Â鶹APP

Top 10 Facts about Ukraine during World War II

World War II  was the largest global conflict witnessed in history, and one of the most devastating as well. It was fought between two main alliances, that is, the Axis and Allied Powers. While history books detail some of the major battles such as the Battle of the Atlantic, and Pearl Harbor, and well-known atrocities committed in the war including the Holocaust, it is a disturbing reality that some of the most brutal events took place in areas not often accorded as much attention as the major fronts of the war. Decades on, the effects of the war are still felt by nations that were caught up in the crossfire.

 This article zeroes in on the action witnessed in Ukraine during World War II. Situated in Eastern Europe, Ukraine had a significant strategic potential for Nazi Germany. It was also rich in agricultural and industrial resources, which were crucial in advancing and supporting the war effort. Considered the ‘bread-basket of Europe’, and endowed with fertile black soils, Ukraine held a crucial position in Hitler’s agenda to expand in the East and build a self-sustained German empire.

Meanwhile, the Soviet Union had already occupied Ukraine in 1922, gaining more Ukrainian territory in World War II as a result of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, which was a non-aggression treaty between the Soviet Union and Germany. When Germany turned on the former on June 22, 1944, Ukraine found itself in the middle of the crossfire, with both Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union seeking to lay  hold over Ukrainian territory. The result was devastating suffering and loss, wrapped up in a rather complex but disheartening turn of events.

Here are the top 10 facts about Ukraine during World War II.

1. Ukraine had been under Soviet rule before World War II

Vladimir Lenin giving a speech. Vladimir Lenin arrives in Saint Petersburg triggering the October Revolution.

Ukraine came under Soviet Rule in 1917, following the Russian Revolution. The latter resulted in the fall of the Russian Empire and the consequent establishment of a socialist state. The Bolsheviks, under Vladimir Lenin, seized power and established the Soviet Union. Ukraine, which had been part of the Russian Empire, became one of the republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until it declared independence in 1991. To date, tensions between Ukraine and Russia continue.

Read on: 10 Historical Events that happened in 1922.

2. More Ukrainian territory came under Soviet occupation following the invasion of Poland

The Nazi-soviet Invasion of Poland, 1939 Russian cavalry and infantry entering the Polish city of Wilno (Vilnius) after joint German-Russian aggression against Poland. Image by Press Agency photographer.

The Molotov-Ribbentrop pact was a non-aggression treaty between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union, signed on 23 August 1939. It further contained a secret protocol, partitioning Eastern Europe territories between the two countries. When Nazi Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939, officially marking the start of World War II, the Soviet Union would follow suit on 17 September. The latter would proceed to annex several territories in the region, including Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, and parts of Romania. The Soviet Union cited concern for ethnic Ukrainians and Belarusians as a pretext for their invasion of Poland. Galician lands inhabited by Ukrainians, Poles, and Jews came under Soviet occupation in 1939, and in 1940, Northern Bukovian and Bessarabia, also occupied by Ukrainians, Romanians, Jews, and Russians were added to Soviet-occupied Ukrainian territory.

Have a look at Top 10 Things about the Soviet Union during World War II.

3. Ukrainians suffered greatly under the various Soviet policies

Section of the Great Famine Memorial in Dublin. Photo by Kathrina Schmidt.

From the Soviet policies to German occupation and the resultant atrocities committed, Ukraine suffered greatly. Under Soviet rule, the collectivization of agriculture and other aggressive agricultural policies resulted in the Holodomor or Great Famine  in 1932. Holodomor, when translated from Ukrainian, means ‘death by hunger.’  An estimated 2.6 million died of starvation, and the event has been cited, although arguably, as an act of genocide. Ukrainian culture was tramped in favor of Russian ideologies, as the Soviet Union sought a unified, Russified State.

Under German occupation, many were transported to Germany as forced laborers, over 700 cities were destroyed leaving millions homeless, critical infrastructure was severely damaged and over 5 million lost their lives throughout the course of the war. The material loss is estimated to have constituted forty percent of Ukraine’s national wealth. Economic reconstruction would take years and intense effort when the Soviet Union regained control over the territory.

4. Germany invaded Ukraine in violation of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1941

Signing of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.

