About Ivan Samosenko
Lived 1894 – 1920 (aged 25–26). Ivan Samosenko was a military personnel.
Ivan Semesenko (; 1894–1920) was a Ukrainian military leader and a war criminal who was involved in anti-Jewish pogroms in Ukraine, including the Proskurov pogrom.
Before joining the Ukrainian Army, Semesenko served in the Russian Imperial Army, holding a rank of praporshchik. In 1917 he joined the newly formed Ukrainian detachment of the Russian Republic, the 2nd Ukrainian Cossack Regiment of Hetman Polubotok. In November 1918, in Lubny, he gathered a guerrilla detachment in a fight against the Hetman administration. In January 1919 his detachment moved to Right-bank Ukraine, where it was transformed in the "Zaporizhian Brigade named after Symon Petlura" which consisted of two kurins (battalions). After suffering a defeat at frontlines in March 1919, remnants of the brigade in May 1919 were transferred to the Zaporizhian Corpus of the Standing Army of the Ukrainian People's Republic (Ukrainian People's Army).
On 1 May 1919, Semesenko was arrested and was under investigation on charges of organizing Jewish pogroms. In October 1919 he was freed from jail in Kamianets-Podilskyi by military detachments of the Armed Forces of South Russia that occupied the city.
On 17 January 1920, Semesenko was a military commissar and commander of the Red Insurgent Forces of Bratslav County. In April 1920 he joined the 2nd Division (later the 3rd Iron Division) of Ukrainian People's Army, but soon it was discovered that he was under investigation. After his attempt to flee, Semesenko was arrested by the Polish police at the Czechoslovak border and handed over to the Ukrainian authorities. He was then executed, albeit the charges for which he was shot are disputed. At the time, it was claimed that Semesenko was executed on charges of organizing Jewish pogroms. However, some assert that he was arrested and shot for dissent against Symon Petliura and mention a version that he died of syphilis.
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Important facts
People in Ivan Samosenko's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
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Frequently asked questions
Who was Ivan Samosenko?
Ukrainian military leader and war criminal
When was Ivan Samosenko born?
Ivan Samosenko was born in 1894.
When did Ivan Samosenko die?
Ivan Samosenko died in 1920.
What was Ivan Samosenko's occupation?
Ivan Samosenko was a military personnel.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Ivan Samosenko. https://biography.guide/ivan-samosenko/
MLA: "Ivan Samosenko." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/ivan-samosenko/.
Chicago: "Ivan Samosenko." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/ivan-samosenko/.
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