The March of Ukrainian Nationalists is a

Ukrainian Ukrainian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Ukraine * Something relating to Ukrainians, an East Slavic people from Eastern Europe * Something relating to demographics of Ukraine in terms of demography and population of Ukraine * So ...

patriotic song that was originally the official anthem of the

Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists ( uk, Організація українських націоналістів, Orhanizatsiya ukrayins'kykh natsionalistiv, abbreviated OUN) was a Ukrainian ultranationalist political organization estab ...

and the

Ukrainian Insurgent Army The Ukrainian Insurgent Army ( uk, Українська повстанська армія, УПА, translit=Ukrayins'ka povstans'ka armiia, abbreviated UPA) was a Ukrainian nationalist paramilitary and later partisan formation. During World ...

. The song is also known by its first line "We were born in a great hour" ( uk, Зродились ми з великої години). The song, written by to music by in 1929, was officially adopted by the leadership of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists in 1932.Символіка Українських Націоналістів (Symbols of Ukrainian Nationalists)
Article on the website of the Virtual Museum of Ukrainian Phaleristics The song is often referred to as a patriotic song from the times of the uprising, and a Ukrainian folk song. It is still commonly performed today, especially at events honoring the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and by nationalist organizations and party meetings, such as those of

VO Svoboda The All-Ukrainian Union "Freedom" ( uk, Всеукраїнське об'єднання «Свобода», translit=Vseukrainske obiednannia "Svoboda"), commonly known as Svoboda, is an ultranationalist political party in Ukraine. It has been l ...

Background

Map of Ukraine for Paris Peace Conference

In 1919 with the end of the

Polish–Ukrainian War The Polish–Ukrainian War, from November 1918 to July 1919, was a conflict between the Second Polish Republic and Ukrainian forces (both the West Ukrainian People's Republic and Ukrainian People's Republic). The conflict had its roots in ethn ...

, which resulted in the takeover of

western Ukraine Western Ukraine or West Ukraine ( uk, Західна Україна, Zakhidna Ukraina or , ) is the territory of Ukraine linked to the former Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, which was part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Austria ...

by the

Second Polish Republic The Second Polish Republic, at the time officially known as the Republic of Poland, was a country in Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe that existed between 1918 and 1939. The state was established on 6 November 1918, before the end of ...

, many former leaders of the Ukrainian republic were exiled.Christopher Gilley (2006)
A Simple Question of 'Pragmatism'? Sovietophilism in the West Ukrainian Emigration in the 1920s
Working Paper: Koszalin Institute of Comparative European Studies pp.6-13 As Polish persecution of Ukrainians during the interwar period increased, many Ukrainians (particularly the youth, many of whom felt they had no future) lost faith in traditional legal approaches, in their elders, and in the western democracies who were seen as turning their backs on Ukraine. This period of disillusionment coincided with the increase in support for the

(OUN). By the beginning of the Second World War, the OUN was estimated to have 20,000 active members and many times that number in sympathizers.

Orest Subtelny Orest Subtelny ( uk, О́рест Субте́льний, 17 May 1941 – 24 July 2016) was a Ukrainian-Canadian historian. Born in Kraków, Poland, he received his doctorate from Harvard University in 1973. From 1982 to 2015, he was a Professor ...

. (1988). ''Ukraine: A History.'' Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp.441-446. The song was written in 1929 during the midst of these political events and adopted by the organization's leadership 3 years later. The March of the Ukrainian Nationalists is written and performed as a military march and a call to arms. The first verse of the song refers to "the pain of losing Ukraine", referring to the short-lived independence of the

Ukrainian National Republic The Ukrainian People's Republic (UPR), or Ukrainian National Republic (UNR), was a country in Eastern Europe that existed between 1917 and 1920. It was declared following the February Revolution in Russia by the First Universal. In March 1 ...

from 1917-1921. The republic was divided up among the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and the

Serhy Yekelchyk Serhy Yekelchyk (born November 13, 1966 in Kyiv) is a Ukrainian Canadian historian, who has published widely on modern Ukrainian and Russian history and Russian-Ukrainian relations. Education and career Yekelchyk received his B.A. from the Unive ...

Ukraine: Birth of a Modern Nation

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

(2007), The song also mentions a popular Ukrainian national motto, "A United Ukrainian state... from the San to the Caucasus".Kyrylo Halushko
Birth of a country. From a land to a state.
Family Leisure Club (2015) , This is in line with the Ukrainian irredentist concept of having Ukraine's western border start at the

San river The San ( pl, San; uk, Сян ''Sian''; german: Saan) is a river in southeastern Poland and western Ukraine, a tributary of the river Vistula, with a length of (it is the 6th-longest Polish river) and a basin area of 16,877 km2 (14,42 ...

in modern-day in western

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

and southeastern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...

and its eastern border at the

Caucasus Mountains The Caucasus Mountains, : pronounced * hy, Կովկասյան լեռներ, : pronounced * az, Qafqaz dağları, pronounced * rus, Кавка́зские го́ры, Kavkázskiye góry, kɐfˈkasːkʲɪje ˈɡorɨ * tr, Kafkas Dağla ...

