Stepan Lenkavskyi: “You Will Either Have Got the Ukrainian State, Or Die in the Struggle for It”

“Be Proud that You Are an Heir to the Struggle for the Glory of Volodymyr's Trident”

Each of the “Ten Commandments of the Ukrainian Nationalist”, even individually, formulated by Stepan Lenkavskyi in 1929, the year when the OUN was founded, was already enough to put him on the list of counterrevolutionaries and anti-soviet elements. In general, the author of the “OUN Decalogue” was undoubtedly subject to execution. If only they could find and arrest him. But they couldn't.

One of the first documents attached to the case dates November 29, 1946. It states that the case was opened on the basis of materials from the illegal OUN Melnykites brochure “White Book” and the brochure “Ideological Training” by Professor Lenkavskyi. It goes on to say that S. Lenkavskyi – a career Ukrainian nationalist who had been engaged in this activity for many years – in 1939, after the OUN’s split into Melnykites and Banderites, joined S. Bandera and became a member of the OUN Central Provid (Leadership-Transl.) “In the case of Lenkavskyi, a plan of agent-operational measures has been developed, which provides for the collection of information about his activities and whereabouts in order to liquidate him" (BSA of the SZR of Ukraine. - F.1. - Case 13727. - P. 14).

From declassified and previously published other archival intelligence documents, it is known that in November 1944, the nkgb of the ussr drew up similar plans to search for and assassinate leading figures of the Ukrainian national liberation movement – Stepan Bandera, Andriy Melnyk and Oleh Olzhych. In the case of S. Bandera and A. Melnyk, such plans were quite detailed, indicating the forces, means, methods of murder, the number of people involved, and the amount of money allocated for the operations. The chekists already had information that they were in Berlin, and therefore acted purposefully. The liquidation of Olzhych was only a general task. At the same time, the nkgb did not know that in June 1944 he was tortured to death by the Nazis in a concentration camp. They did not have reliable information on S. Lenkavskyi's whereabouts either.

Meanwhile, in November 1944, S. Lenkavskyi was held in a Nazi concentration camp. According to some sources, in the Auschwitz camp near the Polish city of Auschwitz, while according to the papers of the mgb of the Ukrainian ssr, he was first “placed in the Auschwitz concentration camp, then transferred to the Ebensee concentration camp, where he was held until liberated by American troops”. Besides, one of the documents mentions that in 1941 he was imprisoned in the Montelupich prison in Krakow and shared the cell with such OUN leaders as Lev Rebet, Zynoviy Matla, brothers Oleksandr and Vasyl Bandera, and others. In July 1942, he was transferred to a concentration camp. In general, he was arrested by the Gestapo on July 29, 1941, as one of the initiators of the proclamation of the Ukrainian State in Lviv and was imprisoned until December 19, 1944.

Like other OUN figures, S. Lenkavskyi did not give up the idea of restoring the Ukrainian state, which the Nazis demanded from the arrested. Moreover, during all his years in the underground and behind bars, he adhered to the proclaimed commandments, supported the morale of others, and urged them to be proud of being heirs to the struggle for the glory of Volodymyr's Trident, and that “neither requests nor threats, nor torture, nor death would force them to reveal their secrets”.

He had a bitter experience in prisons and camps since the interwar period. As a participant in the First Congress of the Leadership of Ukrainian Nationalists in Vienna (January 28-February 3, 1929) and one of the 28 co-founders of the OUN, he was arrested by the Polish police in November 1930 and sentenced to three years in prison in September 1932 during the trial of the “Congressmen”. It was then that his name appeared in the nkvd agents’ reports and references along with the names of Yevhen Konovalets, Dmytro Andrievskyi, Mykola Kapustianskyi, and others.

In the postwar period, the chekists searched for these reports in different cases. Excerpts from them were added to a new, newly opened file, which was called “Sukhyi” (“Dry”- Transl.). One of the profiles on S. Lenkavskyi stated: “By nature, he is a dry and reserved person”. Another paper emphasized the following features: “Lenkavskyi is a supporter of building the OUN as an organization-order with iron discipline, control over the implementation of decisions, with strict responsibility of members for the work assigned and for their actions, in particular not only in organizational but also in personal life... By nature, Lenkavskyi is calm, balanced, tactful, behaves simply in his environment, has authority among both OUN members and emigrants”(BSA of the SZR of Ukraine. - F.1. Case 13727. - P. 135).

