Soviet counterinsurgency : a case study of the guerrilla wars in Lithuania and Western Ukraine, 1944-1953
This thesis aims to analyze Soviet counterinsurgency practice by examining the anti-guerrilla tactics employed against the nationalist resistance .ovements in the newly incorporated western republics of the USSR atter WW II. Almost allot the new territor1es exhibited some resistance to their inclusion in the Soviet Union. The best organized resistance was in L1thuania and Western Ukraine. In those two areas the Soviets had to launch an anti-guerrilla, and later anti-terrorist campaign, which was to last well into the 1950's. In order to deal with the rebels in the western republics the Soviets employed a classic two-pronged counterinsurgency strategy. On the one hand, they employed military forces to liquidate the opposition forces. On the other, they at tempted to integrate the restive areas into the rest of the Soviet Union. Integration was meant to undermine the opposition by making the interests of the western areas coincide with those of the USSR. Militarily the Soviets were successtul in their counter insurgencyettort. Although emigres' otten point to the tact that Lithuanian and Ukrainian guerrillas remained active into the mid-1950's as a sign of nationalist determination, this does not indicate any
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Soviet counterinsurgency : a case study of the guerrilla wars in Lithuania and Western Ukraine, 1944-1953. This thesis aims to analyze Soviet counterinsurgency practice by examining the anti-guerrilla tactics employed against the nationalist resistance .ovements in the newly incorporated western republics of the USSR atter WW II. Almost allot the new territor1es exhibited some resistance to their inclusion in the Soviet Union. The best organized resistance was in L1thuania and Western Ukraine. In those two areas the Soviets had to launch an anti-guerrilla, and later anti-terrorist campaign, which was to last well into the 1950's. In order to deal with the rebels in the western republics the Soviets employed a classic two-pronged counterinsurgency strategy. On the one hand, they employed military forces to liquidate the opposition forces. On the other, they at tempted to integrate the restive areas into the rest of the Soviet Union. Integration was meant to undermine the opposition by making the interests of the western areas coincide with those of the USSR. Militarily the Soviets were successtul in their counter insurgencyettort. Although emigres' otten point to the tact that Lithuanian and Ukrainian guerrillas remained active into the mid-1950's as a sign of nationalist determination, this does not indicate any
soviet case_study war western ukraine aim analyze soviet practice examine anti tactic employ nationalist resistance newly incorporate western ussr almost allot new exhibit resistance inclusion soviet_union best organize resistance western ukraine two_area soviets launch anti later anti campaign order deal rebel western soviets employ classic two_pronged strategy one_hand employ military_force opposition force tempt integrate area rest soviet_union integration meant undermine opposition making interest western area coincide ussr militarily soviets counter although emigre point lithuanian ukrainian remain active mid sign nationalist determination indicate