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group in Kyiv. In 1873 a rebellious group
‘Kyiv commune” was formed. Its members
included: V. Debohoriy-Mokriyevych, K.
Breshkovska, V. Sudzylovsky, J. Kablyts, Y.
Stefanovych. The populists (narodnyky)
believed that all problems would be solved in
the course of all-Russian social revolution
with peasantry as a motive force of it. They
had little interest in national-liberation
striving of people enslaved by Russia.
1874 «Walking in the nation», of revolutionary
populist young people to raise peasantry for
social revolution. They got dressed in a plain
clothes and looking like tailors, locksmiths,
carpenters, teachers or nurses went to villages
to speak to peasants, read and spread popular
books about hard life of plain people with
revolutionary appeals. In the end of 1874
about a thousand of “walking in the nation”
participants were arrested. The investigation
lasted for 3 years and ended in the “law
proceeding of 193”. Many populists
*narodnyky) were sentenced to penal
servitude. The “walking in the nation” failed
to reach its goals.
1875 The activity of “southern rebels” group,
which was formed by former members of
“Kyiv commune” (30 people in all) with
Yakiv Stefanovych as its leader. They were
trying to create a peasant organization in
order to prepare them for an uprising. It
almost became real in the so-called
“Chyhyryn conspiracy”. A peasant secret

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