History / 1. National History

 

Shpak Denis

PhD in history

Black Sea State University named after P. Mohyla

(Mykolayiv, Ukraine)

 

The movement for the implementation of democratic rights and freedoms of citizens in the South Ukrainian SSR (second half of 1970th – 1980th of XX century).

 

The Soviet Union signed the final document of the Helsinki Accords in August 1975. Thereafter, increased the number of organizations which advocated for the implementation of democratic rights. The Ukrainian Helsinki group facilitate the implementation of the Helsinki Accords appeared in Kiev November 9, 1976. This public organization counted by different information than forty persons [1, p. 31]. A certain number of them were from the South of Ukraine.

In the South of the USSR was quite noticeable public activity of dissidents. In Odessa, there were six activists who were the focus of the Committee of State Security and the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In Kiev and Nikolaev – three. The Crimea – two, in Kherson – one person [2, p. 78]. Residents of Odessa L. Tymchuk, Victor and Catherine Kryukov, heard on the illegal radio address to the world community of the Moscow human rights activist L. Bogoraz about the process of Ginsburg, Galanskov, Lashkova and Dobrovolsky. L. Tymchuk and his friends came in contact with L. Bogoraz and soon joined to the human rights movement.  Namely began to distribute samizdat. Because of L. Bogoraz in 1968 they learned about active Ukrainian dissident N. Strokata – wife of political prisoner S. Karavansky. They’re had got acquainted and exchanged samizdat. Because of her they’re met with residents of Lviv – Chornovil, I. Stanislav-Kalynets, residents Kyiv – I. Svitlychny, O. Mieszko and other participants of Ukrainian resistance movement [3, p. 39]. Even earlier, in the same 1968 L. Tymchuk and V. Kryukov looked for like-minded people among friends in Odessa. Due to B. Sudakov they met with people who were interested in samizdat – V. Igrunova and A. Rykov. V. Igrunova started to collect a library of samizdat. She organized the printing of samizdat in photolab. If the original was unsuitable for photocopying, she re-printed it on a typewriter. In this copying participated V. Prokopenko, L. Karabanchuk and Yu. Gorodentsev, the librarian, who then handed the samizdat library to P. Butov.

Before the rule was necessary to strike a devastating blow to the opposition to its total destruction. Widespread repression was held on January 1972. Because of the number of persons arrested and convicted during this wave of repression researchers also failed to reach unanimity. They say there were from 20 to 200 people [4]. First were arrested N. Strokata, A. Riznykov, Dzyuba, Sverstiuk, V. Chornovil L. Plushch. The investigation lasted six months. On 14-19 May 1972 in Odessa there was the trial of A. Reznik, N. Strokata-Karavanskoy and O. Prytyka [5, p. 65], who were all convicted of a crime under Art. 62, D. 1 of the Criminal Code of USSR. A. Reznik received 5.5 years of strict regime, N. Strokata – 4 years, O. Prytyka – 2 years, since the latter was willing to atone [6, p. 234-235].

Arrests had disastrous consequences for the Ukrainian samizdat: its infrastructure was destroyed, samizdat as a form of opposition ceased to exist for some time. Most of the authors were thrown behind bars.

Ukrainian dissidents in defense of N. Strokata organized «Protection Committee of N. Strokata». It was the first Ukrainian human rights association. Person, authorized by N. Strokata in Odessa became L. Tymchuk. Then she was arrested activist Jewish movement R. Palatnik, who took an active part in the democratic movement. After these arrests of CSS V. Igrunov was considered the leader of the circle of dissidents Odessa. In 1974, he was arrested. V. Igrunov was considered one of the central figures in distributing samizdat in the USSR. There were about 30 people convicted for having worked with him [7, p. 293]. CSS searched «library samizdat», which was for their operational data in Odessa. V. Igrunov was found insane and sent to Odessa mental hospital, where he remained until 1976. In 1974, L. Tymchuk, who took place in this case, and it has established surveillance and wiretapped his apartment, managed to find and defuse the bugging device. After that he was accused of «hooliganism» and sentenced to 15 days.

Holumbiyevska G. and B. Barladyanu lost their jobs. Barladyanu V. and V. Goncharov were involved in distributing samizdat, both in Moscow and Kiev. V. Barladyanu established contacts with the Ukrainian and the Moscow Helsinki Group, spread their documents. After 1968 he appeared in Europe under the pseudonym J. Drubala. In June 1976, his friend Vladimir Goncharov was arrested, and in March 1977 he was arrested himself. V. Barladyanu was sentenced to 3 years by the art. 187. But in the camp in 1980, he received another similar term and was released only in 1983. In 1980 G. Mikhailenko was arrested. She was found mentally ill and sent to a special hospital. In 1982 P. Butov was arrested. CSS searched the famous library of samizdat, which was discussed in the case of V. Igrunov. Many of them were imprisoned, but not everybody. P. Butov was sentenced to 5 years of labor camp and 2 years of exile.

V. Barladyanu Berladnyk, a long-time working head of art center in Odessa State University, maintained contacts with many dissidents. In 1976, during the search there was found the article about the political situation in Ukraine, patriotic poems and autobiographical novel. March 3, 1977 V. Barladyanu-Berladnyka was arrested, and on June 29 was sentenced to three yearsof imprisonment [8, p. 65].

Some researchers believe that the moment could not talk about a campaign of public protests as the organizers of such confrontations middle of 1960th, were arrested. The society was so afraid of persecution in the second half of 1960 that the organization of large-scale actions could be no question. Despite the fact that repression 1972-1973 reached the all-Union scale, they manifested the most severe in Ukraine and contributed to the radicalization of the opposition movement [9, p. 40].

Repressive measures of 1976-1977 led to the transition of the opposition movement to the phase of open confrontation with the authorities, though this time the confrontation was legal.

In the early 80th of XX century, some people of the South Ukraine attempted to enforce their own local government and law enforcement of existing laws, which were subjected to persecution, including forced medical (psychiatric) treatment. Thus, O. Denschik, a teacher from the city of Nikolaev refused to participate in the election of 1982, because in his opinion, «there was no choice». Discussion of ideas among students led to his dismissal from work. In January 1983, he personally appealed to the Prosecutor General of the USSR with a complaint of unfair dismissal. There was no response from the prosecutor. O. Denschik tried to personally to appeal to American journalist, who were in Moscow at that time. At the receiving agency ITAR-TAS he was detained by people in civil clothes and a few days later transferred to a psychiatric hospital, where he was until 1989 [10].

Similar was the fate of the inhabitant in the village Konstyantynivka Bashtansky District A. Ilchenko, who worked as a teacher at night school in the labor camp in Kazankivskyi in the area. On May 3, 1982 she wrote a letter to the Central Committee of Communist Party of the Soviet Union on the name of L. Brezhnev which mentioned that she refuses to vote because they did not believe that the election chose the best. In April 1985 she sent a letter to the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet, which stated that she renounced the citizenship of the USSR, because the country could not protect her and violated human rights. In an attempt of USSR citizenship renunciation and after anti-Soviet statements A. Ilchenko underwent forced «psychiatric treatment in special clinics in the Ministry of Internal Affairs».

«Liberalized terror» was terminated only with the deployment of democratic processes in the USSR during the «Gorbachev’s perestroika». Waiver of violence and terror ultimately led to the breakup of the Soviet Union.

 

References

 

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10. Там само. – С. 43-44.