Ukrainian criminals

On 11 and 12 July 1943, UPA launched a coordinated attack on Polish residents of 150 localities in Volyn. In total, in 1943-45 about 100,000 Poles were killed in Volyn and in east Galicia, murdered by troops of the Ukrainian Insurgency Army and local Ukrainian population. These events became past as the Volynsk Crime.

The perpetrators of the Volyn crime are the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists – the faction of Stepan Bandera, subordinate to her Ukrainian Pows dancing Army and Ukrainian population participating in the murders of their Polish neighbours.

OUN-UPA called its activities "an anti-Polish action". This word concealed the intention to execution and expel Poles.

The first mass execution on the Polish population in Volyn was carried out on 9 February 1943 by a branch of the Ukrainian Insurgency Army, who murdered 173 Poles in the village of Parosza I in the Sarne district.

The increase in the wave of crime was affected by the abandonment of the Ukrainian service to Germany in March and April 1943 and the transition to UPA.

Many of these policemen had previously been active in the extermination of Jews. At night from 22 to 23 April 1943, UPA burned the settlement of Janów Dolina and murdered about 600 Poles.

A peculiar increase in the crime occurred in July 1943. Around 10 – 11 1000 Poles were murdered at the time.

On 11 and 12 July, UPA launched a coordinated attack on Poles in 150 localities in the districts of Włodzimierz, Horochowski, Kowelski and Łutsk. The fact that people gathered in churches on Sunday 11 July was used. There have been murders in temples in Poryck (today Pavliwka) and Kisielina. About 50 Catholic churches in Volyn were burned and demolished.

Crimes in Poles were carried out in 1865 places in Volyn. The biggest massacres were carried out in Wola Ostrowiecka, where 628 Poles were murdered, in the colony of Gaj – 600, in Ostrówków – 521, Kolodno – 516.

Crimes in Poles were carried out many times with utmost cruelty, burned alive, thrown into a well, utilized an axe and forks, deliberately tortured victims before death, and besides raped women.

UPA attacked the bases of Polish self-defense in Volyn, in which the population was protected, among others. Only any of the bases of self-defense survived. A russian partisan and Hungarian soldiers selling ammunition helped the bases.

There have been cases of gun-gathering from the Germans. Poles sought rescue by fleeing to cities and towns controlled by German troops. Many of them were shipped to Germany for forced labour.

The word Volynsk crime refers not only to mass murders committed in the area of Volyn, or the erstwhile Volynsk province, but besides in the erstwhile provinces of Lviv, Tarnopolski and Stanisławski (Eastern Galicia) and Lublin and Polesie provinces.

Mass execution on the Polish population in east Galicia began in autumn 1943.

UPA, led by Roman Szuchewych “Taras Czuprinka” began “an anti-Polish action” in east Galicia in April 1944. It was to be assumed not as drastic as the 1 carried out in Volyn.

They were going to force Poles to leave their homes under threat of death. In case of refusal, only men were to be killed. In practice, this was frequently not observed and crimes were committed on all residents. Mass murders were carried out, among others, in Podkań (100 – 150 killed), Bryniec Za górnych (100 – 145) Berezowice Mała (130 – 135 victims). In addition to UPA, Ukrainian soldiers, volunteers to the SS division “Galizen” (Huta Pieniacka, 600 – 900 killed) took part in the crimes.

Polish-Ukrainian families were besides killed by Ukrainian nationalists, Ukrainians refusing to participate in a criminal action and saving Poles. The "Kresowa Book of the Righteous" (IPN edition) prepared by Romuald Sunday reports that Ukrainians saved 2527 Poles. For this help, 384 Ukrainians paid with their lives.

According to estimates of Polish historians, Ukrainian nationalists murdered about 100,000 Poles. 40-60 1000 were killed in Volyn, 20-40 1000 in east Galicia, at least 4,000 in today's Poland. panic UPA caused hundreds of thousands of Poles to leave their homes, fleeing to central Poland. Volynsk crime caused Polish retaliation, resulting in about 10-12 1000 Ukrainians killed, including 3-5 1000 in Volyn and in east Galicia.

In the opinion of an expert on Polish-Ukrainian issues, historian prof. Grzegorz Motyka "although the anti-Polish action was cultural cleansing, it besides meets the definition of genocide". The goal was to destruct Volyn in its entirety, and in another areas in part, the Polish cultural group. (PAP)