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. The final chord in the suppression of organized armed resistance, and a symbol of its tragic end, was the execution by the Bolsheviks of 359 captured soldiers of the UNR Army near Bazar in November 1921[1][2].
Actors
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| G0013 | Soviet Russia (RSFSR) |
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[1]. |
Techniques Used
| ID | Name | Use | |
|---|---|---|---|
| T0039 | Collusion with a Third Party |
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[2]. |
|
| T0008 | Deprivation of Agency |
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[1]. |
|
| T0036 | Installation of a New System of Governance |
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[1]. |
|
| T0104 | Mass Killings of Civilians |
The tragedy near Bazar in November 1921: the execution by the Bolsheviks of 359 captured UNR soldiers who refused to defect to the Reds, as a symbol of the end of organized resistance[2]. |
|
| T0021 | Neutralization of the Opposition |
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[1]. |
|
| T0031 | Restriction of Sovereignty |
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[1]. |
|
| T0088 | Sham Treaty |
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[1]. |
|
Instruments
| ID | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| S0009 | Diplomacy |
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[1]. |
| S0008 | Government |
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[1]. |
| S0010 | Regular Army |
The tragedy near Bazar in November 1921: the execution by the Bolsheviks of 359 captured UNR soldiers who refused to defect to the Reds, as a symbol of the end of organized resistance[2]. |
| S0017 | Secret Police and Security Services |
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[1]. |
References
- Лариса Якубова, большая команда. (2013). Відносини держави, суспільства і особи під час створення радянського ладу в Україні (1917 – 1938 рр.).