Is it true that the slogan "Glory to Ukraine!" Bandera invented?

The Russian authorities and the media often say that the greeting, which has now become official in Ukraine, initially appeared among the associates of Stepan Bandera. We decided to check if this is so.

On May 15, 2023, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, criticized the German Chancellor Olaf Sholts for the greeting “Glory to Ukraine!”. In his Telegram channel Zakharov wrotethat "Glory to Ukraine!" - This is a screaming of the Nazis. She also added that this slogan was adopted in 1939 as an official greeting of the organization of Ukrainian nationalists. Zakharova wrote about this earlier, responding to almost every appearance of this phrase in public space: for example, in January 2023, V June and in August 2021. Zakharova claimed that "Glory to Ukraine!" It became the imitation of the German Heil Hitler. "Directly the roots of the slogan" Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes! " It is quite obvious-this is a tracing paper from the famous German National Socialist greeting, ”Zakharova wrote. In the same post, she denies that the greeting "Glory to Ukraine!" It was distributed long before 1939. According to Zakharova, the theory that these are traditional Cossack cries are not confirmed by anything. A The history of education It does not mention independent Ukraine of 1917-1920 at all.

The phrase "Glory to Ukraine!" It is found in literature until the twentieth century, long before the birth of Adolf Hitler, and especially Stepan Bandera. For example, it is this slogan pronounces The hero of the play “Hetman” (1877) of the French playwright and the policy of the Deruleda field.

But in a socio-political context, the first known mention dates back to the end of the 19th-beginning of the XX century. Ukrainian historian Yuri Yuzich I paid attention To the memoirs of Alexander Kovalenko, one of the leaders of the Kharkov student movement, co -founder of the revolutionary Ukrainian party, and then a participant in the uprising on the battleship Potemkin in 1905. Friend Kovalenko Nikolai Levitsky, met the student on the road and greeted the words “Glory to Ukraine!”, To which the student replied: “Forever glory” - and led the guest to Kovalenko. The author of memoirs also adds that such a greeting was widespread among many party members.

In 1916, the words “Glory to Ukraine!”, And precisely as a slogan, sounded at a meeting of Ukrainian emigrants in Detroit. About this I wrote In its report, the newspaper “Freedom”, the official print body of the Ukrainian People’s Union, organizing Ukrainians of the United States.

In 1917, the slogan "Glory to Ukraine!" was common for supporters of the independence of Ukraine. Newspaper "Nova is glad"So described the meeting in one of the villages of the Yekaterinoslav province:" It is proclaimed: "Long live the Democratic Federal Republic! Long live the autonomy of Ukraine!" - They answered in one voice: - "Glory! Glory to Ukraine!". "

The same newspaper in the room for May 6 Reported About a rally in Irkutsk, at which Ukrainians living in Siberia shouted slogans: “Long live the autonomy of Ukraine! Glory to Ukraine! Glory to all nations! "

Another evidence is the memoirs of Vladimir Kedrovsky, in 1917 a member of the Ukrainian Central Rada. In the book "1917"He describes how the creation of the Ukrainian army was welcomed in Kherson:" At first, individual cries were heard, which immediately turned into a single roar: "Glory to Ukraine! SLAS-A-A-A-VAS!" " Thus, already in 1917, this slogan was common to supporters of Ukrainian independence or at least autonomy as part of the Federation.

Greetings "Glory to Ukraine!" Used And later - and in Ukrainian People's Republic (November 1917 - April 1918), and in the Ukrainian power after revolution Hetman Pavel Skoropadsky. In the second case, “Glory to the hetman!” Was added to him. In 1919, at the ceremony dedicated to the signing of the act on the unification of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and the West Ukrainian People’s Republic, there were not only the exclamations of “Glory to Ukraine!”, But also The flag with the inscription “Glory to the Ukrainian heroes”, that is, much earlier than the associates of Stepan Bandera began to use the phrase “Glory to the heroes!”.

In 1920, the phrase "Glory to Ukraine!" was officially fixed as a greeting of the Army of the UPR.

After the section of Ukraine between Poland and Soviet Russia, the slogan "Glory to Ukraine!" He continued to exist among emigrants. In 1939 on Congress of the organization of Ukrainian nationalists It was this phrase that became the official motto. Already at the end of World War II, former members of the OUN They told In interrogations, that different fractions had greetings: the OUN (b), the supporters of Stepan Bandera, was accepted to answer: “Glory to the heroes!”, And the OUN (m), Andrei Melnik’s associates, said: “Glory to the leader!” In addition, from the words "Glory to Ukraine!" The documents of the OUN began.

Since the fall of 2018, in the Ukrainian army and police, the appeal "Glory to Ukraine!" It became official greeting. In Russia, after the beginning of a full -scale invasion of Ukraine, for the words "Glory to Ukraine" became chase.

Thus, Russian officials, mentioning the use of the phrase "Glory to Ukraine!" Ukrainian nationalists during the Second World War are silent about the history of this slogan, traditional for the Ukrainian liberation movement from the beginning of the twentieth century.

Photo on the cover: “Ukrposhta"

Not true

What do our verdicts mean?

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