Deportation of Ukrainians in 1947. Operation “West”

In 1944, the Soviet army occupied the West of Ukraine once again. While the Soviet troops marched to Berlin, some of them remained in the occupied territories in the West of Ukraine to re-establish the communist regime. The primary goal of the special services and security forces was to fight against the Ukrainian national freedom movements — OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) & UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) — and the people, who supported the struggles for rebuilding an independent Ukrainian state. The Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR’s report “On the results of the struggle of the bodies and troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs-MGB against the OUN underground in the western regions of Ukraine” (1944–1953) noted that the NKVD, NKGB, SMERSH, internal and border troops, Soviet army units, partisan units, fighter battalions, police and armed groups of Party-Soviet activists liquidated the Ukrainian underground and national resistance [1]. In this elimination of Ukrainian national freedom movements, the Soviet regime used deportation of people as one of the primary tactics. 

 In the Directive of the NKVD of the USSR Lavrenty Beria, the People’s Commissar of Internal Affairs of the USSR, stated: “All adult family members of convicted OUN members, as well as families of active insurgents, both those arrested and killed in clashes, should be exiled to remote areas of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Omsk, Novosibirsk, and Irkutsk Regions, and their property should be confiscated… Family members of OUN and insurgents should be sent into exile immediately after the NKVD of the USSR approves the resolution on exile, without waiting for the decision of the Special Meeting”. [10, p. 408].

Such a radical decision was made because members of OUN & UPA actively fought against the Soviet occupation. They engaged in guerrilla warfare against the Soviet Union, mass mobilization, prohibition of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, and forced collectivization. During 1944-1945, UPA units committed 14.5 thousand military actions and sabotage acts [2]. Instead, the Soviet troops implemented the “Great Blockade,” a large-scale action that lasted from January to April 1946 to surround the members of UPA and block all settlements in Galicia and Volyn who supported their activities. It involved 585,500 troops, many armoured vehicles, tanks, and aircraft, which cut off the UPA from its supply bases and camps and forced it to constantly manoeuvre in difficult weather conditions. During its implementation in January–April 1946, the number of members of the resistance movement decreased by almost 40% [3].

Additionally, to weaken the support of UPA by the local population, the Soviet communist authorities resorted to the usual methods which were practised in the Western regions of Ukraine in the first occupation in 1939–1941 — mass deportations. Overall, before the Nazi invasion on the territory, the Soviet Union deported over 3 million Ukrainians to Russia or Kazakhstan [11].

During 1944, 4,724 families (12,762 people) were sent into exile from Volyn, Drohobych, Lviv, Rivne, Stanislav (now Ivano-Frankivsk), and Ternopil regions. The “deep cleansing” of western Ukrainian lands from supporters of OUN and UPA continued in the following years. In total, from 1944 to 1946, 14,728 families (36,608 people) of participants in the national liberation movement were deported from the West of Ukraine [2].

Although the Soviet leadership was fighting insurgents, conducting constant punitive operations, and evicting the population, such measures were considered insufficient. Therefore, in early May 1947, the occupation regime prepared the largest deportation process of this period, Operation West. The first normative act was signed on May 14, 1947, in the form of MGB of the Ukrainian SSR Directive No. 50 [4]. On June 1, 1947, an order was issued pursuant to this directive, which assigned to identifying “family members of active members of OUN and UPA”.

The operation was planned to be implemented in October of the same year. Deputy Minister of State Security of the USSR Afanasii Blinov, Head of the Main Directorate of the USSR MGB Troops Petro Burmak, and Lieutenant General Oleksandr Vadis were sent to Ukraine to oversee the process. All of them were later awarded for the “successfully conducted” operation. Having received instructions from Moscow to “cleanse” the territory of Western Ukraine of “enemies of the people and their accomplices”, local MGB and MIA units, together with employees of the district committees of the CP(B)U, began to compile lists of candidates for deportation. Military units were assigned settlements, automobile and horse-drawn transport [2]. All in all, 15,750 members of the senior staff of law enforcement agencies were involved [3].

