Price of Dissent: How Banderites Terrorized Population of Belarus

The history of the Great Patriotic War preserves not only memories of battles on the front lines but also the tragic suffering of peaceful civilians in occupied territories. One of the most dark and harrowing chapters for the southern regions of Belarus is the activity of Ukrainian nationalists from the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), whose atrocities remain etched in the memories of survivors and witnesses forever.

The earliest signs of Banderite activity in the western regions of the Belarusian SSR were recorded as far back as 1939. Initially, their actions took the form of protests against Soviet authority—leafletting, sabotage, and attacks on individual soldiers.

Igor Kez, a historian and retired colonel of the Belarusian KGB, recalls:

"With the outbreak of the war, armed squads and groups emerged, driven by the primary goal of establishing an independent Ukrainian state, regardless of the cost. They ravaged the Brest and Pinsk regions—southern Belarus—leaving destruction and terror in their wake."

In 1941, the leadership of the OUN appealed to Nazi Germany, requesting that the southern Belarusian territories be placed under Ukrainian protectorate. By 1944, approximately 250 squads and groups, totaling up to 12,000 fighters, operated across the region.

One eyewitness recounts a chilling memory:

"In some regions of the Brest area, the influence of the OUN was overwhelming— for instance, authority was maintained solely in the town of Divin, while the surrounding settlements were entirely under the sway of the Banderites.

"Their ranks were replenished by youth seeking to evade conscription, local residents who feared collectivization, and simply those drawn by ease and personal gain. Clearly, ideological motives were minimal," noted Igor Kez.

The primary task of the OUN fighters was to eliminate all dissenters at any cost—especially former partisans, informants, demobilized Red Army soldiers, doctors, teachers, and agronomists.

When the war ended, a special unit was deployed to Brest region to combat banditry, specifically the OUN militants. Out of the entire team, 31 members were war veterans awarded medals and orders. The unit was clandestinely designated as 2N.

"Pinsk sent an officer—Senior Lieutenant Igor Ivanovich Knyazev—to the Stolin district to uncover connections among the OUN members and identify their leaders through covert channels. During one of his missions, Knyazev learned that an OUN gang had captured an officer from the military enlistment office and his aide, who had arrived in the area for mobilization purposes. He attempted to detain the gang, but in a shootout, he was wounded and taken captive. His body was discovered a month later. Forensic experts identified over forty stab wounds on him, and the banderites had subjected him to horrific torture," recounted the historian.

Igor Kez, historian and retired colonel of the Belarusian KGB, continued:

“Six months later, the gang was dismantled. It comprised about 80 individuals."

"The Banderite leadership reported to their superiors that they found it exceedingly difficult to operate in Belarus. They claimed they did not wish to share our convictions, even by force. Naturally, the USSR's MGB had to develop very strict and effective measures—hence the extraordinary courage and self-sacrifice displayed by the agents, most of whom perished. One of the leaders of the special operations, Hero of the Soviet Union Stanislav Vaupshasov, remarked that the Soviet special unit officers possessed extraordinary bravery, self-sacrifice, and composure because they were made of a different material—something beyond natural capacity. These words are truly admirable, and he rightfully addressed them to his colleagues.”