Teofil Rendiuk
Doctor of History, Director of the Institute of Good Neighbourhood
Abstract. The article covers the activities of the Extraordinary Diplomatic Mission of the UPR in Bucharest. The year of 1920 marked a special period in the relations of the UPR of the Directorate times with the neighboring Kingdom of Romania, given a specific geopolitical situation and the conditions of almost complete isolation of Ukraine caused by the relentless advance of the Bolshevist army from the north and east as well as an offensive of the White Guard troops of A. Denikin and P. Wrangel from the south. Under such circumstances, the UPR considered Romania as its most important military, political, and economic partner. In turn, the erstwhile Romanian leadership was deeply interested in the existence of an independent Ukraine, primarily as a political and military buffer zone between Romania and the aggressive Soviet Russia.
The article mentions the main areas of activity of the Extraordinary Diplomatic Mission in Bucharest: representing and protecting political, economic, and military interests of the UPR, encouraging trade relations, providing assistance to civilians and military emigrants from Ukraine who found themselves in the territory of the neighbouring country against their will as well as activities aimed at overcoming information vacuum around the UPR. The activities of the UPR Extraordinary Diplomatic Mission in Bucharest in 1920 contributed to the expansion of the Ukrainian idea abroad, promotion of knowledge about Ukraine and its struggle for independence, whilst drawing the attention of the international community to the acute problems Ukraine was facing at that time. The UPR Extraordinary Diplomatic Mission in Bucharest was also entrusted with a special task of providing the Ukrainian government with a full-fledged connection with Europe, especially with the En-tente countries.
The article also is a pioneering research of the aspect of activities of the Extraordinary Diplomatic Mission in Bucharest associated with providing working conditions in the city for I. Mazepa, Head of the Council of People’s Commissars of the UPR, in March 2020, who was forced to flee Ukraine because of unconducive military circumstances and seek asylum in the adjacent country.
Keywords: Extraordinary Diplomatic Mission, Ukrainian People’s Republic of the Directorate times, Kingdom of Romania, Isaak Mazepa, Kostiantyn Matsievych.
References
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