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Mikola LebedOUN activist, supporter of Stepan Bandera
Date of Birth: 23.11.1909
Country:  Ukraine |
Content:
- Biography of Mykola Lebed
- Early Life and Activism
- Involvement with Stepan Bandera and the OUN
- Role in the OUN and UPA
- Later Life and Emigration
- Unfortunately, the date and place of Lebed's death remain unknown.
Biography of Mykola Lebed
Mykola Lebed, also known by his aliases Maxim Ruban, Marko, and Eugen Skiba, was born on November 23, 1909, in the village of Novi-Striliska, Bibersky district, Galicia. He was a prominent member of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) and a staunch supporter of Stepan Bandera.
Early Life and Activism
Lebed completed his education at Lviv Gymnasium in 1930. During his time there, he became an active member of the OUN's youth group. He played a significant role in overseeing underground schools operated by the OUN in the Carpathian Mountains.
From 1932 to 1934, Lebed served as a liaison between the regional executive and the OUN. He was also one of the main organizers of the assassination attempt on Polish Minister of Internal Affairs, Bronisław Pieracki, in 1934. Following the failed attempt, Lebed fled to Germany but was later arrested and extradited to Poland. He was sentenced to death at the OUN trial in Warsaw, but the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
Involvement with Stepan Bandera and the OUN
After the German forces invaded Poland on September 5, 1939, Lebed was released from prison. He continued his support for Stepan Bandera and became one of his closest associates. In February 1940, Lebed became one of the leaders of the Security Service (SB) of the Bandera faction of the OUN (later known as OUN-B) and eventually rose to the position of Chief of the SB.
The members of the SB were tasked with eliminating political opponents, conducting intelligence and counterintelligence operations. They also compiled "blacklists" of individuals deemed disloyal and eventually carried out their elimination. Lebed became part of the "regional leadership" group of the OUN-B in 1940, consisting of four individuals.
After Bandera's arrest in July 1941, Lebed assumed the role of the regional leader while remaining in charge of the SB. He became Bandera's deputy and continued his underground activities. Under Lebed's leadership, the SB expanded its operations significantly.
Role in the OUN and UPA
Lebed organized three conferences of the OUN in 1941, 1942, and 1943. He was also one of the creators of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). In 1943, the regional leadership assigned the following tasks to the SB: the physical extermination of Red Army prisoners of war, the elimination of the Polish population, the punishment of UPA deserters, the enforcement of conscription through beatings, the hunting down of Jews hiding in the forests, and the monitoring of OUN members' loyalty.
Lebed was known as one of the most uncompromising Ukrainian nationalists and expressed his belief in the complete eradication of perceived threats. He famously stated, "To destroy everyone down to the last person – from the elderly to the children. Our land must be forever rid of this vermin."
Later Life and Emigration
From October 11 to 16, 1944, Lebed's SB orchestrated a massacre in a village in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, resulting in the deaths of 58 people, including 23 children under the age of 14. In 1944, Lebed, along with like-minded individuals, founded the Ukrainian Main Liberation Council and was elected as the Secretary-General of its overseas organizations.
In December 1949, Lebed emigrated to the United States. From 1952 to 1974, he worked at the Prolog Research Center in New York, later becoming the Deputy Chief. He served as a member of the Board of Directors from 1974 onwards. Additionally, Lebed was a member of the Executive Board of the Ukrainian Association of Overseas Organizations in Munich from 1956 to 1991 and the Toronto Publishing Committee "Chronicle of the UPA."
