“I, a soldier of the UNR”

On March 27 The Day’s correspondent chanced to visit a filming site of a documentary about the Ukrainian revolution of 1917-18 (The Day covered this in the Ukrainian- and Russian-language editions; issue No. 42, March 11, 2011). The shooting was taking place at the Kyiv fortress. The soldiers of the Ukrainian National Republic army were played by reenactors from the military history clubs Povstanets (Insurgent) and Infantry Intelligence Platoon of the 3rd Iron Division of the Active Army of the UNR, who are engaged in a detailed study of that period.

During the filming of the assault of the Kyiv fortress, when the “UNR” and the “Red Army” clashed, The Day’s reporter witnessed a curious scene.

The reenactors had been trying their best to avoid playing the invaders. And when one of them was finally made to wear the Red Army uniform, he yelled to his comrades, “Come on, finish this Muscovite, quick!” Nevertheless, he duly fulfilled his obligations.

After this curious incident, The Day’s journalist asked one of the reenactors about what he thought of the soldiers of the Ukrainian National Republic.

Yurii KUDRIASHOV, historical reconstructor, “soldier of the Infantry Intelligence Platoon of the 3rd Division of the Iron Army of the UNR”:

“As a child I read a book about Ukraine’s struggle for independence and statehood. It described the liberation war of 1917-19. I reflected on what I had read a lot. Later I took up historical reenactment and became a “soldier of the Infantry Intelligence Platoon of the 3rd Division of the Iron Army of the Ukrainian National Republic.” We study and reenact this period up to the most minute details, even everyday life. I understand that the leadership of the UNR made a lot of errors in their struggle for independence. Yet let us leave politics to the politicians. Ordinary soldiers carried out their duty with devotion. When the UNR Army got orders to retreat and cross the Zbruch to move to Poland, many soldiers submitted reports to their commanders to tell them they wanted to go back to Ukraine and continue fighting there. Though a part of the UNR men were fighting “for their homes and gardens,” or out of revenge (their families had been killed or hurt, houses burnt, or wives raped), there still were quite a few men who even then, in those troubled times of the collapse of the empire, were aware of their Ukrainian identity, and fought for their state and freedom.”