The state archive of the Foreign Intelligence of Ukraine continues to seek documentary materials of historical value.
Thanks to such systematic work, the SZRU has recently prepared a new book “The UPR’s Special Services of the 1920s-1930s in Archival Documents of the Intelligence” which is available to the public on the SZRU’s website in the “Declassified Archives” section.
The UPR’s Special Services of the 1920s-1930s.
The labels given by Soviet special services to the documents classified as “Secret” and “Top secret” had been restricting the access to them for a long time, hence most materials have been made public for the first time. The collection includes documents relating to the period of the formation of the Ukrainian state, activities of Ukrainian special services in emigration in the 1920s- 1930s, armed struggle for Ukraine’s sovereignty.
The creation and establishment of the intelligence and counterintelligence, and other special services in Ukraine during that period was a natural phenomenon of the Ukrainian revolution and became an integral part of the development of the national state.
The researchers of the history of Ukraine and all readers will be interested to learn about the organizational structure, functions, main spheres of work and the personnel of special services of Ukraine (national intelligence and counterintelligence, military intelligence and counterintelligence), other security agencies, as well as of special units of insurgent-underground movements.
Heads of special services of all formations, mainly due to lack of qualified professionals, recruited former police officers, gendarmerie, military intelligence and counterintelligence officers, as well as army officers of tsarist Russia and imperial Austria-Hungary.
Most of them positively accepted the idea of the statehood and independence of Ukraine and honestly and faithfully served it. Archival materials contain information about V. Zmiyenko, V. Nedaykasha, I. Lytvynenko-Morozenko, Y. Vodyanyi, M. Chebotariv, Ya. Halchevskyi and many others.
Many prominent figures gave up their lives, defending the Ukrainian state. Tragical was the fate of those who, after the defeat of the liberation movements in the early 1920s, remained in the Motherland, some ended in dungeons of the Extraordinary Commission, others – in camps of the Solovki or Siberia.
The publication of these documents opens up new pages of the national liberation struggle of the UPR. Apart from the characteristics of the directions of work of the Ukrainian intelligence services, the archival files of the foreign (INO) and counterintelligence departments of the State Political Department (GPU) of the Ukrainian SSR illustrate the mechanism of functioning of the Soviet totalitarian system.
The declassified materials documentarily testify to the methods and measures used by the Soviet Intelligence to the leaders of Ukrainian state organizations, military formations created by them, well-known historical personalities, events and facts.
The declassified materials documentarily testify to the methods and measures used by the Soviet Intelligence to the leaders of Ukrainian state organizations, military formations created by them, well-known historical personalities, events and facts.
Press Office of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine
Sources:
Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine official website
