Помнить героев войны

К годовщине ВОВ

by Vladimir Matveyev

60th anniversary of the victory in the WWII, which many people in Ukraine still call Great Patriotic War, highlights unresolved issues that have marred Ukrainian-Jewish and Ukrainian-Russian relations for decades, mostly beneath the surface.

Fighters of Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) and Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) under the leadership of Roman Shuchevych fought against both Soviet army and Nazi during WWII. But according to eye-witness and documents they have perpetrated such heinous crimes as mass killing of people including Jews. "Galicina" SS Division and "Roland" and "Nightingale" detachments were formed from Ukrainian nationalists. Soldiers of these military units wore Nazi uniform and took part in punitive operations.

President of Ukraine Viktor Yuschenko is initiating reconciliation talks between fighters of UPA, OUN and those who fought for the Soviet Army. The Ukrainian People's Party had earlier urged Yuschenko and Timoshenko to support recognition of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the UPA as war participants. In the opinion of the UPP, the year of the 60th anniversary of the victory over Fascism should become the year for national reconciliation and restoration of historical justice relating to all Ukrainians who fought at the fronts during the Second World War. UPP's leaders are proposing a draft law to be considered in the parliament.

Yuschenko's idea to lay the festive tables in the main Kiev street of Khreschatik on May 9 for the veterans of Soviet army and fighters of OUN-UPA met opposition from the veterans of Soviet army. "The attempts to conciliate veterans who fought for the soviet army with UPA fighters is unreal, because we remember what UPA did during the war," said colonel in retirement Semyon Nezhensky, leader of the Association of Jewish veterans of the war.

 The political influence of Soviet veterans is still so strong in Ukraine that President Yuschenko ought to give his consent on their demand to arrange military parade on May 9 in downtown Kiev.

On UPA's part, one of its leaders told in the waves of 5th TV channel on April 10 about lack of desire to celebrate this date with the soviet veterans.

The controversial issue for Ukrainians is even harder and more painful for Jewish veterans. Many elderly Jews remember how during and after World War II some Ukrainians took revenge on Russians and Jews in western regions for their alleged or actual role in bringing communism to this part of Ukraine, which was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1939.

"I can't support the idea of  reconciliation with UPA fighters. Collaborationists killed 11 members of my own family in Babiy Yar: my mother, sister and other relatives." said Evadiy Rubalsky, 87, who was a soviet soldier during WWII.

"It is impossible even to say about our conciliation with UPA fighters. They want soviet veterans to apologize for what they consider a fight against independent Ukraine. But they do not want apologize themselves for their crimes and murders of people of different nationalities during and after Great Patriotic War," said veteran Boris Komsky, editor of Jewish publication "Shofar", Lvov.

"Jewish veterans and activists consider that UNA-UPA fighters must first of all publicly repent for their crimes," said veteran Leonid Rosenfeld, 81, expressing the feelings of many Jewish veterans. "They haven't changed. They killed and murdered many Jews and even didn't repent. They should repent," said Boris Zabarko, leader of the Association of former prisoners of Ghetto and concentration camps.

"How can it be possible to conciliate with those who tried to annihilate us?" asked Gertz Rogovoy, 81, soviet colonel in retirement. "It is easy to imagine who they are from the recent speeches of MP Oleg Tiagnibok" Rogovoy added, referring to Oleg Tiagnibok's interview at the 5th Ukrainian TV channel on March 18th where MP called Russians, Germans and Jews occupants of Ukraine.

Giliary Lapitzky, veteran of Jewish movement in Ukraine, echoed him: "It is impossible to conciliate OUN-UPA veterans with veterans of the Soviet army. But UPA fighters who didn't fought in "Galicina" SS division and didn't participate in punitive expeditions must be ranked among the veterans of struggle for independence of Ukraine."

Recently the Lvov regional Council asked President Yuschenko and Premier Timoshenko to initiate recognition of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) as a World War II warring party. "UPA is the only army in the world that fought during the WWII with two occupation forces simultaneously, with fascists and Bolsheviks," the appeal of the council reads. Besides, the council has sent an appeal to Vladimir Litvin requesting faster consideration in parliament of the revised bill "On Rehabilitation of Victims of Political Repressions in Ukraine" that provides privileges to displaced Ukrainians that have been rehabilitated.

"We are discussing in the Parliament the revision of the bill. Some versions include the idea of rehabilitation of OUN-UPA fighters. We should find common language and conciliate as it was in Spain," said MP Gennady Udovenko, head of the parliament Committee on Human Rights and National Minorities.

But many people cannot agree with Udovenko: "It is impossible to compare the situation in Spain and Ukraine. Ukrainian nationalists shot in the back. Despite a few conflicts, the Ukrainian nationalists sided with Nazis during WWII and were utterly for Hitler again by 1944. They continued guerilla warfare against Soviets in the mountains of Western Ukraine until about 1953," said Jewish lawyer Grigory Ginzburg, former NKVD officer. 

Despite the opposing opinions, the conflict in the Ukrainian society should be settled. And it seems that in this situation the only possible solution is a compromise. For instance, political expert Malinkovich expressed the idea that "status of veterans can be given to those fighters who didn't wear German Vermaht uniform and weren't members of special punitive expeditions."

Jewish soviet veteran Yona Elkind, 81, navy colonel in retirement, echoed him: "I disapprove the possibility of rehabilitation of UPA fighters in general but I'm ready to recognize some of them." He added: "Theoretically any conciliation is better than war but the idea to conciliate UPA fighters with soviet veterans unreal because they were enemies. Better to leave it as it is. In two generations the problem will be solved by itself."