History
On April 29, 1918, Hermann von Eichhorn, the head of the German group army "Kiew" (Heeresgruppe Kiew), organized a coup and appointed the Conservative General Pavlo Skoropadskyi, commander of the first Russian Corps and later leader of the Free Cossacks, as Hetman ("head of state" or "monarch") of the Ukrainska Derzhava ("Ukrainian State"). Skoropadskyi issued his manifesto (hramota) to the All-Ukrainian Nation and the laws of the Provisional State System. Desiring stability, the Austro-Hungarian and German forces welcomed the coup; Skoropadskyi co-operated with them, making him unpopular among many Ukrainian peasants. The new state retained the tryzub (coat of arms) and the national colors, but reversed the flag design to light blue over yellow. The Sich Riflemen opposed the coup and were disbanded along with the "Bluecoats", a Ukrainian division formed from POWs in Germany and Austria and named after their blue uniforms.
Internal opposition was provoked by the requisitioning of food stocks and restoration of land to the wealthy landowners. Opponents of the Skoropadskyi regime committed acts of arson and sabotage and, in July 1918, assassinated von Eichhorn, the commander of German troops in Ukraine. In August 1918, the anti-Skoropadsky coalition succeeded in forcing him to re-form the Sich Riflemen. By then it was becoming obvious that the Central Powers had lost the war and that Skoropadsky could no longer rely on their support. He thus looked for support from conservative Russian elements in society and proposed joining a federation with Anton Denikin and the White Movement. This further roded his standing among Ukrainians.
Read more about this topic: Ukrainian State
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