Stepan Bandera. “From the Inexhaustible Source” [1957]

The struggle against Bolshevism is a real struggle for life and death not only for the active fighters, but for the entire nation who will fall under the Bolshevik yoke. The fundamental extermination of all unruly, freedom-loving elements who do not want to serve Bolshevism, systematic genocide are the main means of the Bolshevik policy of subjugating nations. It consists in keeping every enslaved people, all its strata, every person under the constant pressure of an unyielding either-or: submit, accept the communist doctrine as the truth and without resistance serve the Kremlin’s goals, or be destroyed.

At the beginning of communist rule, it was said that it was only about the destruction of the “class enemy” and about the education of a new generation in the communist spirit, without any “superstitions”, and then the system of violence and terror would be eliminated as unnecessary, because the re-educated nations would be convinced that communism is correct and will keep it voluntarily. Over the course of four decades, the Bolsheviks successively exterminated everyone who could be classified as a “class enemy.” Today’s middle and growing generations have been brought up from childhood under the exclusive influence and supervision of the Bolshevik total system, in complete isolation from all influences of the outside world, but there is no combination or reconciliation between the people and Bolshevism.

The Bolsheviks did not succeed in regenerating people according to the recipes of communist doctrine, nor in convincing them that their criminal, anti-people system and the same goals of communism are truly noble and that they correspond to the needs and desires of the people. They were not helped much by the tightest barrier of fortified nations from the free world and the unsurpassed falsehood of the communist propaganda about the terrible poverty and plight of people in capitalist countries and the happy, free life under the Soviets. In the same way, the merciless persecution and destruction of religion, national traditions, the devastation of all literature, history, all areas of national culture and creativity, the uprooting of everything that forms and elevates the spirituality of man and people, and does not correspond to Bolshevik theses and goals, did not bring Moscow the hoped-for success.

With such methods, the Bolsheviks created for themselves, it would seem, the most favourable circumstances for the successful implementation of their experiment in the transformation of man and nation. But the fact of failure precisely under the most favourable conditions revealed quite clearly that the Bolshevik concept itself is false and unworkable. Its basis is a materialistic view of man and the human community, the conviction that human spirituality is a product of life circumstances and conditions of development.The Bolsheviks themselves were convinced that the implementation of this fundamental plan of theirs had no positive consequences. On the contrary, the results of those consequences cancel out all hopes for the future. Having understood this, leaders from the Kremlin drew their conclusions. These conclusions are peculiar, corresponding to the unchanging goal of the Communist Party: to hold, consolidate and spread its rule by any means. Everything else has meaning of the means, among other things, also the plan of reshaping the person and the people. This should have been the ideal remedy, but when it is impracticable one must stick with what has so far proved successful. Therefore, the CPSU stopped interpreting the current system of its ownership as a transitional stage. The rule of Moscow over the enslaved nations and the totalitarian dictatorship of the Communist Party must always be maintained by coercion and terror, and all disobedience must be destroyed. Accordingly, a layer of the communist ruling bureaucracy is formed in the Communist Party. It selects an idealess and careless element with special “abilities” needed in such a system.

Communist education, the formation of a person’s thought and character must continue in the same way and with the same methods as before, although such consequences that would replace the system of violence and terror are not expected from it. It should help to justify this system, break down all resistance and, most importantly, counteract the formation of undesirable and hostile worldviews, concepts, currents.

When the Bolshevik measures to re-educate the enslaved nations in the communist spirit did not yield positive results, the reason for this was certainly not insufficient persistence, insufficient pressure, or other “neglect” on the part of the Bolsheviks. They did everything possible, in particular on the destructive side, in cutting off the people from all the roots of their original development and spiritual life. In the same way, it is impossible to surpass their methods in creating coercive circumstances, which should have a decisive influence on the formation of a person and a nation.

The essential reason for the failure of Bolshevik engineering in the spiritual field is that it came across such primal elements in the souls of man and people, which cannot be changed or destroyed, and whose origin, power and influence reach further than the border of life and death.

