The Evening Star TUESDAY, MAY 9, 1941. RESTORING THE UKRAINE.

Evening Star, Issue 25170, 9 May 1944, Page 4

The Evening Star TUESDAY, MAY 9, 1941. RESTORING THE UKRAINE.

"HI had the Ural Mountains, with their incalculable store of treasures in raw materials, Siberia with its vast forests, and the Ukraine with its tremendous wheat fields, Germany and the National Socialist leadership would swim in plenty." This statement of Adolf Hitler,, made as early as September, 1936, was one of the first to provoke misgivings of his aggressive designs. It was as the ' New York Times ' and other peace-desiring journals pointed out, that there was no expression of a wish to acquire these neighbouring resources, and there was "no threat." But the picture called up. in sharp contrast to another of German poverty, could not fail to excite uneasiness as to what might be in the Fuhrer's mind. When their assault was made the Germans aid not get near the Urals, though the Rus-, sians had shown a wise precaution in moving as many as possible of their great war factories, beyond them. They did not get near Siberia, but they made the overrunning' of the Ukraine their first object, and that part of their iplan was achieved with complete success. Now the invaders have been thrown out of the Ukraine; they have been thrown out even from most of Bessarabia, which contains half a million of Ukrainians, and the Russians have crossed the border of Bukovina, containing another half million. Within the last few days it has heen reported that the peasants of the Ukraine have already sown 68 per cent, of their former sawn area, so that the food of tins rich area will go once more to Russian mouths, to that extent relieving Russia's economy. The Russians planned well in directing their great offensive so that the Ukraine should be freed in time for the spring sowing, and the Ukrainians have done well in taking advantage of their new opportunity with the rapidity which they have shown. The Ukraine, it has been said, is " Russia's bread basket, s'tigar bowl, and coalbin rolled into one T't normally produces a fifth of Russia's grain, two-thirds of its sugar, three-quarters of its coal, threefifths of its iron, and a fifth of its chemicals." When Hitler''.struck at the Ukraine he hoped to find friends. There had long been a strong nationalistic tendency among the thirty-five millions of this great territory. Moscow had had its difficulties with Kiev, but the differences were forgotten when the Germans struck. The word was civen by a Ukrainian general: "No bread for the enemy; harvest what you need; destroy the rest; burn the crops: blow up the dams"; and it was obeyed. The restoration of industrial activitywill be slower than that of the food tracts. It will be swift, however, as intensive energies cau\maike it. The measure of self-government which Kiev will enjoy in the.new Russian decentra- . lisation plan can be expected to gratify Ukrainian political desires, and if thu border of Poland is to be set, in future, somewhere near the Curzon line, more Ukrainians will be included for their | contentment in the population of that constituent republic.