Institutional Absorption through a "Military-Political Union" (1919–1921)
The final destruction of Ukrainian sovereignty through the imposition of treaties on a so-called military-political union. While formally preserving the status of an independent republic, the leadership of the RSFSR de facto brought the key Ukrainian agencies — military, financial, economic, and transport — under its direct control. On March 18, 1921, Soviet Russia and Soviet Ukraine signed the Treaty of Riga with Poland and divided the Ukrainian lands. Poland, the ally of the Ukrainian People's Republic (UNR) under the Treaty of Warsaw, signed peace with Soviet Ukraine, recognizing it as a state[1][2][3].
Actors
| ID | Name | Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| G0013 | Soviet Russia (RSFSR) | 6 |
Instruments Applied
| ID | Name | Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| S0009 | Diplomacy | 4 |
| S0008 | Government | 1 |
| S0017 | Secret Police and Security Services | 1 |
Procedures Carried Out
Use of the "union treaty" format of June 1, 1919, and December 28, 1920, not to create an equal federation but as an instrument for legalizing direct, rigid rule from Moscow[2].
Transfer of control over the military affairs, finances, communications, and transport routes of the Ukrainian republic into the hands of the central bodies of the RSFSR[2].
De facto liquidation of the Ukrainian army (the disbandment of the Ukrainian Front) and the transformation of the government of the Ukrainian SSR into a nominal appendage of the Russian administrative machine[2].
The signing of the Treaty of Riga in March 1921: a backroom division of spheres of influence and Ukrainian territories with Poland behind the back of the Ukrainian people, legalized through the formal participation of the puppet Ukrainian SSR[3].
Moscow's seizure of direct control over the punitive apparatus through the decision to liquidate the independent All-Ukrainian Cheka (VUChK) in August 1919 and the appointment of its own special commissar, Ya. Peters[2].
Coercion of legal Ukrainian parties into self-dissolution (in particular, the Borotbists in the spring of 1920) and their absorption by the CP(b)U through political blackmail and the bribery of their leaders with official posts[2].