OUN(m) Underground Activities on Transnistria Governorate Territory (1941-1944)

The purpose of the article is to reveal the origin, development and activity of the branches of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists under the leadership of Andriy Melnyk (hereinafter – OUN(m)) in the territory of Transnistria (1941-1944). The scientific novelty: it has been proven that the initiative to build this network belonged to the Kyiv regional branch of the OUN(m). It was found that in terms of the number of members and the intensity of work, the «Melnykivtsi» regional leadership was significantly inferior to the «Banderivtsi» regional leadership, and it mainly operated in Odesa and its suburbs (separate branches were created in Odesa, western Mykolaiv Oblast, and southern Vinnytsia), had about ten active members, who had their own influence groups. It was established that the main areas of work were the distribution of propaganda literature and the attraction of new members. In foreign policy, the «Melnykivtsi» of Transnistria focused on an alliance with the Germans and wanted the unification of all Ukrainian lands. Conclusions. To sum up, the first OUN(m) members arrived in Transnistria in September 1941. However, they did not form their own network and partially joined the OUN(b). Fedir Krykun («Morskyi»), who arrived from Kyiv, was the first to start organizational work in the early 1942. In his activities he relied on the procurement cooperative. The Odesa regional branch of the OUN(m), created by «Morskyi», included about ten people. They were mostly from the Ukrainian intelligentsia of Odesa and several among them were Soviet agents. In the summer of 1942, the OUN(m) members of Transnistria managed to establish permanent communication with the National leadership in Bucharest. From the leadership they periodically received propaganda literature and funds. Gradually, the OUN(m) developed its own network in Odesa, as well as in many regions of Transnistria. Most of its members had no idea that they belonged to that branch of the once unified OUN organization. In terms of the number of members and the scale of its activity, it was significantly inferior to the OUN(b). Despite competition between the two branches of the OUN in Transnistria, there was never any open confrontation. The «Melnykivtsi» focused on cooperation with the Germans, and the «Banderivtsi» focused first on their own forces and later on an alliance with the Romanians. There were repeated occasions when the OUN(m) members switched to the competitors side. Before the return of the Soviet government a part of «Melnykivtsi» of Transnistria moved to Romania. The rest of them were arrested by the NKVS-NKDB agencies, given long prison terms or the death penalty.