Ukrainian War of Independence
A multi-sided conflict for control of Ukraine after the February Revolution.
- location
- Ukraine
- belligerents
- Ukrainian nationalists, Ukrainian anarchists, Germany and Austria-Hungary, White Russian Volunteer Army, Second Polish Republic
- result
- Absorption of Ukrainian populations into the Soviet Union and the Second Polish Republic
Lore & Background
The war ensued soon after the October Revolution, when Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin dispatched the Antonov's expeditionary group to Ukraine and Southern Russia.
Reader's Guide
The Ukrainian War of Independence resulted in the absorption of Ukrainian populations into the newly created Soviet Union and the Second Polish Republic. Soviet historical tradition viewed the Bolshevik victory as the liberation of Ukraine from occupation by Western and Central European armies. Modern Ukrainian historians consider it a failed war of independence by the Ukrainian People's Republic against the Bolsheviks.
Did You Know?
- The German and Austro-Hungarian armies launched Operation Faustschlag, driving Bolshevik forces out of Ukraine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who were the main belligerents in the Ukrainian War of Independence?
Ukrainian nationalists and Ukrainian anarchists clashed with the White Russian Volunteer Army, the Second Polish Republic, and the occupying forces of Germany and Austria-Hungary. No single side held a durable advantage, making it a genuinely multi-front contest rather than a simple two-sided war.
Why is the Ukrainian War of Independence significant?
It marks the first major twentieth-century attempt to build a sovereign Ukrainian state and directly shaped the geopolitical boundaries of the region for the following decades. The war's outcome determined which parts of Ukraine fell under Soviet versus Polish administration, a division that would echo through the interwar period and beyond.
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