Measures of Ukrainian Military Diplomacy for the Repatriation of Ukrainian Prisoners of War from Germany (1920)

The purpose of the study is to explore the specifics regarding the activities of the Ukrainian Military and Sanitary Mission in Germany, focusing on the repatriation of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) during the first half of 1920. This is based on the report from the Head of the Mission, Mykola Trezvinsky, to Andrii Okopenko, Head of the Military and Sanitary Mission in Central and Southern Europe. The methodology of the study relies on general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization), special historical (historical-comparative, problem-chronological), and source studies (external and internal criticism of sources) methods. The scientific novelty of the study stems from introducing Trezvinsky's report into scientific circulation, which discusses the military, political, and organizational factors influencing the repatriation process between March and May 1920, as well as reassessing the roles of Germany and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in organizing evacuation. The original document, found in the Central State Archives of Higher Authorities and Administration of Ukraine (TsDAVO Ukrainy) and a copy in the Central Military Archives of Poland (Centralne Archiwum Wojskowe), is being published for the first time. The prospect of further research lies in the reassessment of information in documents that highlight the specifics of the repatriation of Ukrainian POWs from Germany after World War I and determining the role of Ukrainian military diplomacy in facilitating this process. Conclusions. The analyzed and published report of Mykola Trezvinsky, Head of the Ukrainian Military and Sanitary Mission in Germany, for March–May 1920, reveals the preconditions, consequences, and significance of the measures taken by Ukrainian military diplomacy in organizing the repatriation and providing assistance to Ukrainian POWs in German camps at the time. It details the influence of geopolitical events, organizational and financial obstacles in carrying out the evacuation, highlights the numerical composition and sentiments of the prisoners, and clarifies the attitude of the German authorities and the ICRC toward the transportation of prisoners to Ukraine.