Bukovina Battalion Nazi Memorial Opened in Chernovtsy, Ukraine

A Nazi memorial to “Bukovina battalion” has been opened in Chernovtsy with the support of Gnatyshyn – the head of regional administration.

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A Nazi Memorial Opened and Honored in the Ukraine

NEW GENERATION OF EXECUTIONERS

by Ivan MATVEYCHUK
Chernovtsy, Ukraine

from “Novoye Russkoye Slovo”, Friday, December 27 1996, page 15

translated by David Tsal

From: Robert and David Tsal, netsal@mail.apc.net

A memorial to “Bukovina battalion” has been opened in Chernovtsy with the support of Gnatyshyn – the head of regional administration. During the [Second World] War Bukovina battalion was lead by Gestapo agent Pyotr Voinovsky. Thus the “national democrats” of Chernovtsy are trying to whitewash the leaders of Bandera movement, who had cooperated closely with the Nazis.

“If things keep going like this”, say the people in Bukovina, “we will soon see memorials to Hitler, Mussolini and Antonescu…”

Consecration of the graves of “heroes of national liberation battles”, opening of memorials to Stepan Bandera, to soldiers of SS division Galichina, destruction of everything that can remind of Soviet liberation army is proceeding at full speed in Western Ukraine. The nationalists who have come to power are doing everything to destroy the street names of commanders Zhukov, Konev, Vatutin, Chernyakhovsky, who turn out to be commanders of “occupiers of Ukraine”.

This is reality. For five years ultra-radical nationalist organizations are conducting a well-organized [propaganda] campaign against not only the left, but all Russians and Jews. B. Borovich, a mayor of Ivano-Frankovsk, recently told the schoolchildren of the city “to follow the true path of Stepan Bandera”!

But let us return to the recent “celebration” of opening the memorial in Chernovtsy. Archival documents uncover the bloody exploits of Bukovina battalion. Its leaders Voinovsky, Zibachinsky, Shumko, Kvitkovsky gladly served under German and Romanian Nazis, carried out their hateful ideology. For example, Peter Voinovsky recruited fighting brigades, met with emissaries of Bandera at a residence of Jesuit priest Skorobogaty. Bukovina battalion had committed hundreds and hundreds of crimes. Here are just some examples from distant 1941…

  On the edge of village Vizhnitsy, Jewish student Nathan Engel wastortured [to death] by Ivan and Les Klim – members of OUN (“UkrainianSelf-Defense Organization”). Nationalist Georgy Palamarenyuk undressedMitrofan Lazornyak from village Bagni, tied him to a tree with barbed wireand ripped open his stomach. In village Vizhenki, a group of fighters cutMaria Klim into pieces with a saw. Pregnant Nastasia Kibich from villageRivny had her stomach ripped open, fetus taken out, cut into pieces andthrown into Cheremosh river.

Murderers P. Voinovsky, Yu. Shveik, Ya. Ostashek, M. Prits, S.Petrik shot over 100 people in various villages in 1944 in only two days.They were blessed for this action by Galician Uniate priest Boychuk. Heappeared in Bukovina in July of the same year and was hiding weapons in hischurch. They dealt with their neighbours like [butchers] in aslaughter-house, and after bloody business was over, they would go to thepriest for absolution.

First crimes committed by the Bukovina battalion were documented in July 1941 in Chernovtsy, where Voinovsky had arrived with his cut throats together with the Nazis. As D. Kvitkovsky, one of the leaders of OUN, wrote later in his memoirs, they hoped to receive unlimited rights from Antonescu regime. But after a short time occupational powers ordered them to “stand still” and dissolved the Bukovina battalion. Some of the fighters were sent to Sadgorsk concentration camp, where they performed the role of provocateurs. Voinovsky and his fighters moved to Ivano-Frankovsk region, where he met with Mikhail Omalyanovich-Pavlenko, leader of a punitive police regiment. Together they moved to Eastern Ukraine in order to help the Nazis in establishing German occupational order.

At the end of summer of 1941 Voinovsky and Omelyanovich-Pavlenko turned up in Podolye region, where they conducted “special actions” in Novaya Ushitsa, Dunayevtsy, Zhmerinka, Kamenets-Podolsky, Proskurov and later Vinnitsa. As was told by witnesses, Voinovsky and his “specialists” organized anti-Jewish pogroms on the streets of Vinnitsa. Then Voinovsky left bloody trails in Zhitomir and Kiev. It was in the Ukrainian capital that his executioner’s “talent” went into full bloom! He took active part in mass shootings in Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, in Lukyanovka cemetery, in Babi Yar.

After he retreated together with the Nazis, Voinovsky turned up in France, where he specialized in fighting the [French] partisans. There he became Mr. Hartman…

Details became known later, when an investigation into the crimes ofNazi collaborators in Chernovtsy was conducted, and also after nationalists Kulisher, Zagorodny and others were arrested. They uncovered frightening activity of Voinovsky – agent of German intelligence, active member of OUN. According to Voinovsky himself, all these crimes were committed in the name of “self-determinant and independent Ukraine”. His battalion has killed thousands of innocent people, including around 500 children 4-8 years old.

Decades have passed. Pyotr Voinovsky, now settled in New York, came for a visit to… Bukovina! members of extreme-right organizations and local leaders (!) met him as a national hero, invited him to the opening of the Bukovina battalion memorial. He and other cutthroats in old uniforms withswastikas marched through the streets of Chernovtsy and Kiev. He was applauded by the followers of Bandera’s gang – members of “Ukrainian Popular Self-Defense”. They are the people who believe themselves to be members of the “higher race” and hate all “foreigners” [non-Ukrainians]. This is the statement they posted in Ivano-Frankovsk:

“Kikes! Get out of our city! Weare giving you the last chance to leave our Ukraine. Get out if you do notwant to die under a fence! The hour is close when we will make you pay foreverything you had done. Death to Kikes! Glory to Ukraine!”

It looks like the old executioners now have proper students and followers.

For another story on Remember.org:

Sidney Iwens Daugavpils prison massacre | How Dark the Heavens Part II

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