Taking part in the Kyiv expedition in 1920, Polish-Ukrainian troops fought jointly against Bolshevik Russia. In May of the same year, Poles and Ukrainians drove the enemy army out of Kyiv and entered the city. Unfortunately, this did not bring the end of the war.

The official date of regaining independence by Poland is November 11, 1918. The reborn state had to face many problems. One of them was Bolshevik Russia (Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic), which was threatening the newly regained Polish independence. Russia was taken over by communists who turned out to be the creators of an inhuman political system that led to huge tragedies for millions of people, despite their great slogans of equality coming from their lips.

Against the communist revolution

The goal of the Bolsheviks in Russia was to bring a communist revolution to the world. Eastern Europe was to become the first victim of communism, followed by Western Europe. As Poles were deprived of their state for 123 years and suffered a lot from the Russians, they did not fall for the lofty slogans that were only a smokescreen for the barbaric imperialism.

The reborn Polish state decided to stand in the way of the Bolsheviks and in 1919 the Polish-Bolshevik war broke out. In April 1920, the Poles concluded an agreement with the Ukrainians assuming a joint struggle against Bolshevik Russia. After the victorious war, independent Ukraine would be headed by the Ukrainian politician Semen Petlura.

Poles and Ukrainians entered Kyiv together

During the Kyiv expedition, Polish-Ukrainian troops did not encounter any major obstacles and on May 7, 1920, they entered Kyiv. There was a parade in the streets of the city and the Polish Sejm sent congratulations to Józef Piłsudski, the head of the Polish state. Many Poles and Ukrainians living in Kyiv walked to the streets to greet the marching army. “Every now and then someone approached us, mostly young girls who handed us lilac bouquets,” reported General Zygmunt Czarnecki, a participant in the Kyiv expedition. However, there were also people treating the Polish-Ukrainian army with reserve.

A New Strike of Bolshevik Russia

Unfortunately, the counteroffensive of Bolshevik Russia soon began. Poles and Ukrainians managed to defend Kyiv for a month and left the Ukrainian capital in June. Bolshevik troops advanced and in August 1920 reached the outskirts of Warsaw. The Battle of Warsaw was recognized by British politician and diplomat Edgar Vincent, Lord D’Abernon as the 18th most important battle in the history of the world.