The final argument of the Bolshevik system, also in the “re-education” of people, is death, the threat of destruction, and then the ruthless destruction of all who are disobedient and not beneficial. But even this argument is not all-powerful.
That which is the product of life itself does not stand the test of death. Here are millions of people, entire nations in the face of death defending the truths and values ​​that are dearer to them than life itself! For the human soul comes from Him, who from the beginning was before life and will be after life, eternally, and the defence of great truths brings the human soul closer to God than life.

The Bolsheviks waged the worst fight against religion, persecuting and destroying the Church of Christ, making religious life impossible. But the foundation of faith laid in the human soul: the longing for God and the search for the Deity cannot be destroyed.
Bolshevism managed to deprive nations and people of all free will, but it was unable to suppress the desire for freedom itself. It is inherent in every person and nation, it always lives and encourages competition, because free will is a gift given by God.
The communist system smuggled the truth into prisons and concentration camps, drove it underground, and replaced it with falsity and lies. But she did not manage to tear out of the human soul the understanding of what truth is, the longing for it, the desire to defeat it. Because truth is the road by which the human soul leads towards God. No one and nothing will divert mankind from this direction.

In the same way, the Bolsheviks did not extinguish the love for a neighbour, the sense of justice and the desire for its triumph. Because these are the basic laws of God for the human community, the foundations of relationships between people, which are always echoed in the soul by the voice of conscience.
The Bolshevik attack on nations in order to break them up and turn them into a soulless herd of “Soviet people” focuses on efforts to kill national consciousness and national feelings in man. In this regard, the enemy does not manage to reach the very depths, because national feelings and signs not only entered the blood of a person but are organically inherent in the human soul.

All these indestructible foundations of the human soul do not allow a person to become a weak-willed and obedient tool of communism, full of hatred for God, nation and man. They encourage people to resist the criminal actions of Bolshevism and to wage an active struggle for its elimination.

But the tenacity of that resistance and readiness for an active liberation struggle depends primarily on the effort of the movers themselves. Relying on their very existence and  automatic reaction alone – is simultaneous with a passive attitude to the matter. The powers of the soul of each person and the whole nation also need nurturing and exhaustion, especially when they are overburdened by constant excessive tension. This should be borne in mind by everyone who is concerned about the fate of his nation.
Faith reinforces the soul’s strength the most. Through true and deep faith in God, the Saviour, every person and entire nation is able to continuously draw from the ever-living source as much strength as their soul can absorb. Especially in the most difficult life situations, great misfortune, patience and struggle, faith in Christ gives the strongest, often the only and certain help. In that direction, we must first of all turn our thoughts and hearts when we think about helping our people in their difficult but noble struggle for truth and freedom.

The matter of religion, its defence against the onslaught of godless communism, true belief in and support of the living Christian faith is the most important matter not only of the Church itself, but also of the entire nation, all national forces, in particular the national liberation movement. We should not separate the defence of the Christian faith and the Church from national liberation struggles, but focus our main attention and efforts around those most important claims against which the enemy is directing the strongest offensive.

At Christmas time, our thoughts, are full of concern for the fate of the people, of all our relatives and friends in Ukraine, in prisons, concentration camps and in exile, first of all dwell on the mystery of the incarnation of God. The awareness of why God first came to the world to the lowest, the poorest, like a helpless, persecuted baby, fills the soul with faith and love. The most important thing in this is not humiliation, because the greatest humiliation for Christ was the company of sinners, not the poor. Our hearts are captured by the symbolism of the fact that Jesus first came to those who most needed God’s help and protection, and by seeking protection among them, he raised them to the top. We feel the direct relationship of this Christmas symbolism to the current situation of our people and Christ’s faith in the enslaved Motherland.

From this source of faith we must draw the greatest strength to persevere on the right path. The awareness that God is with us is the surest and greatest help for all of us, in particular for all the fighters and sufferers of the Ukrainian liberation struggle.