YEVHEN KONOVALETS PRESENT!

Only in fire iron turns to steel, and only in struggle peoples turn to nations!

 Yevhen Konovalets

On May 23 the Ukrainian nationalists traditionally honour the memory of Yevhen Konovalets, legendary leader of the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and the Ukrainian Military Organisation (UVO), a member of the European nationalist community and Stalin's personal enemy.

On May 23, 1938, he was assassinated in Rotterdam in result of treacherous betrayal by his friend Pavel Sudoplatov, who was in fact an NKVD agent who had infiltrated into the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists. When Konovalets was sitting in a cafe Sudoplatov approached to him and presented a box of chocolates with a bomb hidden inside. As was turned later, the order to assasination of the Ukrainian nationalist leader was made personally by Stalin.

Under his leadership the OUN had actively cooperated with many European nationalist organisations and political parties, in particular with the German nationalists. In 1937, the OUN delegation led by Volodimir Martynets were participating in a large meeting of the Right International. Konovalets repeatedly personally met with the leadership of the German nationalists. Soviet intelligence reported anxiously from Rome in its report of 28.01.1936:

"... rumours about Konovalets negotiations with Italian fascists are spreading in the Ukrainian community in Vienna, the negotiations were also attended by Ivan Poltavets-Ostryanitsa, who has a rank of Hetman of the Ukrainian cossacks, and who arrived there from Munich. Atthe same time Ostryanitsa maintains good relations with the German nationalists and even had provided them financial aid." the Soviet agent reported.

In addition, has to be recalled on cooperation between the UVO leaded by Yevhen Konovalets and the Lithuanian security services. In June 17, 2011 in Vilnius, Lithuania took place the conference "Yevhen Konovalets: Lithuanian citizen - the Ukrainian patriot. Celebration of 120th birthday" organised by The Lithuanian Parliamentary Foreign Affairs Committee, People's Liberation Movement Research Centre (Ukraine) and Ukrainian organizations in Lithuania.

Eternal memory to the chief!