«RESOLVING OUR AFFAIRS IN THE INTERESTS OF PEACE… THE WHOLE OF EUROPE». A LETTER OF YEVHEN PETRUSHEVYCH TO IVAN KRYPIAKEVYCH DATED JANUARY 28, 1923

Abstract

An archeographic article for the first time published an unknown letter from the head of the exile government of the West Ukrainian People’s Republic Yevhen Petrushevych to Ivan Krypiakevych, a member of the Ukrainian People’s Labor Party (UPLP), dated January 28, 1923. This document was found in the archives of the scientist, which is stored in the Department of Manuscripts of the Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.Being in exile during 1920–1923, the government of Yevhen Petrushevych tried not to weaken its own influence on the leading political force in Eastern Halychyna – UPLP.The congress, in January 1922, reaffirmed the support for the government. However, a group of politicians led by Volodymyr Bachynskyi formed in the party environment, which negatively assessed Petrushevych’s diplomatic activities, including insufficient funding of socio-political structures in the region from funds raised by the United States Diaspora and the influence of Soviet intelligence.The Dictator’s letter to Ivan Krypiakevych clarified the government’s policies and criticized the political ambitions and pro-Polish position of the UPLP leader. All of this exacerbated the internal party crisis and the removal of Volodymyr Bachynskyi from the party and the Inter-Party Council.