in modern-day Southern

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

Lyrics

;Ukrainian lyrics
Зродились ми великої години,
З пожеж війни, із полум’я вогнів,
Плекав нас біль по втраті України,
Кормив нас гнів і злість на ворогів.
І ми йдемо в бою життєвому,
Тверді, міцні, незламні мов граніт,
Бо плач не дав свободи ще нікому,
А хто борець — той здобуває світ.
Не хочемо ні слави ні заплати.
Заплатa нам це радість в боротьбі!
Солодше нам у бою умирати,
як жити в путах, мов німі раби.
Доволі нам руїни і незгоди,
Не сміє брат на брата йти у бій!
Під синьо-жовтим прапором свободи
З'єднаєм весь великий нарід свій.
Велику правду — для усіх єдину,
Наш гордий клич народові несе!
Вітчизні ти будь вірний до загину,
Нам Україна вище понад все!
Веде нас в бій борців упавших слава.
Для нас закон найвищий і наказ:
"Соборна Українськая держава —
Вільна й міцна, від Сяну по Кавказ".Зродились ми великої години (We were born in a great hour)
Lyrics at nashe.com.ua Accessed 22 July 2014 ;Ukrainian romanized lyrics
Zrodylys' my velykoi hodyny,
Z pozhezh viyny, iz polum'ia vohniv.
Plekav nas bil' po vtrati Ukrainy,
Kormyv nas hniv i zlist' na vorohiv.
I my ydemo u boiu zhyttievomu,
Tverdi, mitsni, nezlamni mov hranit,
Bo plach ne dav svobody shche nikomu,
A khto borets', toi zdobuvaie svit.
Ne khochemo ni slavy ni zaplaty.
Zaplata nam tse radist' v borot'bi!
Solodshe nam u boiu umyraty,
Jak zhyty v putakh, mov nimi raby.
Dovoli nam, ruiny i nezhody,
Ne smiie brat na brata yti u bii!
Pid syn'o-zhovtym praporom svobody
Z'yednaiem ves' velykyi narid svii.
Velyku pravdu dlia usikh yedynu,
Nash hordyi klych narodovi nese
Vitchyzni ty bud' virnyi do zahynu
Nam Ukraina vyshche ponad vse!
Vede nas v bii bortsiv upavshykh slava.
Dlia nas zakon naivyshchyi to nakaz:
«Soborna Ukrains'kaia derzhava —
Vil'na i mitsna, vid Sianu po Kavkaz!» ;English translation
We were born in a great hour,
From the fires of war, and the flames of gunshots,
We were nurtured by the pain of losing Ukraine,
We were fed by anger and malice to our enemies.
And here we walk in the battle of life -
Solid, durable, unbreakable, like granite,
For crying hasn't given freedom to anyone yet,
But whoever is a fighter, he conquers the world.
We want neither glory, nor payment.
Payment for us - is the luxury of fighting!
It is sweeter for us to die in battle,
Than to live in bondage, as mute slaves.
Enough of ruins and disagreements for us,
A brother will not dare to go to war against a brother!
Under the blue-yellow flag of freedom
We will unite all of our great people.
A united nation one for us all is that one truth
This is our proud call to all people:
Be faithful to your homeland until death,
For us, Ukraine is above all else!
The glory of fallen fighters leads us into battle,
And the highest order we shall fulfill:
For a "complete Ukrainian state,
Free and strong, from the San to the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range, have historically ...

Modern song

The March of the New Army () is a modern adaptation of the song that is used as a Ukrainian military march as well as nationalist song. A modern text was adopted in 2017 at the initiative of

Oleh Skrypka Oleh Yuriyovych Skrypka ( uk, Оле́г Ю́рійович Скри́пка, Oleh Yuriiovych Skrypka, ; born 24 May 1964) is a Ukrainian musician, vocalist, composer, and leader of the group Vopli Vidoplyasova. Biography Oleh Skrypka was born ...

, lead singer of the Ukrainian rock band

Vopli Vidopliassova Vopli Vidopliassova ( uk, Воплі Відоплясова ), also shortened to VV (), is a Ukrainian rock band. It was created in 1986 in Kyiv, in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union (present-day Ukraine). The leader of the band is singer Ol ...

. The new text honors the soldiers of the

Armed Forces of Ukraine , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...

who fought and died in the

Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone ( uk, Зона проведення антитерористичної операції, translit=Zona provedennya antyterorystychnoyi operatsiyi), or ATO zone ( uk, Зона АТО, translit=Zona ATO), is a term use ...

during the

War in Donbass War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular ...

. According to Skrypka, the text was conceived while at the front in a volunteer unit. The new march was presented for the first time in early 2017 on the eve of the Ukrainian Volunteer Day, and was performed by Skrypka in cooperation with the Song and Dance Ensemble of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On August 24, 2018, the modern version of the song was performed the first time at the

Kyiv Independence Day Parade The Kyiv Independence Day Parade () has been the main event of various celebrations of the Independence Day of Ukraine, which is celebrated annually in Kyiv on August 24.

dedicated to the 27th anniversary of independence and the 100th anniversary of the UPR. In his opening address at the parade, President

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko ser ...

sang an excerpt of the song, describing it as one that "symbolizes the inextricable bond between different generations of fighters for freedom of the homeland."

