Gold Star "Hero Of Ukraine".

[zscout370]

Here is the Gold star also showing the reverse of the order.

Eddie.

I didn't notice this earlier, but on the obverse of the medal, a small Ukrainian trident is placed in the center of the star.

[Christophe]

In the small book of V.G. Lazarenko "Order Manual" (НАГРАДОВЕД), published in 2003 in Moscow / Kiev, there is more information about this Hero Star, and a quite good pic of obverse and reverse.

Ch.

[new world]

I am shocked - Ukrainian President Yuschenko Awards Hero Of Ukraine Title To Shukhevych:

Interfax: Hero of Ukraine title for URA Commander "a state crime" - Symonenko

Ukranian News - Yuschenko Awards Hero Of Ukraine Title To Shukhevych

Just to remind what kind of a "hero" was Roman Shukhevych:

- terrorist, most famous in the 1920s for assassinating several prominent Polish government officials;
- graduate of officer spy school in Hitler's Germany;
- SS officer;
- activist in anti-partisan raids in Ukraine during WW2;
- recipient of several 3rd Reich awards, including 2 Iron Crosses;
- person who directed killings of tens of thousand Ukrainian and Polish civilians during and after the war.

William

[Al-muell]

And You know what would be a reaction of Polish officials if You tell them about the fact? "It's great that our strategic ally is finally beginning to be proud of it's national heroes!"

On the other hand - not so long ago there was a case of two monuments built in Poland: Roman Dmowski (a pre-war politician an antisemite, altough quite a reasonable and effective polititian at the beggining) and Józef Kuraś "Ogień" - leader of anti-communist partizan group after the war, responsible for deaths of many civilians (not neccessarily connected to the party), accused of genocide (on Slovaks and polish Jews), a bandit... much more to say...

The conclusion is that each country builds it's history on the facts they chose. So if someone wants to have a war criminal as a national hero - it's their problem. And You cando nothing about that.

An a brighter side - most of the citizens aren't supportive to such actions.

[DougD]

In 1950 the MGB sent special units in to kill Shukhevych and end the UPA threat in western Ukraine. The 62nd MGB Division was responsible for combat operations and this is the unique unit flag they were issued as a reward for the killing of Shukhevych. Thanks to Dave for taking such good photos of it!

DougD

[matteti]

Again, don't want to go into political argumentation or fight, but please see the other side as well.

Remember what Red Army was doing to Ukrainian peasants that sought independance in western Ukraine. Those Ukrainian who had always been under some occupation excepted a brief moment of History with Grushevsky as their leader in 1916 I believe, had just got conquered by Soviet Union in 1939 and just wanted to get back their nation. To them, and to many people from L'viv and western Ukraine, Roman Shukeyvich is a Hero who defended his People against both the Red Army and the Nazis. Yes he cooperated with the Nazis, but could he really afford to go against the two at the same time?

OUN-UPA prepared plans for a basic government, similar to what happened during Russian revolution, they had some people to act as head of some ministers, among them, the Education minister and had goals to re-establish Ukrainian language all around Ukraine. They issued their own "paper money", etc... They were not just what we can call terrorists. They were more revolutionnary people.

As I already suggested to DougD, there is a very good movie from Ukrainian filmmaker Oles Yanchuk called "The Undefeated" about the search for Shukeyvich by Red Army.

[Al-muell]

Let me be nacionalisitc this time. Do You know how many of Lvov (or more correctly for the period: Lwów) inhabitants before 1939 were Ukrainians?

Revolutionary people can also be terrorists. Even dacabrists were in fact terrorists.

Than again - the acts of genocide aren't typical for terrorists.

As for the language - Ukrainian was used in Ukraine (esp. western) even in hardest soviet time. It was also one of the two official languages of the Ukrainian SSR.

And the fact that Ukrainians have suffered greatly before (not only from the soviet state) doesn't give them the right to commit even more horrible crimes.

I won't comment the film here.

[new world]

What's going on here is the trend to glorify anything related to nationalists and OUN-UPA, while reducing the significance of heroic deeds of the rest of Ukrainians fighting on the other side in the Soviet Army.

In all fairness, why don't we see Ukrainian president giving Hero titles to Soviet generals who liberated Ukraine and to the partisans who fought during occupation? Why aren't they considered Heroes in modern Ukraine?

And how about international laws? At the Nurnberg trial German SS, certain police units and zondercommands were deemed war criminal entities, why then the head of independent nation who wants to be accepted into European community chooses to glorify individuals associated with such organizations?

[NSDAP42]

pics(repro) from star for sale in ebay , i never seen a original in the market