THE ACTIVITY OF «WESTERN VOICES» DURING THE COLD WAR AND THE UKRAINIAN NATIONALIST MOVEMENT IN NORTH AMERICA AND UKRAINE

Oleh Mashevskyi, 

Dr. habil. (History), Professor, 

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv,Ukraine 

 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/2524-048X.2024.29.10

 

Abstract.

The study examines the role and significance of Western radio stations that broadcasted to the USSR, particularly to Ukraine, in the confrontation between Western democracies and the so-called «socialist camp» during the Cold War from the late 1940s to the early 1990s. It explores the impact of these processes on the development of the Ukrainian liberation movement from Soviet/Russian oppression, both within Ukrainian lands and among nationalist organizations in North America.

The primary source base of the article consists of declassified documents, newly introduced into scientific circulation, from the Committee for State Security of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, a branch of the KGB of the USSR and strictly subordinated to Moscow’s orders. These documents are currently preserved in the Sectoral State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine.

Radio stations such as Voice of America, Radio Free Europe, Radio Liberty, the BBC, and other «radio voices» were often the only source of objective information for the residents of the Soviet Union, regarding events on the international stage, in different countries, and within the USSR itself. To a large extent, the opposition nationalist movement in Ukraine for liberation from Russian oppression was influenced by this wave of information. On the other hand, Ukrainian dissidents were also sources of information for Western media. They collected, systematized, and analyzed information about events in the country and found ways to disseminate it abroad. In turn, «Western voices» sought to counter the pressure of the Soviet regime by publicizing the truth about the repression against the Ukrainian human rights and nationalist movements.

On the other hand, this media was a significant factor in consolidating the Ukrainian nationalist movement in the West, especially among the large Ukrainian diaspora in the United States and Canada. The «radio voices» not only provided detailed coverage of the movement’s activities for both Western and Soviet audiences but also played a crucial role in its structuring. The staff in the Ukrainian sections of these media outlets were often conscious Ukrainians and typically activists in Ukrainian organizations, who actively and usually successfully influenced their editorial policies at various levels.

Key words: media, socio-political activity, Cold War, Ukrainian diaspora, US government, Canadian government, international relations.

 

Submitted 10.08.2024

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