FROM THE HISTORY OF THE FIGURES OF THE SUMY BRANCH OF THE OUN DURING THE STALINIST REPRESSIONS OF THE 1930–1940S. PART 1

Abstract

Abstract. This article is the first part of an in-depth scientific study of the life histories of individuals who were members or were members of the Sumy branch of the OUN. Their destinies are interconnected, their stories are intertwined, and all are united by one goal – to achieve the liberation of the region from Soviet oppression. Purpose: to investigate the activities of members of the Sumy branch of the OUN, their ideological beliefs, political struggle, and resistance to the Stalinist regime in the 1930s and 1940s. Methods: historical-chronological, comparative-historical, biographical methods, as well as methods of synthesis and analysis, in particular source-scientific analysis of archival sources, were used during research on the topic. Scientific novelty. Based on published research and the introduction of new documentary sources, the article traces the life history of individuals who were members of the Sumy OUN cell, were potential candidates for membership, or were suspected of collaborating with the OUN during the war of 1941–1945. Results. The main attention is paid to the coverage of the activities of members of the Sumy branch of the OUN in the 1930s during Stalin’s repressions and political persecution of opposition-minded citizens, the falsifications of criminal cases of the so-called "enemies of the people" by the NKVD bodies. The conditions of the political struggle, the economic and social situation of that time, which influenced the formation of anti-Soviet views of teachers who opposed the Soviet government, are revealed. Conclusions. The study showed that the individuals whose stories are discussed in this article were subjected to repressions in the 1930s–1940s, and mainly because of this, they collaborated with the German authorities during the occupation of Sumy in 1941–1943. Among them were teachers who, disillusioned with the Soviet regime, hoped for the liberation of Ukraine by German forces.