Destruction of the Spiritual Elite of the Ukrainian People as a Direction of Criminal Policy of Muscovy and Its Successors

Abstract

The article investigates the systematic policy of destroying the Ukrainian spiritual elite carried out by Muscovy, the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and modern Russia. Through specific historical examples, the author demonstrates that aggressive opposition to Ukrainian independence has always been a priority of Moscow’s policy, starting from falsifying history and appropriating the concept of «Rus». The repressive policy toward the Ukrainian language (Valuev Circular of 1863, Ems Ukaz of 1876) and the physical destruction of intellectuals are analyzed. Special attention is paid to the tragic fates of prominent Ukrainians: Ostap Vyshnia, sentenced to 10 years in labor camps on fabricated charges; Ahatanhel Krymsky – a world-renowned polyglot scholar arrested in 1941 who died in a Kazakhstan prison; Vasyl Stus – a dissident poet sentenced as a particularly dangerous recidivist who died in solitary confinement in a Perm camp. The author presents documentary evidence from archival materials, investigative files, and secret reports of special service agents. It is emphasized that of 259 Ukrainian writers published in 1930, only 36 remained after 1938. The article proves that the destruction of the spiritual elite was a conscious and consistent policy aimed at suppressing Ukrainian identity and national revival. Current Russian aggression is viewed as a continuation of this historical policy of genocide against the Ukrainian people. The research reveals the mechanisms of totalitarian repression and demonstrates how cultural figures became victims of political persecution for their patriotic stance and defense of Ukrainian language and culture.