OUN-M prevails. Melnyk instead of Bandera

Fraction of OUN lead by conservative and more moderate Andriy Melnyk lost internal struggle against revolutionary and radical OUN-B fraction.

But what if Melnyk's fraction prevails over Bandera? Was it even possible at all? Does it require Bandera's death?

And if Melnyk prevails should OUN and UPA be much more moderate? It is hard to imagine it being more radical than OTL OUN-B, which was propably as extreme as possible, OTOH religious and conservative Melnyk was not typical representative of his organization, so there still be drift toward extremism.

What is policy of Melnyk's OUN going to look like? Would there be political realism? Is OUN going to concentrate more on anti-Soviet activity (instead of anti-everyone)? Would alternate UPA resemble more Forest Brothers from Baltics (which at least initially was more concentrated on military rather than civilian targets). How would they deal with the Poles (obviously they'd be hostile, but if they choose "Soviets First" strategy they'll realize what plans Stalin have for post war Poland, including shifting the country further west and installing communist government. Stalin is going to expell Poles from areas east of Curzon Line anyway, killing them was absolutely pointless move even from purely geopolitical POV and brought zero gains).
 
Conflict with Poland is inevitable, whether or not it's a focus is more of a tactical question than anything else, in hindsight it's quite obvious that the Soviets were by far the bigger danger.

Anyways, if Melnyk prevails in the internal struggle (and I don't really have a POD for this unfortunately although Konovalets' fate might be promising) you might see Stsibors'kyi's ideological ideas permeate Ukrainian nationalism far more than Dontsov's, which would be great, Stsibors'kyi was not anti-Semitic, and was ambivalent towards Germany. Dontsov was also a Polish asset, and after that a German one. Dontsov's value, intellectually, spiritually, politically, etc. is low, Stsibors'kyi's is better morally and practically.

The real question is which approach is taken, the 1943 playbook, i.e. resistance against Germany, the USSR, and the AK whenever they bump into each other (until at least the war is over because pre-'45 cooperation is unlikely without massive prewar PODs) or the WWI playbook, i.e. form a new version of the Sich Riflemen aka the 14th Waffen SS Grenadier division/Ukrainian National Army, and hope the Germans and Russians both collapse leaving the UNA and OUN to pick up the pieces.

Personally, if you want the moderate faction of the OUN to hold together Stsibors'kyi, Kapustians'kyi, Iarii, or one of the other older generation of exiled leaders are better choices, the former two are the better picks imo, Iarii went with Bandera, and was capable of appeasing both factions, but was also of non-Ukrainian ancestry so might be a controversial pick. All three names I mentioned were, iirc, also married to Jewish women apparently, which would be interesting vis a vis Germany. Stsibors'kyi might be, also, too much a theoretician for a leadership role, although that's not my personal appraisal. Kapustians'kyi I know not as much about, but could be a sensible pick, a former general of the UNR.

It's hard to say, Melnyk was an Abwehr agent but was also repressed by the Gestapo, I think it's plausible that post-Barbarossa, he tries to form an independent government backed by the OUN, church, and prewar political establishment, if this is suppressed he has the choice of accepting it, fighting immediately, or most pragmatically just doing the OUN-B IOTL play, go underground, feign collaboration and then when the time is right, resist. This gives the OUN time to build up its network outside western Ukraine, Stsibors'kyi was infamously assassinated by OUN-B operatives on this exact mission. Without this conflict the OUN may become far more entrenched outside of the West, which could be very interesting.

Melnyk did try to form a rival government to Bandera's, but I don't know as much about that attempt, he seems to have been more cautious politically. So the declaration of independence might not have happened, or been delayed somewhat, who knows.

Let's say Melnyk tries to form a government, is suppressed, and decides to do the IOTL OUN-B play. When his version of the UPA is formed, probably again at some point after Stalingrad, they've also infiltrated central/eastern/southern Ukraine much more effectively than IOTL. Without infighting they're more able to resist the Germans and achieve some more success in liberating territory, Melnyk probably doesn't do Volyn but of course there'll still likely be Polish-Ukrainian conflict, which will be quite bloody, if less organized.

