UKRAINSKY VISNYK [UKRAINIAN HERALD]

 378621.11.2006

The Ukrainsky Visnyk [Ukrainian Herald] was the first non-censored (i.e. samizdat) literary and publicist journal in Ukraine (typeset, with photos). It was published in Kyiv and Lviv from January 1970 to March 1972 without naming the Editor.

Issues 1 – 5 were edited by Viacheslav  CHORNOVIL. After his arrest, issue No. 6 which he had prepared, was put out in Lviv in March 1972 by Mykhailo Kosiv, Atena Pashko and Yaroslav Kendzyor.

The “Kyiv edition” of No. 6 was also published in March 1972 by Yevhun PRONYUK and Vasyl  LISOVY (its text has not been found).

Ukrainsky Visnyk published, without making any generalizations, information about violations of human rights in Ukraine, guaranteed in the Constitution, about court and extra-judicial repressions, about the violations of national sovereignty, about the position of Ukrainian political prisoners in prisoners and labour camps, etc.  In addition, ‘Ukrainsky visnyk’ published socio-political articles, documents, literary works and other material which were circulated in samizdat.

In 1974 issue no. 7-8 was published by Stepan KHMARA and Oles SHEVCHENKO. This issue was clearly political, anti-imperialist and anti-communist. Issue no. 9, which Vitaly SHEVCHENKO was also involved in preparing, had to be destroyed because of the threat of a search.

Issues 1-2, 4,6, and 7-8 were smuggled abroad and the material in them was broadcast on Radio Svoboda [Radio Liberty].

Ukrainsky Visnyk  is a vital source of information about the history of political repression in Ukraine in the 1960s and 1970s.

4 issues of a typed journal with the same title were produced in 1975 – 76 by the underground “Ukrainian All-National Organization” [UZNO], better known as the “Ukrainian National Front – 2” (led by Hryhory Dyndyn, then later Mykola Krainyk).

Viacheslav CHORNOVIL restarted publication of Ukrainsky Visnyk during perestroika. It began its numbering from issue No. 7 (August 1987). The last, thirteenth, issue came out in 1988.

In 1988 on the basis of the journal, the press service of the Ukrainian Helsinki Union was created, and the journal ceased to exist.

Issues no. 1 – 6 form the third volume of the 10-volume collected words of Viacheslav CHORNOVIL.