Ukrainian War of Independence
A multi-sided conflict for control of Ukraine after the February Revolution.
The Ukrainian War of Independence, also known within Ukraine as the Ukrainian–Soviet War, spanned from March 1917 to November 1921 as part of the broader Russian Civil War. It involved a complex array of belligerents, including Ukrainian nationalists, Ukrainian anarchists, the forces of Germany and Austria-Hungary, the White Russian Volunteer Army, and the Second Polish Republic. The conflict began after the February Revolution of 1917 and escalated following the October Revolution, when Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin sent Antonov’s expeditionary group into Ukraine and Southern Russia. The war resulted in most of the independent Ukrainian republic being absorbed into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic between 1919 and 1920, which later became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union from 1922 to 1991.
During World War I, Ukraine was a frontline between Imperial Russia and Austria-Hungary. Ukrainian activists in Russia were treated as enemy agents, while Austria persecuted Galician Russophiles. After the February Revolution, the Central Rada was formed in Kyiv, with Mykhailo Hrushevsky elected as its leader in April 1917, advocating for greater autonomy within Russia. The Rada proclaimed four Universals, declaring autonomy in June, issuing recognition agreements with the Provisional Government in July, and announcing the Ukrainian People’s Republic (UPR) in November. However, the Rada lacked a disciplined army and state apparatus, and its authority was limited to urban centers. In late December 1917, the Communist Party of Ukraine established a rival Donetsk–Krivoy Rog Soviet Republic in Kharkiv. Bolshevik forces, led by Mikhail Muravyov, captured Poltava, Yekaterinoslav, and other cities in early 1918, taking Kyiv on 9 February after the Battle of Kruty and the Kiev Arsenal January Uprising. The Rada ministers fled to Zhytomyr. The Central Powers intervened after recognizing the UPR delegation in January 1918, and the Fourth Universal proclaimed full independence on 25 January. The war concluded with Ukrainian populations absorbed into the Soviet Union and the Second Polish Republic. Soviet historiography viewed the Bolshevik victory as liberation from Western and Central European occupation, while modern Ukrainian historians see it as a failed war of independence against the Bolsheviks.
- location
- Ukraine
- belligerents
- Ukrainian nationalists, Ukrainian anarchists, Germany and Austria-Hungary, White Russian Volunteer Army, Second Polish Republic
- result
- Absorption of Ukrainian populations into the Soviet Union and the Second Polish Republic
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The Ukrainian War of Independence, also known as the Ukrainian–Soviet War, was a multi-sided conflict fought across the territory of modern Ukraine. Its appearance was that of a chaotic, overlapping series of military campaigns, shifting alliances, and internal uprisings, involving numerous armed factions with no single front line. The war’s range extended from the western regions of Galicia and Volhynia, through the central lands around Kyiv, to the eastern Donets Basin and the southern Black Sea coast, including Odesa and Bessarabia. The primary habitat of the fighting was the vast, open steppe and agricultural heartland of Ukraine, punctuated by major cities like Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Odesa, as well as smaller towns and railway junctions that became strategic prizes. Defining characteristics of the war included the struggle for control between the newly proclaimed Ukrainian People’s Republic, Bolshevik forces, anarchist bands led by figures like Nestor Makhno, and intervention by the Central Powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary) as well as the White Russian Volunteer Army and the Second Polish Republic. The conflict began after the February Revolution of 1917, when a council called the Central Rada was formed in Kyiv, initially seeking autonomy within Russia. Following the October Revolution, Lenin sent an expeditionary group into Ukraine, sparking open warfare. The Central Rada lacked a disciplined standing army or state apparatus, and its authority barely extended beyond urban centers, leading to its loss of control as workers’ support shifted to the Bolsheviks. A rival Bolshevik government was set up in Kharkiv, and Bolshevik forces captured Kyiv in early 1918 after a workers’ uprising. The war ultimately resulted in the absorption of most Ukrainian territory into the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, with western areas going to Poland.
Reader's Guide
The Ukrainian War of Independence involved a complex array of belligerents, including Ukrainian nationalists, anarchists, German and Austro-Hungarian forces, the White Russian Volunteer Army, and the Second Polish Republic, all struggling for control of Ukraine after the February Revolution. The conflict began soon after the October Revolution, when Vladimir Lenin sent an expeditionary group into Ukraine and Southern Russia. The war can be viewed as part of the Southern Front of the Russian Civil War and the closing stage of the Eastern Front of World War I. The Central Rada, a council formed in Kyiv after the February Revolution, proclaimed Ukrainian autonomy and later the creation of the Ukrainian People's Republic, but lacked a disciplined standing army or state apparatus. It faced external attacks and an internal workers' uprising, losing control of urban centers as worker support shifted to the Bolsheviks. Bolshevik forces captured Kyiv in February 1918 after the Kiev Arsenal January Uprising. The war resulted in Ukrainian populations being absorbed into the Soviet Union and the Second Polish Republic. Soviet historiography framed the Bolshevik victory as liberation from Western and Central European occupation, while modern Ukrainian historians view it as a failed war of independence against the Bolsheviks.
Did You Know?
- The German and Austro-Hungarian armies launched Operation Faustschlag, driving Bolshevik forces out of Ukraine.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who were the main belligerents in the Ukrainian War of Independence?
Ukrainian nationalists and Ukrainian anarchists clashed with the White Russian Volunteer Army, the Second Polish Republic, and the occupying forces of Germany and Austria-Hungary. No single side held a durable advantage, making it a genuinely multi-front contest rather than a simple two-sided war.
Why is the Ukrainian War of Independence significant?
It marks the first major twentieth-century attempt to build a sovereign Ukrainian state and directly shaped the geopolitical boundaries of the region for the following decades. The war's outcome determined which parts of Ukraine fell under Soviet versus Polish administration, a division that would echo through the interwar period and beyond.
More in Cold War Conflicts 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record