THE THIRD WORLD CONGRESS OF FREE UKRAINIANS AS A COMPONENT OF STRUGGLE FOR THE RIGHTS OF THE UKRAINIAN NATION

Abstract

The article examines the preparation and proceedings of the Third World Congress of Free Ukrainians (WCFU). The author highlights the key challenges faced by the organizers of this event, including a lack of funds and a decline in interest. Furthermore, the article analyzes the influence of international factors on the activities of the WCFU, particularly the processes of decolonization and the increased focus on human rights and freedoms in the 1970s. As a result of these developments, representatives of the Ukrainian, Belarusian, Estonian, Latvian and Lithuanian World Congresses jointly drafted a “Memorandum on Decolonization of the USSR” and submitted it for consideration by the United Nations (UN). To conclude the Congress, a demonstration titled “Defending the Rights of Ukraine – For the Decolonization of the USSR” was organized. The article highlights key achievements of the Commission on Human Rights of the WCFU, including the defense of the rights of political prisoners such as Valentyn Moroz, Leonid Plyushch, Mykola Rudenko, Oleksiy Tykhyi, Lev Lukianenko and others. The Commission also participated in conferences under the auspices of the UN in honor of the International Women's Year in Mexico in 1975 and Habitat Conference in Vancouver in 1976. Moreover, the article examines the reaction of the Soviet press to the Third WCFU and identifies the main clichés of Soviet propaganda used to describe this event.