Supreme Rada recognizes activities of Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists as struggle for Ukraine’s independence

On Thursday, the Supreme Rada of Ukraine approved the second reading of a law on the legal status and commemoration of fighters for Ukraine’s independence in the 20^th century. As many as 271 MPs supported the law.

As EAD reported earlier, initially the activities of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) was anti-Polish, anti-Soviet and anti-Semitic. During World War II the organization cooperated with Nazi intelligence against the Soviet Union. In 1943, it organized a Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UIA) and Ukrainian SS Division Galichina.

According to different sources, OUN-UIA killed no less than 1,000,000 people, including 200,000 Poles. In Russia UIA is considered an extremist organization.