Is it true that a street in Ukraine was renamed after a “Nazi”?

Lenta.ru the title, subtitle and self of the published text articlededicated to the renaming of the street in honor of P. Dyachenko, forms a rather strange cascade of statements.

The headline reads: “Street renamed after Nazi in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region.”

The introduction provides a clarification: “In Nikopol, Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, a street is named in honor of the SS commander.”

And already in the article, quoting the head of the United Jewish Committee of Ukraine, Eduards Dolinskyi, it is written: “This is a very important fact. Nikopol city council renamed Pavlogradskaya Street after Nazi war criminal, Holocaust accomplice, executor of criminal actions against civilians, SD protection team In honor of the commander of the 31st battalion, the head of collaborative units”.

However, all these signs and definitions are by no means identical. The words “Nazi” or “National Socialist” obviously mean a supporter of the corresponding ideology, Nazism.

Such views may be morally and politically reprehensible, but they are not in themselves a crime.

The “SS commander” mentioned in the publication is likely an officer of A. Hitler’s “security units”, an SS officer, and a member of a criminal organization.

According to the definition of the Nuremberg Tribunal, this is already a criminal act – but only if the person joined the SS voluntarily and was not mobilized under the threat of a heavy punishment.

“Scanpix” photo/Empire eagle (Reichsadler) – Nazi symbol

SS was divided into several groups:

• Waffen-SS – SS troops formed as part of the SS and intended to fight at the front.
• SD (abbreviation from German Security service – security service), tokurta 1931 m.
• Einsatzgruppen – mobile killing squads.

SD members were declared members of a criminal organization.

However, naming P. Dyachenko as “Holocaust accomplice, executor of criminal actions against civilians” is already a direct accusation of the crime of genocide, which has not been proven.

A bit of context

in 1917 on March 17, shortly after the abdication of Emperor Nicholas II, It was founded The Central Rada of Ukraine, and on June 23 of the same year – Ukraine’s autonomy was announced and finally in 1918 January 22 – complete independence. in 1918 April 29 the constitution of the People’s Republic of Ukraine was adopted.

in 1918 April 29 Chief Ataman of the Central Rada Armed Forces supported by Germany Pavlo Skoropadskis founded the state of Ukraine, on the same day he was declared hetman of Ukraine.

Soon after the withdrawal of the German army from Ukraine, he established himself in power Simon Petliuras guided by Directory of Ukraine.

Public use photo/Simonas Petliūra

In Ukraine, as in the entire USSR, they were carried out in 1929-32 collectivization the most important goal was to obtain grain for cities and export, and to use the received funds for the development of heavy, mainly military, industry.

Due to the forced confiscation of agricultural products and the 1932 the drought and crop failure that hit the country led to a general famine; according to various data, 3-10 million died of starvation. people.

Polish-ruled Western Ukraine, which escaped famine, experienced the suppression and assimilation of national minority culture by the authoritarian regime of Jozef Piłsudski.

In response to the Ukrainian radical organizations (1920 founded the Ukrainian Military Organization, 1929 – Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) terrorist acts by the Polish authorities after 1930. began to tighten control over Ukraine, introduced police and army units into 800 Ukrainian villages and towns (so-called pacification), arrested about 2,000 Ukrainians, banned their organizations.

Wikipedia.org photo/Józefs Piłsudskis with officers during the May 1926 coup

From the tsarist army to the Wehrmacht

P. Dyachenko started his military career in the army of the Russian Empire in 1916. after receiving the first rank of officer (ensign).

in 1917 joined the armed forces of Ukraine, where he proved to be a talented military commander, and the “Black Zaporizhzhya” regiment under his command was even described as “the best” Ukrainian People’s Republic (ULR) military compound.

After the Bolsheviks seized Ukraine, until 1924 he was in various internment camps, and from 1928 served in the Polish army.

in 1939 participated in battles with the Germans, including the defense of Warsaw, was captured and interned again, this time in Lithuania.

in 1941 Mr. Dyachenko was released and immediately began to actively cooperate with Ukrainian nationalists, but soon he began to cooperate with the German occupation authorities, becoming one of the most prominent commanders of Ukrainian collaborators.

The most famous of them is the Ukrainian Self-Defense Legion (ULS), whose functions included both the protection of the civilian population and the fight against Polish partisans.

in 1944 in the spring ULS was subordinated to SD, in the structure of which it was designated as the 31st security battalion. Later, most of the legionnaires were included to the SS division “Galicia”.

P. Dyachenko himself until the end of World War II participated creating several more Ukrainian military units.

Vida Press photo/Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun

A little more context

Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact The western part of Ukraine was assigned to the sphere of interests of the USSR.

After Nazi Germany attacked Poland, the USSR in 1939 annexed Western Ukraine.

Per USSR-Germany war in 1942 the entire territory of Ukraine is occupied by the German army. About 550 Ukrainian industrial companies and 3.5 million people were evacuated to the depths of the USSR.

Attempts to create an independent Ukrainian state with the help of Germany did not receive the approval of the occupying power. Stepanas Bandera, Andrijus Melnykas and other supporters of independence were imprisoned by the Germans.

During the German occupation, 5 million people died. Ukrainians, 2 million taken to work in Germany.

Stepanas Bandera

Supporters of S. Bandera in 1942 founded Ukrainian rebel army, which fought pro-Soviet partisans, the Polish Armija Krajova, from 1943. and with the German occupiers.

in 1944 In autumn, after the USSR conquered the entire territory of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and annexed Transcarpathian Ukraine, the Ukrainian rebel army until 1949. (in some places – until 1954) opposed the resovietization of the country.

You can suspect, but not blame

Hypothetically, it cannot be ruled out that P. Dyachenko could have been somehow connected with the crimes of the Nazi occupiers, because the auxiliary police (Schutzmannschaft) participated when the German authorities organized the extermination of the Jews.

As for the Ukrainian Self-Defense Legion, it was one such unit, according to documents.

On the other hand, the main function of the Ukrainian Self-Defense Legion was the fight against Soviet partisans and acts of sabotage.

Scanpix photo/Nuremberg Process

In addition, after the war, Mr. Dyachenko went to the United States of America, where he lived until his death in 1965.

And he has never been personally accused of war crimes.

As for the accusations of “complicity in the Holocaust” heard nowadays, they are not yet supported by any documentary or factual evidence, and all arguments are circumstantial at best.

15min verdict: missing context. Mr. Dyachenko was indeed a collaborator who voluntarily cooperated with the authorities of Hitler’s Germany, but it must be admitted that there is no reason to consider him a Nazi or even a war criminal.

The publication was prepared in 15 minutes in partnership with Metawhich aims to stop the spread of misleading news on the social network. More about the program and its rules – here.