Generals of Independence: How Odesa raised a galaxy of UPR military leaders

For centuries, the imperial Russian narrative imposed on us the image of Odesa as a capital of humor, trade, and imperial greatness, where there was supposedly no place for Ukrainians. However, in fact, Odesa educated many members of the Ukrainian military elite during the 1917-1921 revolution.

In this Intensive video, we will talk about three prominent generals of the UPR Army whose fates were inextricably linked to Odesa: Vsevolod Zmiienko, the founder of Ukrainian military intelligence, Ivan Lutsenko, the organizer of the first Ukrainian units in the city and leader of the Prosvita movement, and Mykhailo Omelyanovych Pavlenko, the commander of the legendary Winter Campaign who received his military education here.

Vsevolod Zmiienko: an Odesa resident who created Ukrainian intelligence

Vsevolod Zmiienko was born in Odesa in 1886 and received his military education at a cadet school here. The city became the place where he was formed as an officer and a person who would later play a key role in the creation of the Ukrainian intelligence services.

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In the UPR Army, he became one of the founders of military intelligence and counterintelligence. As head of the intelligence department of the General Staff, Zmiienko formed agent networks, analyzed enemy actions, and planned operations. In fact, he stood at the source of Ukrainian military intelligence.

After the defeat of the liberation struggle, he continued his struggle in exile, heading the UPR's military ministry in exile.

Ivan Lutsenko: "Prosvita and the first Ukrainian units in Odesa

Ivan Lutsenko was one of the key figures in Ukrainian life in Odesa in the early twentieth century. Before the revolution, he headed the local Prosvita, which was the center of the Ukrainian cultural and social movement.

With the outbreak of the revolution, Lutsenko became one of the organizers of the Ukrainian armed forces in the city. It was he who initiated the creation of the Odesa Haidamak huts, the first Ukrainian military units.

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In 1919, he was killed in a battle with the Bolsheviks near the Krasyliv station, personally leading the attack. His figure became a symbol of how the Odesa intelligentsia stood up to defend Ukraine with arms in hand.

Mykhailo Omelianovych-Pavlenko: a commander with ties to Odesa

Mykhailo Omelianovych-Pavlenko was not a native of Odesa, but he received his military education at a junker school here, which played an important role in his development as an officer.

In 1919, he commanded units of the Ukrainian Galician Army stationed in Odesa during an extremely difficult period of epidemics, political instability, and troop exhaustion.

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Later, he led the First Winter Campaign of the UPR Army, one of the most heroic operations of the Ukrainian army, which allowed the army to maintain its combat capability and continue the fight.

Reclaiming their names

These stories destroy the myth of "non-Ukrainian" Odesa. The city was not only a participant in the revolution, but also a place where the Ukrainian military elite was formed.

Odesa gave Ukraine intelligence officers, army organizers, and generals. The idea of fighting for independence with arms has deep historical roots here.

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The return of the names of Zmiienko, Lutsenko, and Omelyanovych-Pavlenko is part of our modern struggle for our own history.

At the end of March, Kateryna Datsenko, co-founder of the NGO Vshanui, talks about a minute of silence as a living ritual that works only when people support it. Why even the best initiatives do not work without public participation, how war changes the culture of memory, and why it is important to talk not only about death, but above all about life, are discussed in this conversation.

Анна Бальчінос