Act of restoration of the Ukrainian state

Ukrainian territory between the World Wars After World War I, Ukraine was divided into three parts: most of Central and Eastern Ukraine became the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1921. The capital was Kharkiv. The majority of current Western Ukraine became part of the Second Polish Republic. This included the city of Lviv, which at the time was the center of Ukrainian nationalist activity. A small part of current far Western Ukraine, the Zakarpattia, became part of Czechoslovakia. Northern Bukovina belonged to Romania. The Ukrainian nationalist movement in western Ukraine For various reasons, the Ukrainian nationalist movement was more active in Western Ukraine than in Central Ukraine in the inter-war period. At the end of World War I, veterans of the Sich Riflemen created the Ukrainian Military Organization in 1920 to promote the creation of an independent Ukrainian state. The leader was Yevhen Konovalets. The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists In 1929, the Ukrainian Military Organization became the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. The first leader was Bohdan Kravciv. The stated goal of the OUN was the creation of an independent Ukrainian State. In 1940, the OUN suffered a split into two groups - one group supported Andriy Melnyk (this group became known as the OUN-M, or "Melnykivtsi"), while the other group supported Stepan Bandera (this group became known as the OUN-B, or Banderivtsi). The OUN-B was considered the more radical of the two. ==Prelude to the Declaration==

The OUN realized that an opportunity was available to fulfill their mandated plan: the creation of a new independent Ukraine. On June 22, 1941, the Ukrainian National Committee was created in Kraków, with Volodymyr Horbovy as a president. The UNK published an essay, "Memorial", which outlined the plans of the OUN to declare independence. This essay was met with severe disapproval of the Nazi authorities, and the leaders of the UNK, Horbovy and Bandera, were told to rescind the document. They refused, and made their way to Lviv. On June 26, 1941, Soviet forces fled from Lviv, and the Ukrainian Nachtigall Battalion, led by its commander Roman Shukhevych, entered the city in triumph to cheering crowds of joyful Ukrainians. With the departure of the Soviet Red Army, the OUN set up its headquarters in Lviv, and began to prepare for the big day. ==Preamble==

In his memoirs Vasyl Kuk said: ==Text==

Pastoral letter from July 1, 1941, with recognition of the Ukrainian Statehood at Western Ukraine ==Government==

After the proclamation of the Ukrainian state, a government was announced. This government included politicians from various parties, as well as political ideologies. They were: • Prime Minister Yaroslav Stetsko (OUN) • Deputy Prime Minister Markian Panchyshyn (no political affiliation) • Deputy Prime Minister Lev Rebet (OUN) • Minister of Interior Volodymyr Lysy (Socialist Radical Party) • Deputy Minister of Interior Konstantyn Pankivsky (Socialist Radical Party) • Minister of External Affairs Volodymyr Stakhiv (OUN) • Deputy Minister of External Affairs Oleksandr Maritchak (Ukrainian National-Democratic Party) • Minister of Defense Vsevolod Petriv (Social Revolutionary Party) • Deputy Minister of Defense Roman Shukhevych (OUN) • Deputy Minister of Defense Oleksandr Hasyn (OUN) • Minister of State Security Mykola Lebed (OUN) • Minister of Justice Yulian Fedusevych (no political affiliation) • Deputy Minister of Justice Bohdan Dzerovych (no political affiliation) • Secretary of the Ministry of National Economy Dmytro Yatsiv (OUN) • Secretary of the Ministry of National Economy Roman Ilnytsky (OUN) • Minister of Agriculture Yevhen Khraplyvy (Ukrainian National-Democratic Party) • Deputy Minister of Agriculture Andriy Piasetsky (Front of National Unity) • Minister of Health Markian Panchyshyn (no political affiliation) • Deputy Minister of Health Roman Osinchuk • Secretary of the Ministry of Health Oleksandr Barvinsky (no political affiliation) • Minister of Education Volodymyr Radzykevych (no political affiliation) • Minister of Communication N. Moroz (no political affiliation) • Minister of Information Oleksandr Hai-Holovko (no political affiliation) • Secretary of the Ministry of Information Osyp Pozychaniuk (OUN) • Secretary of the Ministry of Information Yaroslav Starukh (OUN) • Minister of Political Coordination Ivan Klymiv-Lehenda (OUN) • Director of Government Administration Mykhailo Rosliak (Socialist Radical Party) A Council of Seniors headed by Kost Levytsky as president was also formed. ==Reactions to the proclamation==

Reaction in Ukraine The act of proclamation was broadcast by Yaroslav Stetsko over the radio in Lviv, which made many believe it was supported by the advancing German troops. The act received immediate support from several Ukrainian church officials such as Metropolitan Archbishop Andrey Sheptytsky and Bishop Hryhoriy Khomyshyn of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Metropolitan Bishop Polikarp Sikorsky of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Apparently convinced that the group of Stetsko had the backing of the Germans, Metropolitan wrote a pastoral letter in which he exhorted the people to support the newly proclaimed government "the sacrifices which the final attainment of our goals require demand above all dutiful obedience to the just orders of the government which do not conflict with God’s law." Moreover, he declared: :We greet the victorious German Army as deliverers from the enemy. We render our obedient homage to the government which has been erected. We recognize Mr.Yaroslav Stetsko as Head of State Administration of Ukraine. The pastoral letter was read over the radio by chaplain of the Nachtigall Battalion Father Hryn’okh the same morning. It appeared to have removed any doubts which may have been lingering in the mind of most prominent Ukrainians in Lviv concerning the origin of the Stets’ko government. Supporters of Ukrainian independence have been divided in their assessment of the proclamation. Some considered it brilliant, others considered it reckless or even foolish. Reaction by the German government The Declaration of Independence took the German authorities completely by surprise, and they saw it as an attempted coup. When Nazi troops entered Lviv, the German authorities told the leadership of the Ukrainian government to disband. However, it did not, and in reprisal the leaders of the government were arrested and interned in Sachsenhausen concentration camp. These included President Yaroslav Stetsko, and Stepan Bandera. Within two years of the declaration, the Nazis had imprisoned or killed 80% of OUN-B leadership. == See also ==