Ukrainians sought independence during centuries of rule by the Russian and Austro-Hungarian empires as well as Poland, and seven decades as part of the Soviet Union. Subjugation under Poland lies at the heart of Ukraine's historic resentment against Poles. When Soviet Ukraine was overrun by the Nazis during World War II, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists initially cooperated with Hitler's forces, hoping to shake off the Soviet regime — which had collectivized farms, engineered a devastating famine that killed millions and imprisoned or executed regime opponents in droves. When leaders of the group realized the Nazis had no plans for an independent Ukraine, the group and its military wing switched to fighting both Stalin's and Hitler's forces. Other Ukrainian military units, such as the SS Galician Division or the Ukrainian Self Defense Legion, remained loyal to the Nazis.That is about accurate. They were freedom fighters, and they lost in 1941-54. There were also many ethnic Russians who likewise joined the Wehrmacht to fight against bolshevism; by some accounts about 2 millions of them. Many, of course, were recruited from prisoner of war camps but many simply volunteered. In Central Europe this period was not as clear-cut as it seems to be 70 years ago from America. For both Ukrainians and Russians, the German-Soviet war was a continuation of the Civil War. As is, by the way, the confrontation in Eastern Ukraine.View galleryYevhen Kutsik, 86, former soldier of SS Galician Division, … Yevhen Kutsik, 86, former soldier of SS Galician Division, right, and a young Ukrainian nationalist … Veterans of the Galician see themselves as freedom fighters.