"Stitching" together UPA and Protection of the Holy Virgin: anatomy of sacrilege

This is the second year that the "Day of the Defender of Ukraine" is celebrated in Ukraine on the great feast of the Protection of the Mother of God.

It was set by Petro Poroshenko, shortly after becoming the President. Instead of February 23, "Day of the Soviet Army and Navy", introduced by the first Bolsheviks, and in 1999 institutionalized in independent ("Kuchma’s") Ukraine.

The President often mentions his decision in public speeches: "October 14 is the Feast of the Protection of the Holy Virgin. Ever since Cossack times that day has been a holiday for the defenders of the Motherland. And so ... I have chosen this date, deliberately crossing out of the calendar the alien, artificially introduced holiday of February 23."
One can understand such changing "places of components" in a series of government dates. The "sum" is the same – political mimicry, but the "components", like jigsaw puzzles, are shuffled depending on the political and social conditions, which the new-old ruling elite is well aware of.

Today the situation is such that "February 23" is not in honor. Especially against the background of "de-communization" (well, I must say, in the spirit of Bolshevism), conducted by this same elite.
Of course, you can specify that the Soviet holiday lost its communist connotation long ago. And the Ukrainian military, the police and other security forces mostly considered the date of February 23 their "own". They could be very offended if they did not receive congratulations. However, since the current Ukrainian authorities have other examples to follow, the fact of the holiday transfer is not surprising.

But what has October 14 – a great feast of the Protection of the Holy Virgin – to do with that?

They could celebrate a new holiday, for example, the next day, on October 15, the date Bandera died. He, by the way, is considered "saint" by ex-president Viktor Yushchenko. Here is what he once said: "We were deprived of our name. We were deprived if our Church. We were deprived of our historical memory. We were brought alien heroes: some sorts of Shchors, Chapaev, Kotovsky, etc." According to Yushchenko, "the time has come to remember our own heroes and our grandfathers – those who fought for the independence of Ukraine." In this connection, Yushchenko reminded of how "he absolutely consciously awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to Stepan Bandera six years ago."

But how is it connected with the celebration of the great Orthodox holiday that came from the depths of centuries, from Byzantium? Despite the fact that it was set in Rus’ in1165 by St. Prince Andrei Bogoliubsky hated by Ukrainian nationalists for the capture of Kiev?

The answer is clear: for the simple reason that for long the Ukrainian historiography has called this date the UPA birthday. Thus, there is a blasphemous attempt to combine the great "Commemoration of the Appearance of the Intercession of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary" with the actual celebration of the fascist collaborators.

It started in1947, when the UPA chief Shukhevich issued a "Yule mandate" for his "army" to consider October 14, 1942, the date of creation of the "Ukrainian Insurgent Army" (UPA). Although there is evidence indicating that Roman Shukhevich , the Abwehr agent, SS Hauptsturmführer and the assistant commander of the special unit "Nachtigall" and (since November 1941) 201st security police battalion, made up this date.

What for?

Perhaps, on the one hand, in order to give rise to the illusion of pathos and preserve the traditions of Zaporizhian Sich. And on the other – to gloss over his service in the above 201 security police battalion, one of the seven battalions of collaborationists.

In fact, there are no documents dated 1942 on the establishment of the UPA on the Protection Day. Although some historians argue that that day the 201battalion rebelled against the Germans and went to the forest to fight for the independence of Ukraine. However, Shukhevich and his companions did not give up collaboration with the Nazis.
For example, the head of the Abwehr command -202 Zalinger reported to the Gestapo in 1944 that he used Shukhevich as their agent. Although the latter was wanted by the Germans for desertion, however, this did not prevent him from wearing a shutsman officer uniform and visiting the Abwehr for instructions. After being wounded and taken prisoner, "the UPA founder" began to cooperate with the MGB of the USSR.

And the UPA itself in October 1942 had nothing to do with Shukhevich. "The Ukrainian Insurgent Army "Poleska Sich" is an underground armed "formation" by Taras Bulba-Borovets, who had the title of Sonderfuhrer. Only in 1943 it was called differently, but the name "UPA" was awarded to his soldiers by Shukhevich.

It is worth mentioning that in addition to the proverbial "decommunisation", Ukrainian law provides for the "denazification". The law is fully named "On the condemnation of the communist and national socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and prohibition of propaganda of their symbols". The purpose of this law is "avoiding repetition of the crimes of the Communist and National Socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes."

Article 2, paragraph 2 reads: " National socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regime is found criminal in Ukraine and the one that exercised the policy of state terror characterized by numerous violations of human rights in the form of individual and mass murders, slaughters, deaths, deportations, tortures, use of forced labour and other forms of mass physical terror, persecution for ethnic, national, religious, political, class, social and other reasons, inflicting mental and physical sufferings via application of psychiatric measures for political purposes, violation of the freedom of conscience, thought, expression, press and lack of political pluralism and due to these reasons, based on the facts established by the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal of 1945-1946, it is condemned as incompatible with the fundamental human and citizen’s rights and liberties."

