BOLSHEVIK PROGRESS.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 69, 21 March 1919, Page 5

BOLSHEVIK PROGRESS.

ADVANCE ON UKRANIA,

GREATER PORTION CAPTURED. CHECKED ON BALTIC FRONT. (Received 11.10 a.m.) LONDON*, March .0. The Bolsheviks have captured the greater portion of Lkrainia. They have been defeated at Mitau on t'ne Hall.c front hy the Letts, and are retiring along tin- whole Lithuanian front. CHECK AT ARCHANGEL. BOLSHEVIK ATTACK FAILS. LONDON", March 20.

A British ollicial report from North Russia states: A llolshevik attack on Norjegorakaya. 130 miles south of Archangel, was repulsed. The enemy left 47 dead and many wounded. We also captured six machine-guns. -(A. and X.Z.

A wireless message reports that the Led Guards. the Bolshevik forces, defeat! d General Deniken and General IVtlura's troops, who made groat efforts to cover tl imploto evacuation of Odessa. M. *•„„! MilitikofT, ex-Foreign Minister, in a letter to tlie newspapers, says that the evacuation of Odessa is a cat-strophe, and brings I'olshevisin much closer to the centres of international communication.—(A. and N.Z.i

The t'kraine ha- boon one of the greatest centres of disorder in Russia ever since the revolution. By the peace signed at Hre-t l.itovd* with the Central Powers, it wa- generally believed in (he Allied countries that the I'kraine had deliberately bet rayed our cause. Subsequent events, however, showed that to be hardly a just view. It was no mencoincidence that Kioff was captured by the Holsheviks on April S and the peace signed on th" following day. The one event wa- the immediate cause of the other. Compelled lo choose "letwoon the Gorman devil and the llolshevik (icon sea, the rulers of tho I'kraine pardonably decided in favour of the former. From tho Gormnns they couh! at least hope security for thoir lives: from the Bolsheviks ' they could hope nothing. In order to live, they haltered thoir independence. How lit 11 o their hearts were in the bargain was shown by the sequel. Indeed, it is now unite dear that they deliberately humbugged Kuhlniiinn. lending him lo expect from Sonl-orn Tlnssja supplies of food which they could not possibly know to he accessible, or even in cxi-tonro. <.'"rman correspondents who went to Ki.dl after tie peace was signed said that no Ukrainian Government could have carried out the 'broad clause." of lie- treaty in their entirety, even if it had wished to do so. Nor can (here lie much doubt that the fkrainians who no ttinllv made the treaty never seriously everted themselves to fulfil their ohliga-

tinn-. That was why the Germans overthrew' them, and set uo th" military dictatorship ~f Rkoropndski. When the Gorman garrison wn-* compelled to withdraw from Kioff. Rkoropodski fell and the Rolshoviks then be.an to overrun the country until they have now practically completed the overrunning.