Irish Republican News · March 24, 2022

Ukrainian soldiers given copies of IRA manual - report

A Ukrainian translation of the IRA’s ‘Green Book’ for military planning has been distributed to soldiers in the war-ravaged country to help them engage in guerrilla conflict, according to a report in the Sunday World.

The translation was published in 2018, four years after Russia annexed parts of Ukraine. It is one of several reputed versions of the document which have been published and translated into a variety of languages.

According to the Sunday World, it has been circulated for the past four years in a bid to educate Ukraine’s soldiers on the best tactics and strategies to be used in a successful military campaign. The 160 page book was edited by Oleh Feschowetz, a publisher who lives in the currently besieged city of Lviv.

The booklet is on sale on several Ukrainian websites. It carries an advertisement, familiar to Irish republicans, warning soldiers to keep their mouths shut when in public in fear of spies and touts.

“In taxis. On the phone. In clubs and bars. At football matches. At home with friends. Anywhere! Whatever you say – say nothing”, it warns.

The text also includes images of the famous gable wall in Derry stating ‘You Are Now Entering Free Derry.’

The Ukrainian introduction of the book, ‘Irish Republican Army: Strategy and Tactics’, states it is a collection of IRA documents “which came available to the public in various circumstances”.

Ita adds: “It was designed for recruiting trainees, they (IRA) reveal its military history and organisational structure, strategy and tactics of struggle, issues of equipment and armament, security as well as moral and psychological training of volunteers.

“It is intended for officers, sergeants and soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Intelligence officers, researchers in the history of an insurgency and counter insurgency. Teachers of military and civilian educational establishments, cadets and students”, it explains.

Distributed in secret, the original Green Book acted as a manual of conduct and induction to the IRA since at least the 1950s. It includes a statement of military objectives, tactics and conditions for military victory against the British government.

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