Symon Petliura

Symon Vasylyovych Petliura[lower-alpha 1] (Ukrainian: Си́мон Васи́льович Петлю́ра; Russian: Симон Васильевич Петлюра; 22 May [O.S. 10 May] 1879 – 25 May 1926) was a Ukrainian politician and journalist. He was the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian People's Army (UNA) and led the Ukrainian People's Republic during the Ukrainian War of Independence, a part of the wider Russian Civil War.

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Symon Petliura
Симон Петлюра
Petliura c. 1920s
2nd Chairman of the Directorate
In office 11 February 1919 – 25 May 1926 (In exile from 18 March 1921)
Prime Minister	Serhiy Ostapenko Borys Martos Isaak Mazepa Vyacheslav Prokopovych
Preceded by	Volodymyr Vynnychenko
Succeeded by	Andriy Livytskyi1
Secretary of Military Affairs
In office 28 June 1917 – 6 January 1918
Prime Minister	Volodymyr Vynnychenko
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Mykola Porsh
Personal details
Born	(1879-05-22)22 May 1879 Poltava, Poltava Governorate, Russian Empire (now Ukraine)
Died	25 May 1926(1926-05-25) (aged 47) Paris, France
Political party	RUP (1900–1905) USDLP (1905–1919)
Spouse	Olha Bilska ​ (m. 1910)​ [1]
Children	Lesya (1911–1941)
Alma mater	Poltava Orthodox Seminary
Occupation	Politician and statesman
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	Ukrainian People's Republic
Branch/service	Ukrainian People's Army
Years of service	1914–1922
Rank	Chief Otaman
Commands	Haidamaka Kish of Sloboda Ukraine
Battles/wars	Ukrainian–Soviet War Kyiv January Uprising Anti-Hetman Uprising Polish–Soviet War
1As President of Ukraine in exile

Petliura was born to a family of Cossack heritage in Poltava. From an early age he embraced socialism and Ukrainian nationalism, which he advocated through his highly prolific career as a journalist. After the 1917 February Revolution overthrew the Tsarist monarchy, the Ukrainian People's Republic was proclaimed and Petliura was elected head of its military. The Republic was briefly interrupted by the pro-German Ukrainian State, but in late 1918 Petliura, along with other members of the socialist Directorate of Ukraine, organised a revolt and overthrew the regime, restoring the Republic. He became the leader of the Directorate in early 1919, after the Bolsheviks invaded Ukraine and drove the UNA to Galicia. Facing imminent defeat, Petliura entered an alliance with Józef Piłsudski's Poland. The Polish–Soviet War concluded with Polish victory but Ukraine remained under Soviet control, forcing Petliura into exile. He initially directed the government-in-exile from Poland, but eventually settled in Paris.

During the Civil War, the UNA were responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Jewish civilians, and Petliura's role in the pogroms has been a topic of dispute. In 1926, Petliura was assassinated in Paris by Jewish anarchist Sholem Schwarzbard, who had lost relatives in the pogroms.