The Operation West began in strict secrecy on October 21, 1947, at 2 a.m. in Lviv, and by 6 a.m., the process spread to all western regions of Ukraine. All central and adjacent roads and junction stations were taken under control by MGB troops. People were taken to six pre-arranged collection points in Lviv, Chortkiv, Drohobych, Rivne, Kolomyia, and Kovel. Within two days, most of the families who were subject to deportation according to the list of the so-called “special contingent” were deported.

On October 26, 1947, Operation West was completed. 26,682 families with a total of 77,808 people were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan. More than 60,000 of deported people were forcibly sent to the coal industry, in particular, to the Kuzbassugol, Chelyabinskugol, Molotovugol, Karagandavugol, Vostoksibvugol, and coal mines in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Russia. The rest were employed by industrial and agricultural enterprises in the Omsk region, Russia [3]. 

It is worth remarking, though, that deportees were removed not only to the northern parts of the USSR and Siberia, but also to the central and eastern regions of Ukraine (Dnipro and Mykolaiv, in particular). This was done to respond to the post-war demographic crisis and the need for labor on collective farms in these regions of Ukraine. In the early 1960s, the KGB documents of the Ukrainian SSR listed 77,808 people in the quantitative figures of this deportation.

The Soviets also practiced deporting whole villages because of their affiliation with the Ukrainian national freedom movements. For example, Hryva village in Volyn region. In 1951, the MGB revealed several hideaways of UPA members — Andrii Mykhalevych (“Kos” or “Denys”), Klym Tymoshyk (“Roman”), and Pelageya Herasymuk (“Olya”). Upon being surrendered, Andrii Mykhalevych blew up a grenade in his hand to destroy evidence. Everyone in the hideaway died because it was better to be dead than to be caught in the arms of the Soviets. [6, p. 121].

After this, the Soviets blamed the entire village Hryva for a counter-communist activities and ordered to deport everyone living in the village and destroy the place. In total, they deported approximately 1 500 people. 

Andrii Mikhalevich “Kos”.
The source of the photo: Ukrainian Liberation Movement – OUN and UPA. https://www.facebook.com/uvr2017

This is how the deported villagers recall these events. “In those days, many cars were brought to the village to load things and take them to the station. People took everything they could with them: houses were dismantled, all the equipment, jugs, pets, clothes… We were told to come to the Manevychi station. I also remember that we stayed at the station for three days, it was raining heavily. Tents were put up for us kids, while the adults were getting wet in the rain, keeping watch. We were transported in freight cars — everything was mixed up: people, cows, forest… It took a long time, several days. It was in the fall. In total, the village was transported to Eastern Ukraine six times. I was nine years old at the time”, recalls Roman Tereshchuk. 

A monument on the place of the village Hryva.
Photo source: https://kamin.rayon.in.ua/ [8].

This is how the deported villagers recall these events. “In those days, many cars were brought to the village to load things and take them to the station. People took everything they could with them: houses were dismantled, all the equipment, jugs, pets, clothes… We were told to come to the Manevychi station. I also remember that we stayed at the station for three days, it was raining heavily. Tents were put up for us kids, while the adults were getting wet in the rain, keeping watch. We were transported in freight cars — everything was mixed up: people, cows, forest… It took a long time, several days. It was in the fall. In total, the village was transported to Eastern Ukraine six times. I was nine years old at the time”, recalls Roman Tereshchuk. 

“We were the last, sixth group to arrive”, recalls Oliana Dmytrivna, Roman Tereshchuk’s wife.  “I also remember the freight wagons. We were brought to the station of Hubynikha, and from there we went by car to Magdalynivka. I was six years old at the time”. [9, p. 5].