Now, once the Germans retreat from most of the UkSSR the OUN forces there probably don't fare well, but having more effectively been entrenched and without bloody fratricidal conflict they make more of a stand. By the time the war is definitively over, perhaps there is no Ukrainian National Army/14th Waffen SS, or it isn't nearly as significant, but the OUN-UPA is much stronger in western Ukraine. The swamps of Volyn and the Carpathian mountains are great insurgency country, and they were Iotl able to bloody the soviets and maintain violent resistance into the mid 50s even if by 1949 defeat was evidently inevitable (Iotl they were basically hoping for an operation unthinkable scenario). ITTL organized resistance is more effective, even if it isn't enough to win, the extra toll it takes on the Soviets. This stronger showing not only in Western Ukraine, but in other parts of the country, could have interesting ramifications come the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ukrainian nationalism might be slightly stronger not only in Western Ukraine, but also in other parts of the country. Even if, post 1951 the Poles and Ukrainians do a ceasefire or alliance, they're not "winning." In the conventional sense, but keeping anti-Soviet politics relevant for as long as possible is a win for sure.

Post '91, if the poster children of Ukrainian nationalism are Konovalets', Stsibors'kyi, and Melnyk, with the latter two replacing Bandera and Dontsov, that's certainly more appealing and less controversial. Relations with Poland will be a bit better probably, but Volyn has never seriously threatened Polish-Ukrainian relations iotl.

My feeling is that probably we're not changing the results of Soviet history too much, and post '91, idk if any Ukrainian elections are necessarily going to be far different, although I'm not too sure about that. Certainly, the longer Ukraine is independent the more that changes, as per IOTL, but this less controversial OUN history will be more appealing. Of course, modern Ukraine will necessarily gravitate towards democratic and pro-western politics, and while it may be (slightly) accelerated in this timeline a revived OUN is unlikely to win an election.

Now, could this have butterflies that prevent say, Yanukovych? Maybe, idk.
 
@thezerech
UPA is going to be hostile towards Poles, but it may be conflict of lower intensity, like Polish-Lithuanian conflict in Vilnius region (there government in London ordered AK to negotiate with Lithuanian resistance if possible because conflict with Lithuania was considered secondary issue to be settled after war, vionlence erupted anyway in June 1944, but soon Red Army captured Vilnius and then NKVD purged local AK.

Also more moderate UPA would be able to cooperate with Polish anti-communist resistance after ww2 (which occasionally happened, like in Hrubieszów but were rare and controversial), which as result may make communist government of Poland more inclined to destroy UPA units within new borders of Poland (IOTL Polish communists concentrated on anti-communist guerillas, seeing UPA as local problem in peripheries until 1947) something, that may butterfly away death of general Świerczewski in turn.
 
As I know, the Melnyk's faction, while more moderate ideologically (kinda comparable to the Russian NTS from whom Vlasov IRL took his ideology- national-corporatism, but more boring with less totalitarianism and Nietzscheanism) was more willing to collaborate with the Germans. Without Bandera, OUN might end up like the Ukranian version of the Vlasovist movement.
 
As I know, the Melnyk's faction, while more moderate ideologically (kinda comparable to the Russian NTS from whom Vlasov IRL took his ideology- national-corporatism, but more boring with less totalitarianism and Nietzscheanism) was more willing to collaborate with the Germans. Without Bandera, OUN might end up like the Ukranian version of the Vlasovist movement.
Rather like Lithuanian Riflemen Union or other groups from Baltic States:


By 1943 they'll know, that front is approaching and Third Reich is going to lose.
 
By 1943 they'll know, that front is approaching and Third Reich is going to lose.
But hey, the Vlasovites also declared the "Third Force" strategy by the late stages of the War hoping that the Anglo-American allies would help them. But with more reliance on the Germans under Melnyk, the OUN may not be able to go further than their Russian collaborationist counterparts.
 
But hey, the Vlasovites also declared the "Third Force" strategy by the late stages of the War hoping that the Anglo-American allies would help them. But with more reliance on the Germans under Melnyk, the OUN may not be able to go further than their Russian collaborationist counterparts.
Maybe. Then large part of his followers are going to desert him and form/join new guerilla formations (like Forest Brothers). These who'd stay with the Germans to the bitter end are going to share fate of soldiers of SS-Galizien (if they're lucky).
 