The foreign agent of the mgb of the Ukrainian ssr “Maiskyi” called his report “Lenkavskyi Stepan (organizational pseudonym “Zaluzhnyi”, jokingly – “Professor”). He stated: “In life, Lenkavskyi is a man who is undemanding to his needs. He is satisfied with the least... He took as much from the organization for his life as was necessary to survive. In some ways, he is like an ascetic. He dresses simply, without pretense” (BSA of the SZR of Ukraine. - F.1. – Case 13727. - P. 138).

According to the memoirs of S. Lenkivskyi's associate, Ph.D Mykola Klymyshyn, S. Lenkavskyi really devoted himself to the OUN. At this, he had neither a family nor his own home. He grew up in a clergyman’s family and learned the lessons of asceticism and schematics from an early age. He was what the “Decalogue” he compiled demanded, i.e., a model of fulfillment of the “Ten Commandments of a Ukrainian Nationalist”. He sacrificed himself for the great Ukrainian cause, without expecting any dividends.

The pseudonym “Professor” is also repeatedly mentioned in archival documents. They explain that since his years of studying at the Faculty of Philosophy of Lviv University, his classmates respectfully called him Professor for his powerful intellect and depth of thought, and this honorary nickname accompanied him throughout his life.

The chekists always collected information about a person’s features of character from various sources. This was important in order to further build work on the subject of operational cultivation. In this case, it was clear that neither bribery, nor promises of all sorts of benefits, nor intimidation would be useful for possible persuasion to cooperate or give up views and beliefs. In addition, in the process of cultivation, it was found out that S. Lenkavskyi's father, a clergyman, died in 1944, his mother – in 1949, and no other close relatives in Ukraine could be found. That is, the possibility of involving relatives in the cooperation was also ruled out.

Therefore, operational work on him required different approaches and solutions.

            “You Will Fight to Spread the Strength, Wealth and Space of the Ukrainian State”

This last of the “Ten Commandments of the Ukrainian Nationalist” characterizes, according to archival documents, S. Lenkavskyi’s activities in all the positions he held in the OUN. Even before the split of the Organization, he was engaged in ideological and propaganda work, participated in editing a number of publications, and wrote many articles, brochures, appeals, and program documents himself. One of his brochures, entitled “Ideological Training”, preserved in the archival funds of the Foreign Intelligence Service, was one of the reasons for opening a case against him.

In the government of the Ukrainian State, restoration of independence of which was proclaimed by Yaroslav Stetsko on June 30, 1941, S. Lenkavskyi was appointed Minister of Propaganda. Although the German occupying authorities categorically rejected any independence of Ukraine and did not allow the work to begin, this appointment testified to the OUN leadership’s recognition of Lenkavskyi's high status as an ideological and organizational worker.

In the postwar period, he lived in Germany. He was a member of the Provid of the OUN Foreign Units, supervised the military sector of the OUN (b), in particular its intelligence and counterintelligence, although he did not understand those issues very deeply. This is evidenced by the report of the aforementioned agent “Mayskyi”, who stated: “He was always in the “Provid” of Foreign Units of the OUN and had an influence on its formation. Together with Bandera and Stetsko, he allegedly made up the “Provid within the Provid”. Circa 1948, Lenkavskyi was actually responsible for the work of the Security Service (Ukr. Sluzhba Bezpeky- SB- Transl.). The SB operational assistant, who was not part of the “Provid” at that time, reported to Lenkavskyi and received some instructions from him. (Lenkavsky himself was not an “expert” in intelligence or counterintelligence) (BSA of the SZR of Ukraine. - F.1. - Case. 13727. - P.137).