However, among the nationalists there is a perception that the Nurnberg Tribunal almost acquitted Bandera, the UPA and other nationalist formations. As grounds they give the fact that the list of the convicted Nazi organizations did not include the Abwehr, which collaborated with Bandera. They also focus on the documents of the German security services about the alleged forthcoming anti-German uprising of the Bandera movement, for which the Germans sentenced him to liquidation.

However, there are two points here. Bandera negotiated the establishment of the battalions ("Nachtigall" and "Roland") with Canaris, the head of the Abwehr. However, the Abwehr was controlled not only by the Wehrmacht, but also by the Reich Security Main Office. And the Reich Security Main Office includes criminal SD (Security Service), condemned by the Nuremberg Tribunal.

In addition, Article 6 of the Charter of the Nuremberg Military Tribunal states the basis on which the defendant may be considered a war criminal:

"(b) WAR CRIMES: namely, violations of the laws or customs of war. Such violations shall include, but not be limited to, murder, ill-treatment or deportation to slave labor or for any other purpose of civilian population of or in occupied territory, murder or ill-treatment of prisoners of war or persons on the seas, killing of hostages, plunder of public or private property, wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages, or devastation not justified by military necessity;
(c) CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY: namely, murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, and other inhumane acts committed against any civilian population, before or during the war; or persecutions on political, racial or religious grounds in execution of or in connection with any crime within the jurisdiction of the Tribunal, whether or not in violation of the domestic law of the country where perpetrated.

Leaders, organizers, instigators and accomplices participating in the formulation or execution of a common plan or conspiracy to commit any of the foregoing crimes are responsible for all acts performed by any persons in execution of such plan."

It was assumed that the national tribunals would finalise cases begun in Nuremberg case on the basis of the Charter of the Tribunal. There was more than enough evidence of Bandera and UPA collaboration with the Nazi regime. Even if we assume that such collaboration was temporary, it still should be classified as criminal complicity. Nazi accomplices are subject to the above-mentioned law on the "denazification and decommunisation." It does not matter what their goal was. Even if the UPA soldiers sincerely "fought for the independence of Ukraine", that does not change the facts of war crimes and collaboration. It is believed that under the Nazi threat they could not aim at fighting for an independent state when it came to saving from total genocide, but not to the loss of sovereignty.
That's the ugly history. However, it did not prevent the current government from establishing the celebration of the Defender’s Day on October 14, ignoring the dates associated with the feat of the Soviet soldiers.

However, it is even more blatant and blasphemous to link UPA-OUN soldiers, mostly former Greek Catholics (Uniates), with the great holiday of ORTHODOX Zaporozhie Cossacks, who fought with Unia. What is the point of such fraud? Well, apart from indulging pseudo-patriots, who organize torchlight processions and other events on that day?

Obviously, the reason is to reinforce in the public consciousness the false idea of "patronage" of the Blessed Virgin over nationalist scoffers and hypocrites, dressed in togas of the "true Orthodox."

For claiming this lie as a fact, to lead people away from the Church of Christ – to the wolves in sheep's clothing, which come under his name. For the wicked, that he will say in the judgment: "I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness." (Mf.7: 21-27)

Today they are trying to adopt the lawlessness and schism as the state religion. No wonder the autumn agenda of the Verkhovna Rada included the raider law against the Church. These are all links in the same chain as the murder of priests, attacks on them and the flock, seizures and desecration of churches, the focused course for the prohibition of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

But God cannot be deceived. And any blasphemy can result in bad consequences for its performers.

When Tsargrad (Constantinople) was surrounded by the enemies of the Church of Christ, the residents gathered at the Blachernae Church of the Blessed Virgin for the All Night Vigil. St. Andrew, the Fool-for-Christ, and his disciple Epiphanius (later Byzantine patriarch) were also praying there. Suddenly, when the Vigil was coming to an end, St. Andrew lifted up his eyes towards the heavens and beheld our most Holy Lady Theotokos coming through the air, resplendent with heavenly light and surrounded by an assembly of the Saints. On bended knees the Most Holy Virgin tearfully prayed for Christians for a long time. Then, coming near the Bishop’s Throne, she continued her prayer.

After completing her prayer she took her veil- omophorion and spread it over the people praying in church, protecting them from enemies. And they withdrew soon.

Here is what St. Dimitry of Rostov writes about the appearance of the Most Holy Virgin in the "Lives of the Saints".The Most Holy Lady Theotokos was resplendent with heavenly glory, and the protecting veil in her hands gleamed “more than the rays of the sun.” St Andrew gazed trembling at the miraculous vision and he asked his disciple, the blessed Epiphanius standing beside him, “Do you see, brother, the Holy Theotokos, praying for the whole world?” Epiphanius answered, “I do see, holy Father, and I am in awe”

Sts. Andrew and Epiphanius were worthy to see the Mother of God at prayer, and “for a long time observed the Protecting Veil spread over the people and shining with flashes of glory. As long as the Most Holy Theotokos was there, the Protecting Veil was also visible, but with her departure it also became invisible. After taking it with her, she left behind the grace of her visitation.”

Nationalist forgers are trying to implant a thought that of the Most Holy Mother of God left Her grace to them. Although anyone, not even a church-going man, looking at what is happening in the country, can say with confidence that all these people are getting further away from God.

When they see the light and their own handwork – they might feel horrified. Well, if it happens in this life, they will have time to repent.