“RUTHENIAN MOUNTAIN RIFLEMEN” IN THE UKRAINIAN STATE- BUILDING OF THE MID-NINETEENTH CENTURY

Abstract

The article highlights that by the second half of the nineteenth century, the Ukrainian population had developed a clear understanding of the need to create an independent military formation to support its national aspirations. At the same time, such armed units were viewed as essential for defending Ukrainian interests amid the state and political conflicts unfolding among European powers in the early twentieth century. It is noted that the initiative to establish such an organization was undertaken by the Main Ruthenian Council, which facilitated the creation of various societies across the region. As a result, a distinct military unit—the Ruthenian Mountain Riflemen—was formed. Its primary objective was to defend the Carpathian passes from incursions by Polish volunteers supporting the Magyars in their uprising against the official authorities, as well as to secure the territories from returnees traveling from Magyarshchyna back to Galicia. Simultaneously, the unit was tasked with maintaining constitutional order and ensuring adherence to legal norms within the region. In March 1849, the project to establish the Ruthenian Riflemen received formal approval from the imperial authorities, after which the formation of the unit gained momentum, eventually numbering approximately 1,400 personnel.