The Moscophile Movement as an Instrument of Soviet Influence on the Socio-Political Situation in Western Ukraine in the 1920s

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of how Soviet diplomatic structures instrumentalized a segment of the Moscophile movement in Eastern Galicia in order to establish the left-radical party “Sel-Rob” as a legal political base for subversive activities in Western Ukraine. This influence was directed both against the institutions of the Polish state and against various ideological currents within the Ukrainian national movement. Drawing upon the principles of objectivity, historicism, credibility, scientific rigor, and methodological pluralism, the study identifies a specific branch of the Moscophile movement as an instrument of Soviet geopolitical strategy in interwar Poland. The ideological foundations, political platform, and organizational structure of this faction are examined as the basis for the creation of “Sel-Rob,” a party formed through the merger of the leftist “Narodna Volia” and the “Peasants’ Union” under the supervision of Soviet diplomats in Warsaw. The article introduces into scholarly discourse previously unpublished archival materials from the Central State Archives of Public Associations of Ukraine, the Central State Historical Archives in Lviv, and the State Archives of the Lviv Region. The historiographical framework of the study includes both general works of modern Ukrainian historiography and specialized research by O. Vlasiuk, R. Husak, L. Matiushko, V. Misko, M. Pyrih, and I. Soliar. However, the specific role of the Moscophile element within “Narodna Volia” and its coordination by Soviet diplomats has remained largely overlooked. This study addresses that gap and situates the issue within the broader historical context of the hybrid methods employed by Soviet Russia, the USSR, and later the Russian Federation to undermine the Ukrainian national movement, particularly in Western Ukraine during the interwar period. The scholarly contribution of the article lies in the identification and analysis of a previously underexplored mechanism of Soviet influence involving the creation and support of a far-left legal political entity designed to destabilize the socio-political landscape of Western Ukraine in the 1920s.