BULLETINS OF THE UKRAINIAN PRESS BUREAU “WIADOMOŚCI UKRAIŃSKIE” IN WARSAW (1931–1932)

Abstract

This article examines the content, functions, and significance of the bulletins published by the Ukrainian Press Bureau “Wiadomości Ukraińskie” in Warsaw as valuable sources for the history of Ukrainianemigration in interwar Poland. The study aims to identify the information strategy employed by the Ukrainian political and intellectual elite under conditions of international tension, assess the role of the bulletins in shap-ing public opinion, mobilizing the Ukrainian diaspora, and countering the assimilation policies of the Polishstate. The research is based on a comprehensive methodological framework that includes various scholarly approaches and methods for studying the Bureau’s activities and its information-propaganda bulletins duringthe specified period. A historical-systemic approach allowed for the analysis of the Bureau’s operations withinthe broader context of the interwar era, taking into account political, social, and cultural factors. Content analysis was employed to identify key themes, narrative strategies, and techniques used to construct Ukraine’s image in the Western information space. A source-critical method enabled the evaluation of the bulletins as historical sources, focusing on their origin, authorship, target audience, and intended function. A structur- al-functional approach was applied to determine the Bureau’s role within the network of Ukrainian national institutions in exile, while narrative analysis was used to explore the discursive features of the bulletin texts.The scholarly novelty of the study lies in the in-depth examination of a little-studied source – the bulletins ofthe Ukrainian Press Bureau “Wiadomości Ukraińskie” in Warsaw – during the early 1930s. The article offers a systematic overview of the content, structure, subject matter, ideological orientation, and significance of these publications in constructing a positive international image of Ukraine. It outlines the specific functions of the Bureau as an element of Ukrainian émigré information policy and identifies the mechanisms through which it influenced European public discourse via the publication and distribution of analytical and journalistic mate- rials. Special attention is given to the bulletins as historical sources reflecting the positions of Ukrainian politi- cal émigrés on developments in the Ukrainian SSR, the Second Polish Republic, and international affairs more broadly. Conclusions. The study demonstrates that the Ukrainian Press Bureau “Wiadomości Ukraińskie”played a crucial role in shaping the international image of Ukraine and articulating the Ukrainian perspective to Western audiences during the interwar period. The bulletins exhibited a wide thematic scope, analytical depth, and a coherent political orientation. They consistently covered developments in the Ukrainian SSR, the situation of Ukrainians in the Second Polish Republic, Ukraine-related foreign policy issues, and the chal- lenges faced by the Ukrainian diaspora. These findings underscore the existence of a well-formulated informa- tion strategy aimed at defending national interests on the international stage. The Bureau functioned as a vitalcomponent of the political and cultural infrastructure of Ukrainian emigration and contributed significantlyto amplifying the Ukrainian voice in the European information space-despite the absence of statehood and challenging political conditions.