War of 1920 – 1921. The Bolsheviks' defeat in an open armed confrontation with Poland did not mean, however, that the Bolsheviks were refused to spread the communist regime ideology and practice to European countries. Volyn became one of the main bridgeheads for the realization of the above-mentioned goals. Hence, the Bolshevik agitators and propagandists were active in Volyn when the temporary Polish administration was taking over the control. There were a number of reasons, why the Bolsheviks agitation was successful. Due to several factors: Volyn international legal status uncertainty, the postwar instability, which was complemented by the difficult economic situation in the region, some miscalculations in the Polish interim administration, the Polish military and police abuse of power, which exacerbated the Polish-Ukrainian confrontation and raised the local sentiment peasant. The Bolshevik agents were not only spreading communist propaganda in Western Volyn. The Soviet Special Services were active in the areas bordering the USSR in order to prepare the local armed demonstrations. The vivid example of such actions was the specially trained sabotage units, which carried out the terrorist acts, attacked the state authorities, police departments, military units, and destroyed means of communication. Even the archival sources confirm that the Bolshevik movement was supported by the local population significantly (especially the Ukrainian peasants, the Jews in Volyn cities, and often the Poles). Furthermore, the Bolshevik movement became a stumbling block for the Polish government’s goal to strengthen the Polish statehood in the eastern lands and the fastest possible integration of the region into Poland.