Modified Lyrics as performed by Vopli Vidopliassova

When this song was used at the 2018

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or more rarely after the end of a military occupation. Man ...

parade, an alternative final line (shown here in ''italics'') was used. Ukrainian lyrics
Зродились ми великої години,
З пожеж війни і полум’я вогнів.
Плекав нас біль за долю України,
Зростив нас гнів і лють на ворогів.
Ми йдемо в бій переможним ходом,
Тверді й міцні, незламні мов граніт,
Бо плач не дав нікому ще свободи,
Хто борець, той здобуває світ.
Велику суть для усіх єдину,
Наш гордий клич народові несе
Вітчизні будь ти вірний без упину
Нам Україна вище понад все!
Веде нас в бій героїв наших слава.
Для нас закон найвищий то наказ:
«Соборна Українська є держава —
Одна навік: від Сяну по Кавказ!» Ukrainian romanized lyrics
Zrodylys" my velykoyi hodyny,
Z pozhezh vijny i polum’ya vohniv.
Plekav nas bil" za dolyu Ukrayiny,
Zrostyv nas hniv i lyut" na vorohiv.
My jdemo v bij peremozhnym xodom,
Tverdi, micni, nezlamni, mov hranit,
Bo plach ne dav nikomu shhe svobody,
Xto borec", toj zdobuvaye svit.
Velyku sut" dlya usix yedynu,
Nash hordyj klych narodovi nese
Vitchyzni bud" ty virnyj bez upynu
Nam Ukrayina vyshhe ponad vse!
Vede nas v bij heroyiv nashyx slava.
Dlya nas zakon najvyshhyj to nakaz:
«Soborna Ukrayins"ka ye derzhava —
Odna navik: vid Syanu po Kavkaz!» English translation
We were born in the great hour,
From the fires of war, and the flames of fire,
We were nurtured for the fate of Ukraine,
We arose with anger and rage against enemies.
We go into battle with a triumphant march,
Solid, strong, unbreakable, like granite,
For crying hasn't given freedom to anyone yet,
Whoever is a fighter, he gains the world.
The great essence for all is uniform,
Our proud call to the people brings:
"Be faithful without cease to the Fatherland,
For us, Ukraine is above all else"!
Glory of our heroes leads us to battle,
And this highest order we shall fulfil -
"For a complete Ukrainian state,
United forever, from the San to the Caucasus!"

Alternative lyrics

When this song was used at the 2018

parade, slightly different lyrics were used. Ukrainian lyrics
Зродились ми великої години,
З пожеж війни і полум’я вогнів.
Плекав нас біль за долю України,
Зростив нас гнів і лють на ворогів.
Ми йдемо в бій переможним ходом,
Тверді й міцні, незламні мов граніт,
Бо плач не дав нікому ще свободи,
А хто борець, той здобуває світ.
Велику правду для усіх єдину,
Наш гордий клич народові несе
Вітчизні будь ти вірний до загину
Нам Україна вище понад все!
Веде нас в бій героїв наших слава.
Для нас закон найвищий то наказ:
«Соборна Українська є держава —
Одна навік: вона в серцях у нас!» Ukrainian romanized lyrics
Zrodylys" my velykoyi hodyny,
Z pozhezh vijny i polum’ya vohniv.
Plekav nas bil" za dolyu Ukrayiny,
Zrostyv nas hniv i lyut" na vorohiv.
My jdemo v bij peremozhnym xodom,
Tverdi, micni, nezlamni, mov hranit,
Bo plach ne dav nikomu shhe svobody,
A xto borec", toj zdobuvaye svit.
Velyku pravdu dlya usix yedynu,
Nash hordyj klych narodovi nese
Vitchyzni bud" ty virnyj do zahynu
Nam Ukrayina vyshhe ponad vse!
Vede nas v bij heroyiv nashyx slava.
Dlya nas zakon najvyshhyj to nakaz:
«Soborna Ukrayins"ka ye derzhava —
Odna navik: vona v sercyax u nas!» English translation
We were born in the great hour,
From the fires of war, and the flames of fire,
We were nurtured for the fate of Ukraine,
We arose with anger and rage against enemies.
We go into battle with a triumphant march,
Solid, strong, unbreakable, like granite,
For crying hasn't given freedom to anyone yet,
But whoever is a fighter, he gains the world.
The great truth for all is uniform,
Our proud call to the people brings:
"Be faithful to your Fatherland unto death,
For us, Ukraine is above all else"!
Glory of our heroes leads us to battle,
And this highest order we shall fulfil -
"For a complete Ukrainian state,
United forever, it is in our hearts!"

References

{{authority control Ukrainian songs Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists 1929 songs Ukrainian folk songs Ukrainian patriotic songs March music Military marches Ukrainian-language songs Compositions in F minor Political party songs

Background

Lyrics

Modern song

Modified Lyrics as performed by Vopli Vidopliassova

Alternative lyrics

See also

References