UKRAINIAN LAWYERS OF HALYCHYNA IN THE MILITARY EVENTS OF 1914–1918

Abstract

The objective of the article is to outline the place of the Ukrainian lawyers during the initial phase of the Ukrainian national liberation struggle in the period of the Great War of 1914–1918. The article sheds light on the military and political activity of the lawyers either born in the Stanislaviv region (current Ivano-Frankivsk region, the Precarpathian region) or connected to the given region in terms of their professional life.

The article stresses the leading role of well-known lawyers-politicians in the activities of the Supreme Ukrainian Council, the General Ukrainian Council, and in the cooperation with the Union for the Liberation of Ukraine. Among the leaders of the Ukrainian national-political movement in Halychyna (Galicia) during the Great War one finds representatives of the Stanislaviv regions such as K. Levytskyi, L. Bachynskyi, M. Han- kevych, M. Lahodynskyi, I. Makukh, K. Triliovskyi. Lawyers of the younger generation namely S. Vytvytsky,

1. Hankevych, R. Dombchevskyi, O. Okhrymovych, etc. were also among the active participants in the political and national-cultural movements.

In the context of the Austro-Russian military confrontation, there appeared the predecessor of the Ukrai- nian army emerged – the USS Legion (Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen), and many professional and prospe- ctive lawyers of the Stanislaviv region took part in its timely creation. Doing their job and serving their country, they testified to their readiness to fight for the Ukrainian statehood in the most decisive way. Many law profes- sionals, including lawyer M. Novakovskyi in Stanislaviv and Bogorodchany, lawyer O. Levytskyi in the Dolyna district, lawyer and ambassador of the Austrian Parliament M. Lahodynskyi in Deliatyn in the Hutsul territory, judges M. Henyk-Berezovskyi in the Kolomyia district, and P. Rondiak in Kosiv, conducted extensive organi- zational and campaigning work on the formation of the USS in the Stanislaviv region. Among the senior officers of the USS Legion Among there were O. Budzynovskyi, D. Vitovskyi, O. Levytskyi, M. Novakovskyi, and S. Shuk- hevych; lots of prospective lawyers and judges were in the ranks of the Ukrainian Sich Rifleman. The younger generation of riflemen included some of the former students and grammar school graduates who chose to pursue their degrees in law after they had served in the Ukrainian military unit^ these included T.Beley, I. Vynnychenko,

1. Demchuk, I. Dovhanyk, R. Komarynskyi, T. Korytovskyi, D. Lypchuk, T. Stefaniv, V. Tysiak, V. Yashan, etc.

Some of the mobilized lawyers had already served as officers of the Austrian Army when the war broke out: they included Yu. Olesnytskyi, Yo. Partytskyi, lawyer candidates V. Banakh, I. Volianskyi, M. Nykolaichuk,

1. Stavnychyi, I. Stryiskyi, and Ya. Shypailo. Graduates of law faculties also served in artillery units of the Aust- rian army. Among the well-known gunners there were Ya. Voievidka, Ya. Kuryliuk, M. Krechkovsky, T. Matskiv, Yu. Sheparovych. Ya. Dudykevych, R. Stavnychyi, and O. Chornenko served as military sergeants.

In the course of military actions D. Stasynets, a doctor of law, died in the fight near Makivka; another doctor of law, commander of the military detachment the Hutsul Hundred, O. Levytskyi also lost his life. Some Sta- nislavian lawyers were captured by Russians, imprisoned and/or deported deep into the Russian territory by the occupiers. The latter list included the names of M. Kichura, M. Kozoris, A. Kos, O. Kossak, and M. Levytskyi.

During the war, a new generation of Ukrainian lawyers was formed: in addition to being law experts, they received experience of military combat in the armed struggle for the Ukrainian cause and the motivation to act decisively when faced with military and political challenges of the time. Consequently, most of them took an active part in the revolutionary events aimed at the creation of the Western Ukrainian People’s Republic, as well as defense and protection of the young Ukrainian state; they served in the ranks of the Ukrainian Galician Army, and continued their social and political work during the interwar period.

Keywords: lawyers, Great War, Legion of Ukrainian Sich Riflemen, officers, solicitors, attorneys, Sta- nislaviv region.