Friends!

45 years ago the USSR KGB launched operation "Block", in which were arrested dozens of representatives of the Ukrainian intelligentsia. Among them - Vasyl Stus, Vyacheslav Chornovil, Eugene Sverstyuk, Ivan Svitlychny and others. These people were dissidents, political views of which did not coincide with the "tone of authority." But these people were respected for their position, their words were important to the community. Therefore, they did significant work and should be banned by authorities. In the cruel way, so others would never want to serve their example.

The plan was cunning. First on the train in Moscow - Prague for improper filling of documents was detained Jaroslav Dobosh – Belgian citizen. During the search guardians found a camera, on which was filmed the book "Dictionary of rhymes Ukrainian language" by Svyatoslav Karavansky, who was then a political prisoner. It was not a surprise. Dobosh was spied while he was in Kyiv, KGB new that he met Ivan Svitlychny. Residence of this Ukrainian poet was a kind of club of national consciousness of youth, a debate club to discuss national idea. Belgian was forced to confess that he wanted to establish the connection between the resistance movement in Ukraine and foreign nationalist centers. He was sent abroad and the local dissidents began to be hunt.

Mass arrests started. This wave had finally put an end to any resistance. Overall for the year more than one hundred people were arrested, among them 89 were convicted for anti-Soviet activities. This arrests were used to make the people remain silent.

Intimidation, arrests and other methods were not only to stop the people, much more to stop the phenomenon - samizdat. Thanks to newspapers, magazines and books, which were published through the efforts of Ukrainian nationalists, their ideas spread among people. Unfortunately, the operation almost succeeded. Its distribution decreased.

But the supporters of prisoners did not pin their hands. They prepared and distributed a new, sixth number samizdat magazine "Ukrainian Journal", edited by Vyacheslav Chornovil, who had been in jail for three months.

But after the arrests, samizdat’s value increased. Ukrainians learned more about people, who fought for independence. Their ideas spread among people like a flu. Some say that from that moment began a "domino effect" that led to the independence of Ukraine.

Friends! The struggle for the fate of the state - is a complex thing. On the way of those, who participate in it there are often serious obstacles. But no one and nothing can stop people, who believe that their own homeland can gain success.