 As the Austro-Hungarian government collapsed, on October 18, 1918, the Ukrainian National Council ("Rada") was formed in the city, consisting of Ukrainian members of the Austrian parliament and regional Galician and Bucovinan diets as well as leaders of Ukrainian political parties.The Council announced the intention to unite the West Ukrainian lands into a single state.As the Poles were taking their own steps to take over Lviv and Eastern Galicia, Captain Dmytro Vitovsky of the Sich Riflemen led the group of young Ukrainian officers in a decisive action and during the night of October 31 – November 1, the Ukrainian militarymen took control over the city.