When war between Russia and Austria started in the summer of 1914 about 4 million Ukrainians were mobilized to the Russian army and over 400,000 to the Austrian army. For both belligerents the Ukrainians were just cannon fodder. Besides, for tsarist Russia the war was also an opportunity to stamp out Ukrainian nationalist feelings.

A regiment of riflemen (Ukrajnski Sichovi Striltsi) was formed in Ukraine in September 1914. Its members were young and idealistic. They were inspired by a romantic patriotism. Some sources claim that 28,000 volunteers gathered in Lviv and other towns of western Ukraine. The French colonel d’Aubigne, who was taken prisoner by the regiment, said that it was the only military formation at that time that treated prisoners with humanity – they neither robbed nor destroyed the property of civilians. D’Aubigne also admired the Ukrainian youth’s musical talent.

Even Ukrainian women were ready to fight for the country’s independence. One Ukrainian woman became a key figure in the USS. Olena Stepanivna was born on the 9th of December 1892. After finishing her studies at the local village school near Lviv she studied at a teacher’s seminary and later at the department of philosophy of Lviv University. At that time she was an active member of the Ukrainian military society “Sich” and was in charge of 33 women who formed a part of this society. She was involved in setting up a secret students’ military organization called “Plast”.

When war broke out Olena Stepanivna joined the Ukrainian Army and fought against tsarist Russia for an independent Ukrainian state. She had the military rank of flagwoman and already in 1914 after the first battles she was decorated for bravery. In 1915 she was taken prisoner and sent to Uzbekistan. Her friends in the "Sich" society wrote a song to recall their best comrade.

However, in 1917, she was released. The Red Cross negotiated the exchange between Stepanivna and several Russian prisoners. Her return journey took her through Scandinavia and by the time she got home she was an international celebrity. Her photo was on the front page of women’s magazines in Ukraine, Sweden and Norway.

When the war ended Olena Stepanivna went to Vienna to continue her studies at university. She completed her PhD there and married Roman Dashkevych, who had been a flagman in the Kyiv military unit of “Sich”.

In 1922 she returned to Lviv where she became a teacher of history and geography. After WWII she worked as a research assistant at the Academy of Sciences and at the same time taught at Lviv university.

In 1949 at the age of 58 she was arrested and accused of anti-Soviet and nationalistic activity and was sentenced without trial to 10 years' imprisonment in labour settlements in Mordovia, Russia.

She returned to Lviv in 1956. The hard labour had taken its toll. Olena Stepanivna fought a serious illness but died in July, 1963. She was buried in Lychakiv cemetery.

There are 2 museums - 1 is housed in a Lviv school, the other is in Stepanivna's village - which recall her life. Her numerous works on Kievan Rus, Lviv, Crimea and the economical geography of Ukrainian land are among the exhibits.

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