Mykola Lebed

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Mykola Lebed (a.k.a. Maksym Ruban, Marko, Yevhen Skyrba) (born 1909 in Galicia, died July 18 1998 in Philadelphia, USA).

Born in Galicia, Lebed completed his studies in Lviv. In 1930-32 he took an active part in setting up youth groups of OUN in Western Ukraine. From 1932-34 he directed communications between the Ukrainian Executive and the Foreign Command of the OUN. In 1934 he prepared the assassination of the Polish Minister of Internal Affairs B. Pieracki. After the assassination he hid in Germany, but was handed over to the Polish authorities. During the Warsaw Process (1934-36) he was given the death penalty which was later commuted to life imprisonment. He escaped from prison in August 1939. In 1940 during the internal conflict within the OUN he supported Stepan Bandera, and in 1941 became his assistant. In June 1941 he was one of the functionaries in the Ukrainian government of Yaroslav Stetsko. He was once again arrested by the Germans. In 1941-43 he organized three conferences for the OUN. In 1941-44 he lead talks with the command of the Polish AK. Up until 1943 he was active in the formation of the UPA. He was the head of the Security Service for the UPA. In 1942 he was a participant in the 3rd Special Conference of the OUN, and headed the head council and the delegate for external contacts of the Direction of the OUN. In 1944 he became one of the founders of the UHVR and the general Secretary of International Policies of the UHVR. At the recommendation of the UHVR he travelled to the West where he contacted various Western governments. In 1948 he became a member of the OUN (Diaspora). From 1949 he lived in the United States.