Maksym Skorupsky

Maksym Skorupsky (Ukrainian: Максим Скорупський; also known by his pseudonym Maks) (November 12, 1912 – December 11, 1985) was a Ukrainian military leader of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army.

Maksym Skorupsky
Born	November 29, 1912 Antonivtsi, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire
Died	December 11, 1985 (aged 73) Trenton, New Jersey, United States
Allegiance	Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists Melnyk faction
Years of service	1938–1944
Rank	Commander
Battles / wars	World War II

Biography

Born in the village of Antonivtsi, Volhynian Governorate, Russian Empire (now Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine), he studied at the Lviv University before his studies were terminated and he was called up for military service in the Polish Army. Skorupsky was not a member of OUN, but was a supporter of Andriy Melnyk. He was an officer in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UIA) known under the name "Maks" in UIA-South. In 1943 he operated in area south of Rivne in the military group (division) “Bohun”. On May 3, he participated in the assault on Polish village Kuty during the massacres of Poles in Volhynia. At least 53 Poles were killed.^[1] On February 29, 1944, Skorupsky took part in the attack on Nikolai Vatutin, a battle near the village of Myliatyn against the group SMERSH.

On 12 March 1944, kurin of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army under his command murdered Poles in Pidkamin. Estimates of victims include 150^[2] and more than 250.^[3]

Skorupsky took part in the Battle at Hurby, April 21–25, 1944, against soldiers of the NKVD, which was a tactical win for the NKVD. After the battle, the NKVD burned down the villages of Hurby and Antonivets.

In 1944, he emigrated to Austria and from there in 1948 to the United States, where he settled in New Jersey. He died in Trenton, New Jersey. Skorulsky is known for numerous published articles of reminiscences regarding his activities in the UIA and his book of memoirs, Туди, де бiй за волю ("There, where there is a battle for freedom").

References

1. Grzegorz Motyka, Od rzezi wołyńskiej do akcji Wisła, p. 115
2. Grzegorz Motyka, Ukraińska Partyzantka 1942-1960, Warszawa 2006, p. 385
3. Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, Chapter 5 Archived 2009-03-27 at the Wayback Machine Kiev, Ukraine: Institute of History of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences. Chapter written by Ihor Ilyushin. pg. 285

Sources

• Encyclopedia of Ukraine, Vol. IV, University of Toronto Press, 1993.
• Encyclopedia of the history of UIA (Eнциклопедія історії УПА)
• М. Сивіцький. Записки сірого волиняка. Львів, 1996.
• П. Содоль. Українська Повстанча Армія 1943-49. Довідник. Нью-Йорк, «Пролог» 1994.
• Skorupsky, M.A. (Maks). Archived 2011-08-10 at the Wayback Machine (in Ukrainian)
• Туди де бій за волю ("Where the battle for freedom is") : (Спогади Курінного УПА Максима Скорупського-Макса) / М.А. Скорупський, Макс. - К. : Вид-во ім. Олени Теліги, 1992. - 351 с. -