on the events in Western Ukraine in March 1942.

Residents of Western Ukraine on the way to Germany

From the message of the commander of the Security Police and the SD of the occupied eastern territories on the events in Western Ukraine in March 1942.

Archive: RGVA. F. 500k. Op. 1. D. 25. L. 315-316, 316v., 328-328v. Script. German translation.

May 2, 1942 1

Commanding

Security Police and SD

— Ostland —

7yb. No. 114/42 g.RBl    

Secret, a matter of national importance!

Report on the activities of the operational groups of the Security Police and the SD and the situation in the USSR

No. 11

(reporting period: from 1 to 31 March 1942)

[...] 2

IV. Striving for national independence

Ukraine

In Ukraine , the special attention of the Security Police and the SD is still given to the suppression of the Bandera group and the OUN group of Melnik , which has recently become more active .

In Zhytomyr, Kremenchug and Stalino, several Banderites were arrested, who tried to agitate the population for the political independence of Ukraine. At the same time, it was established that the Bandera group supplied its members and Jews working for their movement with fake passports .

The security police and the SD became aware of the desire to unite the Ukrainian youth in a special union. This association of young people is called "Sich", which once meant the fortified residence of the hetman on one of the islands along the Dnieper, as well as the council of the Cossacks. This name later became the sacred ideal/symbol of the fellowship of freedom fighters.

In Kyiv, an illegal leaflet of the Melnyk group (OUN) was seized, the headline of which read: “Long live the independent Ukrainian state! Long live OUN! Long live Captain Andrey Melnik!”

The security police and the SD are closely watching both OUN and Sich groups in order to strike at the right moment.

______________________

1 Date of receipt of the document by the Commander of the Security Police and SD.

2 Sections I-III on the partisan movement, on the activities of underground communist groups, on the situation of the Jews, on the mood of the population in the occupied territories, on the independence movement in Estonia and Latvia, have been omitted.

3 The Bundesarchiv (Berlin) has a photocopy of the copy kept in the RGVA. (See: R 70S U/31. BI. 189-214).