Maybe. Then large part of his followers are going to desert him and form/join new guerilla formations (like Forest Brothers). These who'd stay with the Germans to the bitter end are going to share fate of soldiers of SS-Galizien (if they're lucky).
Actually, I think that this guy is the best candidate to lead the "Ukranian Forest Brothers"- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taras_Bulba-Borovets .Funnily enough, while ideologically he adhered to the UNR tradition, not Dontsov's writings, he was still a keen collaborationist who even after the Germans rejected him after the beggining stage of the war, fought partisans a lot and ended up as Waffen-SS commander after being captured and released by Germans. But with alt-OUN being the prime pro-German Ukranian faction, he may fill the role of IRL Bandera.
 
Actually, I think that this guy is the best candidate to lead the "Ukranian Forest Brothers"- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taras_Bulba-Borovets .Funnily enough, while ideologically he adhered to the UNR tradition, not Dontsov's writings, he was still a keen collaborationist who even after the Germans rejected him after the beggining stage of the war, fought partisans a lot and ended up as Waffen-SS commander after being captured and released by Germans. But with alt-OUN being the prime pro-German Ukranian faction, he may fill the role of IRL Bandera.
Borovets too is one of moderates and IOTL he attempted to make agreements with Poles through Bronisław Chodorowski-member of Polish underground, whom he knew personally, and criticized massacres (possibly seeing these as mistake, which, according to Talleyrand, is worse than crime), stating that at the moment Soviets are biggest enemies of Ukraine. So Borovets is not going to follow path of OUN-B, not in 1943-44. And after ww2 Poles will be deported by Soviets from lands east of Curzon line and blame for end of Polish presence in Volhynia would be just on Stalin.

But there is going to be guerrila activity also west of Curzon line in Carpathian Highlands, still, not nearly as important as territory of Ukrainian SSR-importance of units active in Poland and Czechoslovakia came from the fact, that they keep route to the West (American occupation zone in Germany) open.
 
Borovets too is one of moderates and IOTL he attempted to make agreements with Poles through Bronisław Chodorowski-member of Polish underground, whom he knew personally, and criticized massacres (possibly seeing these as mistake, which, according to Talleyrand, is worse than crime), stating that at the moment Soviets are biggest enemies of Ukraine. So Borovets is not going to follow path of OUN-B, not in 1943-44. And after ww2 Poles will be deported by Soviets from lands east of Curzon line and blame for end of Polish presence in Volhynia would be just on Stalin.

But there is going to be guerrila activity also west of Curzon line in Carpathian Highlands, still, not nearly as important as territory of Ukrainian SSR-importance of units active in Poland and Czechoslovakia came from the fact, that they keep route to the West (American occupation zone in Germany) open.
By Bandera's place I mean "Not-the-German-lapdog" guy (when compared to Melnyk).
 
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This is exactly what can happen. Melnik was a supporter of compromises, while Bandera was too impenetrable and straightforward. Actually, this is Melk's problem. Bandera, after the German invasion, immediately proclaimed independence, which was stupid, but at least this created the conditions for the UPA to move away from the Nazis, starting to turn them against the Germans. This did not help much, given that after the arrest of Bandera, the organization essentially lost its leader and, as a result, rushed from one extreme to another. But it also created a situation where any shit the organization did was more like natural disasters than planned actions. Melnik may be the worst option because his ability to compromise means that he is more willing to compromise with the Nazis, so instead of spontaneous outbursts of shit due to the negligence of the organization’s leadership, Melnik can lead the UPA into a worse reputation hole than it happened with Bandera. Because in the case of Bandera, there was still the factor that he was arrested by the Nazis and the communists literally had to exaggerate the crimes of Ukrainian nationalists. In the case of Melnyk, it is quite possible that Ukrainian nationalism will be more narrowly bound in the future and the crimes will not be spontaneous, but more targeted. That is, in fact, Vlasov.
 
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