The surprise attack by the Nazi Germany war machine on the Soviets on June 22, 1941, terminated the non-aggression pact. As the former advanced into Soviet territory, Operation Barbarossa would be carried out in three waves. Three army groups were used. The Army Group North would target Leningrad, Army Group Center was in charge of Moscow, and Army Group South targeted Kyiv and Ukraine. By November, Ukraine was under German control, as the Soviet forces retreated.

Check out the 10 Must-Read World War II Books to Understand what Happened.

5. Initially, some Ukrainians welcomed the Germans as liberators

Having been under brutal Soviet rule, part of the Ukrainian population thought of the Germans as liberators who would facilitate Ukrainian’s attainment of independence. This belief was partly informed by the fact that Germany was at this point, a sworn enemy of the Soviet Union and Poland. This misinformed hope was soon obliterated when the members of the UON-B were arrested and taken to concentration camps. They had proclaimed Ukraine’s statehood restoration with the entry of Nazi Germany into the territory. Instead of furthering Ukraine’s political aspirations of freedom, the Nazis granted Poland administrative control over Galicia and gave Romania control over the area between the Dniester and Southern Buh rivers.

6. Nazi occupation policies were equally brutal

Soviet POWs covering a mass grave after the Babi Yar massacre, October 1, 1941. Photo by Johannes Hähle.

Political organizations were banned, people were forced to work as laborers for the German war machine, and many others were deported to concentration camps. Policies on genocide against Jews living in Ukraine were issued. Mass killings of the Jewish populations in occupied Ukraine began soon after in the fall of 1944. About 1.5 million Ukrainian Jews met their deaths at the hands of the Nazis. Ukrainians were forced to work in collective farms, as had been the case during the previous Soviet rule, and their cities were deprived of essential supplies such as food. An estimated 2.2 million were taken to Germany as enslaved laborers.

7. The Babi Yar Massacre is one of the worst atrocities committed by Nazis in Ukraine

80th anniversary of the Babi Yar tragedy in Ukraine.

The Babi Yar is a ravine in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital. Between 29 and 30 September 1941, one of the largest single massacres in the history of the Holocaust occurred here, with a total of 33,771 Jewish deaths. Other victims of the massacres at the site include communists and Soviet prisoners of war. The order to kill all Jews in Kyiv had been made by Kurt Eberhard, the Police Commander of the Army Group South. In what was one of the most dehumanizing and goriest mass murder executions, the Jews were led down to the ravine, ordered to undress, and shot while lying down. The Nazis later undermined the walls of the ravine and buried the bodies. More executions would continue to take place throughout the German occupation, and the number of victims varies.

Read more on: How Many Jews Died World War 2: 10 Facts about the Holocaust.

8. Several resistance movements fought German rule

It was clear that the Germans were keen on furthering their interests and exploiting Ukraine for their war effort at the expense of the nation’s welfare. Several underground organization movements joined in resisting German rule despite repressive measures such as executions. Some of these were Soviet partisans, and others, such as the Ukrainian Insurgent Army fought both the Germans and the Soviet Union.

9. Some of the Ukrainian population collaborated with Nazi Germany

While a majority of the ethnic Ukrainians fought in the Soviet Union Red Army against the Germans, other fought in the German army including the Waffen SS Galicia, auxiliary police units, and concentration camp guards. Some of the Ukrainian nationalists had initially hoped that collaborating with the Germans would influence an expedited establishment of a Ukrainian independent State. Collaborators, motivated by various factors such as hate for the Soviet Union, and fear for their lives and families safety, got involved in perpetrating atrocities such as the Holocaust in Ukraine for Nazi Germany.

10. Ukraine was eventually liberated from the Germans in 1944

Joseph Stalin.

Following their victory over Germany in the Battle of Stalingrad, the Soviet forces proceeded to launch a counter-offensive westward, which triggered the gradual retreat of the Germans from Ukraine. By November 1943, the Soviets re-entered Kyiv, advancing into Galicia by the spring of 1944. By October of the same year, Ukraine was once again, under Soviet rule. The western frontiers of Ukraine would soon be redrawn, with Poland agreeing to cede Galicia and Volhynia. Northern Bhukovina was recognized as Ukrainian territory in the Â鶹APP Peace Treaty of 1947. The Sovietization of western Ukraine marked the final years of Joseph Stalin’s rule. It was only in 1991 that Ukraine successfully declared its independence.

Have a look at the 35 Important Battles of World War II.