Between Ukrainisation and Russification. Soviet ethnic policy in Ukraine in opinions of diplomats and intelligence services of the Second Republic of Poland

In the interwar period Soviet Ukraine became a focus of attention for Polish diplomacy and intelligence services. They had many convenient observation points there. At the beginning of the 1920s they used for that purpose the Diplomatic Legation, and later two Consulates of the Polish Republic: in Kharkov and Kiev. Polish observers paid special attention to the evolution of Bolsheviks’ ethnic policy. Initially, great hope rose together with the quasi-autonomic status of Soviet Ukraine and its possible becoming independent of Russia, but after 1923 it was connected rather with the so-called Ukrainisation policy carried out in the Ukrainion SSR. There was full awareness in Warsaw that the Ukrainisation program is in the Soviet authorities’ intention only a kind of "lightning conductor" against pure Ukrainian nationalism and is, to a considerable degree, a sort of anti- -Polish sabotage. It was rightly assumed, however, that it would quickly get out of Bolsheviks’ control, what would cause big problems for them. Polish reports thoroughly analyse meanders of new ethnic policy in Ukraine - starting from its beginning until its brutal end in 1933-1934. The next period was assessed by Poland as purely formal and front Ukrainisation. It ended in the time of the so-called Great Purge. In 1938, together with the appearance in Kiev of a new leader, Nikita Khrushchev, last appearances of concern over Ukrainian culture finally vanished. What followed the period of a bit shameful ,,pseudo-Ukrainisation” was just unhampered Russification. It was meant to facilitate the development of new Soviet Community cemented by Russian language and culture.