BETWEEN HITLER AND STALIN

YEVHEN KONOVALETS

b. 22 July, 1894, Lviv County, Galicia, d. 23 May 1938, Rotterdam

Konovalets was a colonel in the UNR Army, and became the first leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. After WWI Konovalets continued to work in the struggle for independence; in 1921 he became the leader of the Ukrainian Military Organization. He was instrumental in reorganizing the various groups striving for independence and unifying them in the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists.

When OUN was founded in 1929 Konovalets became the head of the Leadership of Ukrainian Nationalists, which oversaw the work of OUN. For the ten years that he led OUN Konovalets used his organizational talents to consolidate the position of OUN and to oversee the development of all-Ukrainian organizations in the diaspora. He also worked tirelessly in bringing the Ukrainian national question to the attention of the League of Nations. As a result of his efforts Konovalets enjoyed tremendous authority in the national movements; indicative of his influence is the fact that shortly after his death OUN split into radical and moderate factions.

Konovalets’ activities on behalf of the Ukrainian national struggle, and his efforts to revive the national Ukrainian underground in Soviet Ukraine were seen as a dangerous threat by Soviet authorities; in May 1938 he was assassinated by Soviet secret agent Pavel Sudoplatov in Rotterdam.