Ukrainian Hromada

Ukrainian Hromada [Українська громада; Ukrainska hromada]. A civic and cultural association established in Berlin in 1919 by Ukrainian emigrants, many of whom were prisoners of war from the Russian Imperial Army, supporters of the Union for the Liberation of Ukraine, or members of Ukrainian diplomatic missions. It was initially a nonparty organization but subsequently became associated with the Hetmanite movement. It was active throughout the 1920s and into the early 1930s and had over 6,000 members. Its official organs were Nove slovo (1920) and Ukraïns’ke slovo (Berlin) (1921–3). Among its leaders were Bohdan Lepky and Zenon Kuzelia (1924–33). It was revived under the auspices of Pavlo Skoropadsky, and was active in 1940–5 as one of two Ukrainian organizations permitted by the German authorities (along with the Ukrainian National Alliance). It was headed then by Borys Homzyn, and its official organ was Ukraïns’ka diisnist’. It was dissolved when Germany was occupied in 1945 by the Allied forces.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 5 (1993).]