INTRODUCTION

HOW DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE EARLY DAYS OF CYM AS AN ORGANISATION?

We know about the beginnings of CYM in Ukraine mostly from the court processes that occurred in the prosecution of the originators of CYM. Gaps in information were also filled by early surviving members. In particular a great deal of information was provided by Mykola Pavlushkov's sister - Natalia.

The first meeting to discuss the establishment of CYM was held at the end of May 1925 in Kyiv. After conversations with Serhij Yefremov and Volodymyr Durdukivskij, Mykola Pavlushkov, a 21 year old student, named the organisation as the Spilka Ukrainskoyi Molodi, put together a program for it and became its first official leader.

It was decided that CYM was going to be a broad based 'underground' -secret organisation with the aim of uniting all young Ukrainians who believed in the independence of Ukraine and who wanted to and were prepared to fight to achieve this aim.

After the death of their father Mykola Pavlushhkov and his sister went to live with their Uncle - Professor Serhij Yefremov, where they were brought up in a very patriotic Ukrainian household. Professor Serhij Yefremov was a respected academic and a literature guru. Volodymyr Durdukivsky also lived in the household and was a well known respected teacher, the Director Of the Shevchenko Institute which had a patriotic Ukrainian curriculum.

Professor Yefremov often spoke to Mykola Pavlushkov about the need to organise unorganised youth - the waste of unorganised youth to the Ukrainian community, especially in schools as a possible opposition to KOMSOMOL.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT

After the fall of Tsarist Russia, during the Russian Revolution 1917-1920, the Ukrainian nation took advantage of the unrest to rebuild their nation, announcing their independence on the 22 January 1918 - what we commemorated for many years as Sviato Derzavnosty.

Secondary students were particularly active in Nation building activities, especially in disseminating information around the nation handing out information brochures and pamphlets, painted posters and lead discussion groups. They found it important to target army personnel, and people living in villages who were frequently being indoctrinated by the Communists and Socialists about the proletariat victory. The Ukrainian Socialists in the Government however, regarded the new Communists as their brothers and influenced the Ukrainian Government to disband its army, saying that the Bolsheviks would defend Ukraine if it became necessary. The patriotic Ukrainian students tried to convince the Ukraine population that an army was necessary and people should volunteer.

In August 1917, in Kyiv, a major Commemoration ceremony occurred at which Ukrainian youth took an oath to always be faithful to Ukraine. This was tested when in January 1918 the Bolsheviks from Russia started marching on Kyiv. On the 29 January, 120 km north-east of Kyiv, in a place called KRUTY, 250 students and 300 adults fought to defend Kyiv again a 6000 man Bolshevik army. Only 27 survived and were shot next day. There was also a march on the Ukrainian parliament by the Bolsheviks and again this was defended by many high school students. Students (boys and girls, also acted as go-betweens, VISTOVI - taking messages between groups of fighters and tended to the sick and wounded.

Their activities became severely restricted as the Moskali took over many parts Ukraine. In order to influence young people, the Bolsheviks formed the KOMSOMOL - Komunistychna Spilka Molodi

KOMSOMOL indoctrinated its young members to hate anything anti-communist. For example KOMSOMOL members took part in anti-religious parades at which they dressed themselves as bishops, priests and nuns and other religious figures and proceeded to spit on, and desecrate holy statues, often screaming out blasphemous statements and sniggering at religious beliefs and practices. Such parades often took place during Sunday Services or religious Feast Days.

In school KOMSOMOL members had the job of ensuring that any patriotic Ukrainian feelings were not expressed by other students and used scare tactics to ensure that they did not become active. They were to be the eyes and ears of the of the Bolshevik Regime - listening in on conversations and reporting anything, even dobbing on their families.

Unfortunately many young people joined KOMSOMOL, because membership provided many privileges and advantages. For example, without its recommendation it was impossible to enter higher education or your chosen profession.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CYM IN UKRAINE

When Mykola formulated the program for CYM in 1925 he not only wanted to unite youth who wanted Ukraine to be free, he also firmly believed the organisation would gradually evolve into a national revolution against Bolshevism. One of the most basic aims of the organisation was therefore to find new members who were prepared to work in very difficult and dangerous circumstances in cones of secrecy.

Even though the principles of the organisation were based on democratic ideals, to ensure the ongoing existence of the organisation, it was decided to organise themselves in groups of 5. Every member of the original members group had to organise another group of 5 and then another member organised another group of five and so on. Pseudonyms were also used.

The original group of 5 became the Central Bureau of CYM and directed what was to happen in the organisation. Besides Mykola Pavlushkov, the original members were Boris Matushevsky, Diodor Bobyrya, Hryhorij Slobodianyk, Petro Nechytajlo and Jurko Vynohradov.

Members of CYM occupied themselves with the reproduction of patriotic literature and its dissemination, especially among youth. They also organised and ran choirs, drama groups, discussion and educative forums as well as other cultural activities.

Other than educative activities, CYM members had in their programa reference to the use of arms, which actually provided the basis during the trials of CYM members to call CYM a terorist organisation. However the statements of more than one accused deary indicates that terrorism was not a methodolody that was either part of the CYM program or any deliberation of the CYM Central Bureau. Yefremov and Durdukivsky both emphasised that the basic strategy for CYM was about the fight for the heart and minds of Ukrainian Youth, to tear it away from Communism and to steer them into activity for their nation.

The whole first year of existence was devoted to expanding membership in Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine. Volunteers also came from villages, army education units and even from the red Army. The leadership group constantly travelled throughout Ukraine. In her book, Natalya Pavlushkov indicates that Mykola set up cells in Donbas and Kuban. There were groups in Kazakhstan and Central Asia which undertook cultural activities with Ukrainian Youth.

In the beginning of the 1930's, CYM members also lead protests against the Collectivisation Policies of the Soviet Union. Bedyk for example lead a protest of several thousand people in the Podillia.

THE TRIALS OF CBY AND CYM

By 1928 it was already evident that the Bolsheviks were preparing an assault on the nationalist Ukrainian activists. Associated with this push was the liquidation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the artificial famine of 1932-33 as well as mass killing of Ukrainian intellectuals, initially 9/10 Ukrainian writers, poets, teachers and other cultural figures.

Mass arrests began in the spring of 1929 throughout Ukraine by the GPU (the forerunner of the KGB). Thousands of people were called in for questioning. Mykola Pavlushkov, was called in the dead of night many times to be taken to a garage in the yard of the GPU used for shooting prisoners, the noise deafened by running motors. Many times they played Russian Roulette with him, told him he would be shot, then that it would be put off.

On the 9 March 1930 till 19 April 1930, in Xharkiv, which had been made into the capital under the Soviets, a mass trial of 45 members of CBY and CYM was undertaken by the Bolsheviks. It included Pavlushkov and Yefremov as well as 22 year old Borys Matushevsky. This had all the characteristics of a show trial, focused on punishing those who show an uncompromising stance to the independence of Ukraine.

The verdict was read out on the night before Easter Sunday. 4 prisoners were ordered to be shot, but would be spared by the 'great Soviet Empire' instead being sentenced to 10 years in isolation - this was the most severe punishment after the death penalty.

Matushevsky was sent to Siberia with 10 years hard labour, but was imprisoned for 18 years, eventually dying in Kyiv in 1977. His death was suspicious and occurred as he was preparing to write his memoirs about CYM.

Pavlushkov was kept in isolation on the island of Solovky where 100 years earlier they tortured to death after 25 years of imprisonment, the last Koshovyj of Sich -Petro Kalnyshevskyj.