"Kyiv against Moscow!": activities of the OUN(b) in organizing the underground network in Kyiv in 1941 – early 1950s

The purpose of the article is to highlight the attempts of the OUN(b) to organize an underground network in the city of Kyiv and to substantiate that the main objective of its marching groups' activities was the restoration of the Ukrainian state. The methodological foundation of the study is based on the principles of historicism, systematization, and comprehensiveness. The author employed universal general scientific research methods – analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction – as well as specialized historical methods, including the problem-chronological, historical-comparative, and historical-genetic methods. The scientific novelty lies in the introduction of new archival documents into scholarly discourse and an attempt at a comprehensive analysis of the role of OUN(b) expeditionary groups in the development of the Ukrainian liberation movement during the 1940s and early 1950s. Conclusions. Following the Act of Restoration of the Ukrainian State on June 30, 1941, in Lviv, the OUN(b) — despite hostility from the Nazi occupation regime and the arrests of its leaders and members of expeditionary groups — formed mobile units to advance into eastern Ukrainian territories and establish a presence there. Despite incredibly harsh conditions, setbacks, and losses, OUN members made repeated attempts to organize an underground network in Kyiv and ensure its operation. The OUN(b) city leadership existed from late 1941 until its liquidation by the Nazis in 1943. In the postwar years, the nationalist underground operated around Kyiv using guerrilla tactics, while inside the city, youth and student groups assessed public sentiment, gathered intelligence, conducted propaganda campaigns, and carried out raids. The most active was the city leadership headed by the regional leader "Odesa." Despite continuous arrests, young underground fighters continued to carry out various tasks, including organizing raids in Kyiv and the Kyiv region between 1949 and 1951.