UPA was a mostly West Ukrainian phenomenon, and it was an agency manipulated or under the direct control, depending on the group as there wasn’t one UPA, of the German counterintelligence Abwehr. Their purpose was to undermine the Polish and the Soviets. Their presence in Odessa is an importation and to the many people in Odessa that held pro-Russian views and have left the city since 2014, this is akin to Nazi occupation.

The majority of Ukrainians fought in the ranks of the Red Army and Ukraine had its own Soviet republic. There were actually two visions of Ukraine, the socialist Soviet vision and the radical nationalist UPA version. And I do not support either of them. And the Soviet version failed, and the UPA version will fail as well. If it any comes to that, Russian occupation of Odessa will be seen as a liberation to many current and former residents.

Ironically, Karel would not be able to celebrate Nazi collaboration in his native Netherlands so he does it in Ukraine.