Stepan Bandera remains one of the most controversial figures in 20th-century Ukrainian history. Who was he really: a leader of the Ukrainian national liberation movement, a symbol of the struggle for independence, or a character whose image was shaped by decades of propaganda, political conflicts and historical myths?
In this video, I separate the person from the symbol and turn to archival documents, historical facts, and statements by researchers. I analyse the assessments of Yaroslav Hrytsak, Volodymyr Vyatrovych, Oleksandr Zaitsev, and other authors, as well as the most common accusations against Stepan Bandera, the OUN(B), and the UPA.
Was Bandera involved in the murders of Poles and Jews? What was his attitude towards Polish-Ukrainian relations?
Was he really not a danger to the USSR?
What do declassified KGB archives say about Operation “Gadfly” and the plan to eliminate Bandera back in 1944?
Separately, CIA documents, the OUN(B)’s connections with the Abwehr and the Wehrmacht, Wilhelm Canaris, Erwin Lahausen, the Nachtigall and Roland battalions, Roman Shukhevych, Nazi repressions against the OUN(B), Bandera’s imprisonment in Sachsenhausen, and the fate of his family are examined.
At the end of the video, a parallel is drawn between Stepan Bandera and the figure of the Jewish national movement Avraham Stern and a broader question is raised: why can the heroes of the liberation struggle of one nation become anti-heroes for another?
Stepan Bandera, OUN(B), UPA, KGB, CIA, Abwehr, Ukrainian nationalism, Jewish-Ukrainian and Polish-Ukrainian relations — through documents, facts, and historical context.
Український погляд