In the photo — Tereshchuk family – Olyana Dmytrivna and Roman Terentyevych. [5]

The Soviet occupation government deliberately destroyed the local population of western regions of Ukraine. The ethnic cleansing was conducted in many waves though deportation. In the postwar years, the communist punitive authorities went even further, destroying whole villages and cultural monuments in those settlements from which the locals were permanently evicted. This was done to fight the historical memory of the Ukrainian people and to eliminate Ukrainians as a nation. Today, Russia does the same. Only in the past year, Russia destroyed at least 553 objects of Ukrainian cultural heritage, deported from 2.5 to 4.7 million of Ukrainians, and completely destroyed such cities as Mariupol, Vuhledar, Maryinka, Volnovakha. The Russian war against Ukraine continues, and such destruction of cultural heritage and people continues.

Documents

Directive of the NKVD of the USSR No. 122 on the organization of exile of family members of OUN members and insurgents. [10, 408]

The Order of August 22, 1947 “On the Eviction of Families of Convicts, Murdered, Illegal, Active Nationalists and Bandits from the Territory of the Western Regions of Ukraine” signed by the Minister of State Security of the Soviet Union Viktor Abakumov. [5].

3.Assessment of the number of special transportation services, taking into account the possibility of deportation of 100 thousand people. [5].

4. The results of Operation West as of the end of October 1947. Infographic by Oleh Opashyn for “Local History” [2].

Sources:

1. Когут А. Особливості депортації українського населення під час операції “Запад” (за документами ГДА СБУ). Дисертація на здобуття ступеню кандидата історичних наук. Київський національний університет імені Тараса Шевченка, 2020. 
2. Бажан О. Операція “Захід”. URL: https://localhistory.org.ua/texts/statti/operatsiia-zakhid/
3. Примаченко Я. Операція “Захід”.  URL:  https://www.jnsm.com.ua/h/1021Q/
4. Когут А. Операція «Захід» у контексті радянських депортацій із Західної України 1940-1950-ті рр. // Вирване коріння: дослідження, документи, свідчення. К., 2020.
5. Роковини операції “Захід”: Опубліковано документи МГБ про депортацію українців.                                                                                                                        URL:https://tvoemisto.tv/news/rokovyny_operatsii_zahid_opublikovano_dokumenty_mgb_pro_deportatsiyu_ukraintsiv_89278.html 
6. Антонюк Я. Андрій Михалевич  – “Денис”, “Кос”, “13-й”: життя у боротьбі за самостійну Україну. Минуле і сучасне Волині та Полісся. Сереховичі та Старовижівщина у світовій та українській історії. Науковий збірник. Випуск 53. Матеріали LІІІ Всеукраїнської історико-краєзнавчої наукової конференції, присвяченої 24-й річниці Незалежності України, 20 травня 2015 року, смт. Стара Вижівка – с. Сереховичі. Упоряд. А. Бондарчук, А. Силюк. – Луцьк, 2015.
7. Симонович Є. М., “Родовід Симоновичів”. —  Рівне, 2004. 
8. Шмигін М. Переселення по-радянськи: хати в селі на Камінь-Каширщині поруйнували, а селян вивезли в іншу область. URL:https://kamin.rayon.in.ua/topics/460333-pereselennya-po-radyanski-khati-v-seli-na-kamin-kashirshchini-poruynuvali-a-selyan-vivezli-v-inshu-oblast
9. Білоус І. Чужина, що стала рідною. ТОВ «Агро-Овен». Газета “Агро-Інформ” від 1 грудня 2001 року.
10. Директива НКВД СССР № 122 об организации направления в ссылку членов семей оуновцев и повстанцев. 31 марта 1944 г. // ГА РФ. Ф. P-9401. Оп. 12. Д. 207. Т. 2. 1944 г. Л. 21—22. Типографский экз. Опубл.: Сборник законодательных и нормативных актов о репрессиях и реабилитации жертв политических репрессий. Курск, 1999. 
11. Mass deportations from the West of Ukraine in 1939-1940. URL:https://deportation.org.ua/mass-deportations-from-the-west-of-ukraine-in-1939-1940/