The Coverage of the 1927 Anglo-Soviet Diplomatic Conflict in the Émigré Weekly Tryzub

Abstract

The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the coverage of the Anglo-Soviet diplomatic conflict of 1927, as reflected in the pages of the émigré weekly Tryzub (the leading printed organ of the UNR political emigration during the interwar period). The focus is on the perception of this temporary crisis in Soviet-British relations by Ukrainian publicists, who viewed it as a potential factor in weakening the Bolshevik regime and providing additional impetus for intensifying international support for the Ukrainian cause. It is established that the Tryzub editorial board interpreted the diplomatic confrontation between Great Britain and the USSR not merely as a separate episode in bilateral relations but as a manifestation of a fundamental ideological confrontation between the democratic West and the totalitarian East.

The weekly’s publications displayed a clear anti-Russian and anti-Soviet rhetoric, combined with explicit sympathy for the British political course. This was particularly evident in how Tryzub reported on the search of the Soviet trade mission ARCOS, which initiated the conflict; the subsequent exchange of diplomatic notes; the rupture of bilateral relations; the domestic political reaction of the USSR; and its retaliatory measures in the sphere of foreign economic relations with Britain. The article also highlights the expectations of the Ukrainian emigration regarding a possible international isolation of the Soviet Union, especially in light of the response from British trade unions and political elites.

Special attention is paid to the coverage of the Russian émigré reaction to the threat of war between the USSR and Britain, which was presented in Tryzub as an indicator of the Russian elites’ inability to support the liberation aspirations of oppressed nations. The weekly’s editorial board condemned the pro-Soviet sentiments of the Russian diaspora, interpreting them as a continuation of imperial ambitions and a refusal to accept the political independence of nations that emerged from the ruins of the Russian Empire. At the same time, it was emphasized that in the event of real military confrontation, the Russian emigration could once again descend into a position of “defeatism.”

The article is based on an analysis of specific publications in Tryzub from May to September 1927, as well as on relevant findings of contemporary historiography concerning Anglo-Soviet relations in the interwar period and Ukrainian political emigration. As a result of the conducted study, the authors conclude that Tryzub not only informed its readers about foreign policy events but also sought to interpret them through the prism of the national liberation movement, thereby forming a coherent anti-Soviet political vision.