The Ukrainians on the protection of the Croatian statehood in the ХХ century
Journal Title: Eminak - Year 2017, Vol 2, Issue 1
Abstract
The participation of the Ukrainians of Croatia in the armed struggle for the preservation of the state in decisive moments of its history in the twentieth century is considered in the article. The reasons of participation of the Ukrainians in the wars for independence of Croatia and characteristics of this participation are shown. The scale and nature of the participation of the Ukrainian Diaspora in the hostilities on the side of the Croatian armed forces are analyzed. The estimation of the importance of Ukrainian contribution to the struggle for defending the independence of Croatia is made. The desire to see Ukraine as an independent state like NDH (Nezavisna Država Hrvatska – Independent State of Croatia) led to the fact that some Ukrainians began to collaborate with the Ustaše. The reason of the creation of the Ukrainian Legion was a desire to guarantee the Ukraine’s liberation from the USSR. Germany was not interested in an independent Ukraine. Soldiers of the Legion were sent to Bosnia to fight against a communist partisans and Serb civilian population. After the total disappointment of the Ukrainians they gradually begun to run away from the Legion. The Croatian counterintelligence exposed the negotiations between Legion’s soldiers and Tito’s partisans to move to the side of the communist movement. Therefore Croatian government, seeing the futility of existence of the Ukrainian Legion, decided to disband it. The Ukrainians also served in the Croatian Naval Legion, which was based in the Ukrainian port Genichesk. Sailors were recruited among the local inhabitants. The number of the Legion had reached 1,000 and the Ukrainians made up at least 60%. Legion led several battles against the Soviet fleet in the Azov Sea, during which Ukrainian volunteers have deserved high praise for the courage from Croatian commanders. In general the fate of the Ukrainians who supported the Ustaše, was complicated and tragic. During the postwar years, they were persecuted by the communist government of Yugoslavia. The attitude of the Ukrainian Diaspora to the Croatian-Serbian conflict in the 1990s was different from the situation in World War II. At the referendum in May 1991 the Ukrainians and Ruthenians voted mostly for the independence of Croatia. The Serbs have established an occupation regime for the Ukrainians and Ruthenians on the occupied territories. Except terror, our Diaspora also fell under the «ethnic cleansing». The reason of the antipathy toward the Ukrainians and Ruthenians was that they took an active part in the defence of Croatian independence and its territorial integrity. In general, 410 Ruthenian and Ukrainian fought as a part of the Croatian army. It was the highest percentage in comparison with other national minorities. A small number of the Ukrainians and Ruthenians played a disproportionately large role in the defence of Croatia. And for this choice they paid a high price – they were killed, repressed and deported. In general the losses of the Ruthenians and Ukrainians during the Croatian-Serbian war were between 3,5 and 8% (whereas during the years of World War II the loss was 2%). The situation for the Ruthenians and Ukrainians on the occupied territories had the features ofethnocide that could lead to the disappearance of our community in Croatia.
Authors and Affiliations
Mykola Nahirnyj
Keywords
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