The mgb of the Ukrainian ssr especially thoroughly monitored the process of electing S. Lenkavskyi as head of the OUN (Revolutionary) after S. Bandera's murder. At that time, one of the most important tasks was to break up the Organization, to pit candidates for this position against each other, to sow discord and confrontation. According to declassified documents, this was partially successful. In particular, in the struggle at various stages between Ya. Stetsko and S. Lenkavskyi. The chekists tried to actively interfere in this competition, but did not take sides. Because both were ardent supporters of the struggle for Ukrainian independence and called on others to “fight for the spread of strength, wealth, and space of the Ukrainian state”.

С. Lenkavskyi was dangerous for the kremlin leadership of the time because he always tried to preserve the unity and integrity of the OUN, even advocating the construction of a closed, deeply secretive organization like an order. Such a structure would have been harder to fight. At the same time, according to the materials collected on him, he was not a dictator, he would listen to other opinions, had a realistic view of the changing situation, and was favorable to the involvement of representatives of both western and eastern Ukrainian lands in the Organization. This gave him more weight in the struggle for leadership and reduced the checkists’ chances to remove him by various means.

“Lenkavskyi has no dictatorial ambitions or any special ambition”, reads “Mayskyi”’s report, “If the members of the OUN Central Provid” of Foreign Units appointed him the “leader” after Bandera's death, they undoubtedly took into consideration his authority, his character, and, in particular, his lack of dictatorial ambitions and ambition like Stetsko's...

Obviously, when voting for him, everyone thought to themselves that, having him as a Providnyk (Leader- Transl.), they themselves would be dictators in their area. But this opinion may be wrong, because Lenkavskyi is demanding, first of all, demanding to himself and tireless in his work, and this ignites and obliges others.

It is this self-demanding and tirelessness in work and their influence on others that can compensate for his lack of dictatorial ambitions and a strong hand...” (BSA of the SZR of Ukraine. - F.1. - Case 13727. - P. 140).

All in all, S. Lenkavskyi had been at the head of the OUN Provid in 1959-1968, later he headed the Propaganda Department, edited the newspaper “Shlyakh Peremohy”(“The Way of Victory”- Transl.), and was engaged in scientific research. All this time, a variety of information was accumulating on him in the case codenamed “Sukhyi”. The kgb was already trying to find grounds to compromise him, and at the same time the entire Organization he headed. For the most part, these were aspects related to his personal life, preferences, and relationships with his fellow party members.

For example, one of the foreign sources was tasked with finding negative information about S. Lenkavskyi. Soon, he reported that the target of surveillance allegedly sometimes showed an excessive passion for cognac. This was immediately seized upon and the intention was to portray S. Lenkavskyi as a drunkard in one of the incriminating pamphlets. Another agent reported that he was never seen drinking alcohol. Eventually, it was found out that he had severe chronic disease, had undergone more than one operation, and had not consumed alcohol at all for more than three years. So they gave up using such “defamatory material”. But not the idea of compromising him.

In the kgb of the Ukrainian ssr’s memo dated August 1972, the following conclusion was drawn based on the results of studying S. Lenkavskyi: “From the point of view of the kgb, we do not have the capabilities to cultivate “Sukhyi”. Work is being carried out in the direction of accumulating materials and using them to compromise the latter”. And this is despite the fact that a number of intelligence reports say that he has an unshakable reputation among Ukrainian emigrants as a modest and decent person. Therefore, it is noted that the use of some minor personal accusations against him in the public space, which no one knows about at all, will have no effect.

So, any attempts to hold some high-profile events failed. After S. Lenkavskyi's death in October 1977, the case was closed and archived. At the same time, his name was forgotten, as well as his scientific and journalistic works on the ideology of Ukrainian nationalism and other issues, which he mostly signed with pseudonyms and cryptonyms. And spreading of the “Ten Commandments of the Ukrainian Nationalist” which became a moral and ethical code for hundreds of thousands of participants in the twentieth-century national liberation movement was generally considered a great offense.

In modern times of Ukrainian history, and especially in the context of confronting russia’s aggression, these Commandments have acquired special significance. “I am the spirit of the eternal element that saved You from the Tatar flood and placed You on the edge of two worlds to create a new life... You will have got the Ukrainian State or die in the struggle for it... You will not allow anyone to tarnish the glory or honor of Your Nation... Remember the Great Days of our struggle…” These words are spoken at the training of many military units and motivate them to defend their homeland.