Olha Mykhailivna Basarab was a Ukrainian political activist and member of the Ukrainian Military Organization who conducted both charitable and humanitarian work that was recognized by the International Red Cross, as well as military or intelligence work on behalf of the Ukrainian underground.
11 Facts About Olha Basarab
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Olha Basarab was arrested by the Polish police after being accused of working with the Ukrainian Military Organization and of spying for Germany.
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Olha Basarab was born Olha Levytska in 1889 into a family of petty gentry near the town of Rohatyn.
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In 1914 she married Dmytry Olha Basarab, who died fighting for Austria on the Italian front in 1915.
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Olha Basarab was involved in charity work involving helping wounded soldiers and civilians and was recognized by the International Red Cross for her efforts.
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Active in Ukrainian political organizing, Olha Basarab helped organize Ukrainian soldiers and was a member of the Ukrainian Women's Union in Vienna and a member of the Supreme Executive of the Union of Ukrainian Women in Lviv.
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In 1923 Olha Basarab started working with the Ukrainian Military Organization, where her liaison was Yevhen Konovalets.
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Olha Basarab was accused by the Polish authorities of working with intelligence from Germany and Bolshevik Ukraine in Poland and belonging to the Ukrainian Military Organization, which organised assassinations of Poles and Ukrainians.
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Olha Basarab was detained by Polish security forces and died in prison under unclear circumstances.
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Olha Basarab's death resulted in protests from Ukrainians, demands an inquiry from Ukrainian members of the Polish Sejm, and calls from the Jewish members of the Polish parliament to investigate prisoner conditions in Polish jails.
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Olha Basarab declined to publicly identify the bruises on her body as being the results of beatings, although his student stated that he had told her during the autopsy that Basarb's body showed traces of having been beaten.