Volodymyr Bahaziy

Volodymyr (Vladimir, Wladimir) Panteleimonovych Bahasiy (Bagaziy, Bagasij, Bahasij), _ru. "Владимир Пантелеймонович Багазий" (1902, Ryabovka village, Ukraine — 21 February 1942, Kiev, Babyn Yar) was a head of Kiev City Administration under German occupation in October 1941 - January 1942.

He was a professional pedagogue, taught in a Jewish school, later was a postgraduate student at Kiev Pedagogical Institute. In September 1941, when Germans occupied Kiev, Oleksandr Ohloblyn who knew him for years invited him at the meeting where representatives of OUN (Andriy Melnyk's faction) formed new Kiev city administration. Although Bahaziy was supported by a large group, OUN representatives mistrusted him and agreed to appoint him a deputy to Ohloblyn who became the city mayor. Very soon, however, Bahaziy gained favor of both OUN people (for his active participation in the activities of the Ukrainian National Council) and Erich Koch, the head of Reichskommissariat Ukraine. In October 1941 Ohloblyn retired and Bahaziy was appointed new Kiev mayor.

However, Bahaziy failed to organize Kiev economy and to prevent from mass hunger and sabotage. At the same time, his nationalist activities more and more irritated Germans. In January 1942 he was arrested and very soon executed, although his wife was left unaware of his death and kept bringing him packages to Kiev prison until summer 1942.

References

* [http://www.kievpress.info/read/11804.html Київська влада під німецькою окупацією] — in Ukrainian.
* [http://ukrslovo.kiev.ua/work/archive/2006/38/20.html О. Кучерук. Чин Володимира Багазія (ч. 1)]
* [http://ukrslovo.kiev.ua/work/archive/2006/39/18.html О. Кучерук. Чин Володимира Багазія (ч. 2)]
* [http://ukrslovo.kiev.ua/work/archive/2006/40/16.html О. Кучерук. Чин Володимира Багазія (ч. 3)]