Svorak S., Slubskyi O., Byrkovych O. The state-legal structure of Ukraine in the political paradigm of the OUN

DOI: https://doi.org/10.33098/2078-6670.2025.19.31.112-123

Purpose. The purpose of the article is a comprehensive study of the concept of state structure developed by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) in the first half of the 20th century, with a focus on analyzing the fundamental ideological principles, model of governance, understanding of human rights and freedoms, the role of the nation in the system of public administration, as well as identifying the link between the political doctrine of OUN and the practical forms of its implementation in the context of the national liberation struggle. Methodology. The study employs historical-legal and political-legal methods to analyze the ideological sources of the OUN, its program documents, publicist writings of its leaders, and normative acts of the liberation period. A comparative approach is also applied to juxtapose the concept of the OUN’s state structure with other national and European political models of the first half of the 20th century. Results. The article presents a comprehensive historical and legal analysis of the political-legal paradigm of state structure formulated in the ideology of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) during the 1920s–1940s. It identifies the key stages of the formation of state-building ideas, beginning with the works of Mykola Mikhnovsky, Dmytro Dontsov, Mykola Stsiborskyi, and Yaroslav Stetsko. It is established that the OUN’s vision of the future Ukrainian state was based on the principles of unitarism, presidential republic, the combination of social justice with the ideas of natsiocracy, a bicameral parliament, democratic separation of powers, and popular sovereignty. It is shown that during World War II, the OUN and UPA institutionalized their ideas by creating the Ukrainian Supreme Liberation Council (UGVR), which functioned as a de facto state body under occupation. The article analyzes the legal doctrine and organizational forms of governance, which, despite certain authoritarian elements, contained conceptual foundations of a democratic order based on historical traditions of Ukrainian self-government. Scientific novelty. For the first time in Ukrainian legal scholarship, a systematic generalization of the theoretical and programmatic sources of the OUN as a subject of national state-building is conducted, and its concept of a sovereign democratic state, adapted to the historical and political realities of the 20th century, is outlined—practical significance. The research findings can be applied to the modernization of Ukraine’s constitutional model, particularly regarding the institution of a bicameral parliament, personalized accountability of government, and the unitary structure of the state in conditions of military threat. The research materials are also relevant for national legal education, patriotic upbringing, and the formation of national identity.

Key words: OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists), state-building, unitary state, natsiocracy, Ukrainian nationalism, Ukrainian Supreme Liberation Council (UGVR), state structure, national liberation movement.

References

1.      Zaichuk, O. V., Onyshchenko, N. M. (Ed.). (2008). Teoriia derzhavy i prava. Akademichnyi kurs [Theory of state and law. Academic course. K., Yurinkom Inter. (in Ukrainian)

2.      Andriievskyi, V. (1924). Peredvisnyk ukrainskoho natsionalizmu [Harbinger of Ukrainian Nationalism]. Almanakh Ukrainskoho narodnoho Soiuzu [Almanac of the Ukrainian People’s Union]. Parsyppani–Niu-York «Svoboda», 88-91. (in Ukrainian)

3.      Mirchuk, P. (1991). Ukrainska Povstanska Armiia (1942-1951) [Ukrainian Insurgent Army (1942-1951)]. Lviv. (in Ukrainian)

4.      Chuprynka, T. (1991). Vidozva holovnoho komandyra do UPA [ppeal of the Chief Commander to the UPA]. Ukrainska Povstanska Armiia (1942-1951). Lviv. (in Ukrainian)

5.      Lapychak, T. (1993). Vyrektyly svoie slovo namiru prometeivskoho chynu [The Promethean intentions have made their word known]. OUN: mynule i maibuttia. Fundatsiia im. O. Olzhycha. Kyiv, 131-143. (in Ukrainian)

6.      Panchenko, O. (2004). Ukrainska Holovna Vyzvolna Rada [Ukrainian Main Liberation Council]. Hadiach. (in Ukrainian)

7.      Boltarovych, Ye. (1993). Ekstropoliatsiia ukrainskoho natsionalizmu na derzhavotvorchi protsesy v Ukraini [Extrapolation of Ukrainian nationalism to state-building processes in Ukraine]. OUN: mynule i maibuttia. Fundatsiia im. O. Olzhycha. Kyiv, 260-268. (in Ukrainian)

8.     Stsiborskyi, M. (1942). Natsiokratiia [Nationalism]. Praha: Proboiem. (in Ukrainian)

9.      Mikhnovskyi, M. (2007). Samostiina Ukraina. Sprava ukrainskoi intelihentsii [Independent Ukraine. The case of the Ukrainian intelligentsia]. K. : MAUP. (in Ukrainian)

10.   Dontsov, D. (1991). Istoriia rozvytku Ukrainskoi derzhavnoi idei [History of the development of the Ukrainian state idea]. K. (in Ukrainian)

11.    Hryniv, O. (2004). Ukrainska natsiolohiia. Vid druhoi Svitovoi do vidrodzhennia derzhavy [Ukrainian Nationalism. From the Second World War to the Revival of the State]. Lviv. Vyd-vo «Svit». (in Ukrainian)

12.    Sych, O. (2019). Sotsialno-konservatyvnyi natsionalizm [Socially conservative nationalism]. Ivano-Frankivsk. Lileia–NV. (in Ukrainian)

13.    Vassyian, Yu. (2000). Do holovnykh zasad natsionalizmu [To the main principles of nationalism]. Natsionalizm. Antolohiia. Kyiv «Smoloskyp», 197-208.(in Ukrainian)

14.    Sosnovskyi, M. (1974). Dmytro Dontsov. Politychnyi portret: z istorii rozvytku ideolohii ukrainskoho natsionalizmu [Dmytro Dontsov. Political portrait: from the history of the development of the ideology of Ukrainian nationalism]. Niu-York, Toronto: Naukove tov-vo im. Shevchenka. (in Ukrainian)

15.    Shlemkevych, M. (1949). Ukrainska synteza chy ukrainska hromadianska viina [Ukrainian synthesis or Ukrainian civil war]. Blomberg. (in Ukrainian)

16.    Poltava, P. (1959). Zbirnyk pidpilnykh pysan [A collection of underground writings]. Miunkhen: Vyd-vo «Ukrainskyi samostiinyk». (in Ukrainian)

17.    Rebet, D. (2003). Na perekhrestiakh vyzvolnykh zmahan [Аt the crossroads of the liberation struggle]. Vyd-vo «Hadiach». (in Ukrainian)

18.   Panchenko, O. (2004). Ukrainska Holovna Vyzvolna Rada [Ukrainian Main Liberation Council]. Vyd-vo «Hadiach».. (in Ukrainian)

19.    Rafalskyi, O. (2024). Ukrainska derzhava. Vytoky, istorychna evoliutsiia. Suchasnist [The Ukrainian state. Origins, historical evolution. Modernity.]. Kyiv: ADEF–Ukraina. (in Ukrainian)