The Galicia Division: They Fought for Ukraine has been released internationally

The Galicia Division: They Fought for Ukraine book by Canadian professor Lubomyr Luciuk has been released in Canada. This 30-page booklet explores fundamental questions about the activities of the Ukrainian military unit, providing insightful explanations.

The work explores Ukraine’s experiences during World War II as part of the USSR, addressing questions about whether Ukrainians truly welcomed Germans onto their territory, the formation of the Galicia Division, its integration into the SS (a major paramilitary organisation under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany), and whether division members were “Nazis”, among other topics.

The need for this booklet became acute after an incident in the Canadian Parliament in September 2023. Following Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s address in the House of Commons, Speaker Anthony Rota introduced Division member Jaroslav Hunko to the audience as a “hero of World War II, who fought for Ukraine’s independence against the Russians.” Russian propaganda distorted the situation, falsely claiming that Zelenskyy and the Canadian Parliament had welcomed a “Nazi from the SS division.”

“Since that late September day, allegations that Jaroslav Hunka was a “Nazi” and that the Galicia Division was complicit in the Holocaust of Jews and the killing of Polish civilians have continued to appear in print, broadcast, and social media not only within Canada but also in the United States, Great Britain, and Australia. … As a specialist on the Second World War, the Ukrainian diaspora in Canada, and as an accomplished scholar and pedagogue at the Royal Military College of Canada, Professor Luciuk is ideally suited to enlighten the public on this matter,” said Paul Robert Magocsi, a professor of history, political science, and Chair of Ukrainian Studies at the University of Toronto, in the foreword to the book.

The booklet can be read by following the link.