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Soldiers of the Ukrainian People's ArmySoldiers of the Ukrainian
People's Army   At the beginning of the 20th century Ukrainians
were separated between two states with most of them living in
the Russian Empire and the rest in the Austro-Hungarian one.
Ukrainian national organisations and parties existed in both
states but their national aspirations and activities were curbed
by the imperial authorities. The outbreak of World War I brought
significant changes to the lives of Ukrainians in both states.
Apart from the fact that the territory of Galicia (Western
Ukraine) became a battleground for some of the most violent
battles on the Eastern front, Ukrainian soldiers were fighting
on opposing sides. There were about 3.5 million Ukrainians in
the Russian army and 250 thousand in the Austro-Hungarian one,
who had to kill each other for the empires they represented.[1]
However, it was World War