Stepan Bandera
Ukraine’s doomed resistance was led by Stepan Bandera from the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN-B). He was a far-right political figure who collaborated with Hitler’s invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. When his forces reached the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, they found thousands of political prisoners had been slaughtered by the Soviets.
In retaliation, they joined the Gestapo in murdering thousands of Jews and Poles in the Lviv Pogrom. It is estimated that around one and a half million Jews were killed in Ukraine during the Holocaust.
Splits did emerge between Bandera and Hitler, as the former wanted more autonomy from Berlin, leading to his confinement in a concentration camp.
The OUN-B formed the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), rebelling against German control but also fighting other Ukrainians, the Soviets and mostly Poles. Ultimately, they sought sanctuary among retreating Nazi troops and Bandera was released in 1944.
Enemy’s enemy
After the war ended with Hitler’s defeat, Bandera fled through Slovakia, where he spent time with the fascist Slovak Hlinka Guard. He then made it to the British Zone of Germany, where he linked up with MI6, providing them a valuable source of information on UPA resistance inside Soviet territory.
Believing he was organising a rebellion in Ukraine, British intelligence began to actively collaborate with Bandera in the late 1940s. They parachuted UPA agents into Ukraine, where they were compromised by Philby who was stationed in Turkey and then the US.
Philby’s KGB handler, Yuri Modin, said: “During this tour of duty in Istanbul, Philby had already helped us wreck several attempts to send in agents. He did the same thing from Washington.”
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Originally Posted by WeeJimmy
