Stepan Bandera was a Ukrainian nationalist leader and politician who advocated for an independent and unified Ukrainian state. Born in 1909, Bandera became involved in Ukrainian nationalist movements during his university years, eventually joining the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) in the 1930s.
Bandera and the OUN sought to achieve independence for Ukraine from Soviet and Polish control, and during World War II, they collaborated with Nazi Germany in hopes of achieving their goal.