The Second All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets

On March 17-19, 1918, the 2nd All-Ukrainian Congress of Soviets was held in Yekaterinoslav . The congress was organized and conducted by the Central Executive Committee of the Ukrainian People’s Republic of Soviets of Workers, Peasants, Soldiers and Cossack Deputies (shortly, the Ukrainian People’s Republic of Soviets (note - the Soviet People’s Republic of Autonomous Republic, autonomous as part of the Russian Soviet Republic)) - Chairman of the Central Executive Committee of the People’s Republic of Medvedev, Efim Grigorievich ( in the post 15 (28) .12.1917 - 17.3.1918).

The keynote address “On the Current and Political Moment” at the congress was made by the Chairman of the People’s Secretariat (from 4.03.1918) N. A. Skripnik.

The Bolsheviks had no advantage at the congress: at the beginning they constituted the second largest fraction — 401 delegates against 414 left-wing socialist revolutionaries. However, relying on left-wing elements from other parties (left-wing Ukrainian social democrats, maximalists), they managed to carry out their decisions. Most of the Congress delegates supported the Brest Peace concluded by the Bolshevik government. The congress declared the Ukrainian Republic an independent Soviet republic and declared that relations between the republics remained the same - thus the autonomy of the Ukrainian People’s Republic of the Soviets of Workers, Peasants, Soldiers and Cossack Deputies in the Russian Soviet Republic was eliminated. The Ukrainian Soviet Republic was part of the Russian Soviet Republic, which was proclaimed as a federation of Soviet national republics .

The congress united all Soviet formations and forces on the territory of Ukraine into a single Ukrainian Soviet Republic (at that time the name Ukrainian Soviet Federative Republic appeared in the documents) with the capital in Kharkov .

Approved: The All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee of Ukrainian Councils, the revolutionary government - the People’s Secretariat .

For information about the decision of the congress, as well as to reach an agreement on the form of relations between the RSFR and the Ukrainian Soviet Republic, it was decided at the end of March to send an emergency plenipotentiary embassy to Moscow for negotiations with the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFR in Moscow (March 12, 1918) CEC of the Councils of Ukraine and the People's Secretariat. The Extraordinary Plenipotentiary Embassy was headed by the head of the People’s Secretariat and People’s Secretary of Foreign Affairs N. Skripnik.

On March 17, the congress terminated the powers of the Central Executive Committee and its chairman, E. G. Medvedev.

The congress approved the decision of the conference of representatives of the Soviets in the city of Poltava on March 4, which elected Skripnik N.A. as chairman of the People's Secretariat and People's Secretary of Foreign Affairs.

The congress adopted a resolution “On the Organization of Military Force,” obliging delegates to work in each city and village to create the armed forces of the Ukrainian Soviet Republic to fight against external and internal enemies. ^[1] see Revolution and Civil War in Ukraine

In accordance with the resolution adopted, the Red Guard detachments, detachments of the former Russian army, military units and detachments of the Soviet republics were required to be reduced to five armies of 3-3.5 thousand people each: the 1st Army of the Ukrainian Army , the 2nd Army of the Ukrainian Army , the 3rd Army USR , 4th Army of the USR , 5th Army of the USR . In fact, these armies were brigades with limited capabilities, but they were called upon to become an organized combat capable force capable of delaying the advance of the occupying forces of Germany and Austria-Hungary, protect the Soviet authorities, and enable the evacuation of state values, bread, coal, military equipment . ^{[1] The} People’s Secretariat for Military Affairs of Ukraine (located in Yekaterinoslav), the People’s Secretary for Military Affairs and the Supreme Commander of the Forces of the Ukrainian Soviet Republic V. A. Antonov-Ovseenko were to fulfill this task.

March 25, 1918 the chairman of the All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee was elected Zatonsky, Vladimir Petrovich (25.3 - 04.4.1918)

In March, the People’s Secretariat was in Yekaterinoslav, in April in Taganrog .

By April 1918, due to the occupation by the Austrian-German forces of the entire territory of the provinces, the Ukrainian People's Republic of Soviets ceased to exist.

In April 1918, in Taganrog, on the basis of the Central Executive Committee of the Councils of Ukraine and the People’s Secretariat , a Bureau was established to lead the rebel struggle in the occupied territory of Ukraine .

In July 1918, by the decision of the First Congress of the Communist Party of Ukraine (b), which took place in Moscow, the All-Ukrainian Central Military Revolutionary Committee was formed, which replaced the Bureau for Guiding the Rebel Fight in the Occupied Territory of Ukraine .

• Red Banner Kiev . Essays on the history of the Red Banner Kiev Military District (1919-1979). Second edition, revised and supplemented. Kiev , publishing house of political literature of Ukraine, 1979.

• http://www.knowbysight.info Handbook on the history of the Communist Party and the Soviet Union 1898 - 1991.
• http://www.knowbysight.info/1_UKRA/08983.asp A Handbook on the History of the Communist Party and the Soviet Union 1898 - 1991. Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.
• http://www.knowbysight.info/1_UKRA/03467.asp A Handbook on the History of the Communist Party and the Soviet Union 1898 - 1991. The highest organs of state power of the Ukrainian SSR.
• Skripnik Mikola Oleksiyovich. Government portal: Ukrainian military units of the Ukrainian Radiansky Social and Social Republic (Ukrainian) - Ukrainian Government portal