An event dedicated to the prominent builder of Ukrainian statehood, Kyrylo Osmak, was held at the Museum of War. Participants had the opportunity to watch a documentary film about the President of the Ukrainian Supreme Liberation Council (UHVR), to learn about the trace he left in national history, his remarkable place among the Ukrainian state-builders of the 20th century, and about the purpose of establishing the UHVR. The event was moderated by Oleksandr Bilous, Head of the Research Department on the Second World War.
Mariia Yaremchuk, director and producer of the film “UnKnown Ukrainians. Kyrylo Osmak”, journalist, and author of several social projects and documentary films about the UPA and the ongoing War for Ukraine’s Independence, spoke about the history of the film’s creation. According to Mariia, the documentary was made on the initiative and with the participation of Natalia Osmak, who dedicated nearly her entire life to studying the correspondence, photographs, and archival documents related to her father.
As the main protagonist of the film, Natalia Kyrylivna recounted the life and political path of Kyrylo Osmak – a prominent figure of the liberation movement during the Second World War and a political prisoner of the communist regime. She emphasized that she discovered her father’s true personality through the study of the letters that the family received from his exile. From these letters, Natalia learned about his role in Ukraine’s state-building process. A scholar-agronomist, member of the Ukrainian Central Rada and the OUN, Kyrylo Osmak devoted his life to our state.
He was arrested four times by the Soviet authorities – in 1928, 1930, 1938, and 1944 – each time on fabricated charges of nationalism. Ultimately, this fighter for Ukraine’s independence was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment. He died in 1960 in the Vladimir Prison (russia) while serving his final sentence. The most touching moment of the film was the reading of Kyrylo Osmak’s testament, voiced by Natalia, which he left to the Ukrainian people as President of the UHVR: “We shall fight so that you, Ukrainian people, may become the masters of your own land. On the altar of this struggle, we lay our work and our lives…”
The testament of this outstanding state-builder is being fulfilled by today’s generation of Ukrainians. Just as during the First and Second Liberation Struggles, our nation once again resists the occupiers and fights for the independence of Ukraine.
During the discussion of the film, special attention was paid to the epistolary legacy of Kyrylo Osmak. “For our institution, it is a great honor to preserve the personal correspondence of the outstanding fighter for Ukraine’s independence, Kyrylo Osmak, which was entrusted to us by Natalia,” – emphasized Oleksandr Bilous, Head of the Research Department on the Second World War.
The Museum of War sincerely thanks director and producer Mariia Yaremchuk for presenting the film “UnKnown Ukrainians. Kyrylo Osmak”, and the cadets of the Military Institute of Telecommunications and Informatization for participating in the event.
