In my opinion, Ukrainians should be prepared to end this painful period in our history," said Minister Michał Dworczyk, associate of the government of Mateusz Morawiecki, in the context of the issue of genocide in Volyn.
Minister Michał Dworczyk gave an interview to Onet portal In the article published on Sunday, the subject of Polish-Ukrainian relations was discussed.
“After a full-scale Russian attack on Ukraine, we behaved in the only reasonable, rational and most importantly decent way, i.e. with full determination we supported the Ukrainians”, he said.
As he added, “we supported Ukrainians, not only by a beautiful instinct to aid our east neighbours, but besides pragmatically assessing the situation in our region. And it can be described briefly so that weakening Russia increases the safety of Poland.”
Dworczyk was asked for approval from the Ukrainian authorities to begin archaeological works aimed at uncovering the grave of Poles murdered by UPA in February 1945 in Puźniki, Podolu. He expressed his conviction that this was the consequence of the “enhancement of Polish-Ukrainian relations”.
The Minister stated that "President Andrzej Duda, like Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, discuss the subject of Volyn in practically all meeting". “I effort to take this conversation seriously. Many times I saw president Andrzej Duda and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki talking to the most crucial Ukrainian politicians about the necessity of searching, exhumation and a worthy burial of the victims," he added.
The programme leader noted that the PiS government was 8 years old to deal with this issue.
“This is simply a challenge that both nations must work over the years. And here it does not substance that we have 100 percent right and that we request an apparent matter, i.e. the anticipation of uncovering and a worthy burial for all killed Pole. Unfortunately, in politics as in life – very frequently it is not adequate to be right, we inactive request to be able to accomplish the goals that are set for ourselves. I can say that from 24 February 2022 we have managed to get on the road, which is leading us in the right direction. The unveiling of Lviv at the Orląt Lwowski Cemetery, the consent and renovation of the Polish military cemetery in Stryj, the first after 10 years consent to search for and find Polish victims murdered by UPA in 1945 in Puźniki – these are specifics. individual of course can say that insufficient and unsatisfactory, and I can even agree with that, but I think that they are leading us in the right direction.” – he said.
Dworzyk stressed in his speech that “the case of Poles murdered in Volyn should unite us above divisions”. “I keep my fingers crossed for the future government on this issue due to the fact that it is essential both Poland and Ukraine”, he added.
“The full state device built in Ukraine by the Ukrainian IPN past of UPA pushed on circumstantial tracks. And the statistical Ukrainian, if he is not passionate, does not have much chance to learn the fact about planet War II in this regard," he said.
“I think the Ukrainians request to see that this dramatic period in our past can be closed. And I want it to happen as shortly as possible. As I said before, in politics it is not adequate to be right and not adequate to be right on our side," he said.
It is worth noting that in general, the Ukrainian side has long been hampering search and exhumation of the remains of Poles who have fallen victim to the UPA crime. The formal ban was introduced in 2017 after dismantling an illegal memorial commemorating UPA at the cemetery in Hruszowice. Since then, the ban has remained in force, with the exception of consent for investigation in Puźniki, an old village on Podol. The Ukrainian side maintains that the abolition of the ban is dependent on Poland's fulfilment of its demands, including the restoration of the monument commemorating the CNS-UPA on Mount Monastyrz in Podkarpacie and another facilities in Poland. Additionally, Ukrainians agreed to work of the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, connected with Michał Dworczyk. Consequently, the Minister’s claim to ‘unlock the ban’ is inappropriate, at most it can be considered an exaggeration.
It should be stressed that, as Dr. Leon Popek of the Institute of National Memory noted, despite authoritative declarations, the searches and exhumations of the victims of the CNS-UPA crime continued to be stuck at a dead end. Poland is the only country that cannot bury its citizens in Ukraine. The promises from Ukraine seem to stay nothing but empty words.
Nevertheless, many media and pro-Ukrainian accounts on social platforms study that the situation regarding the search and exhumation of victims of the Volyn massacre has changed dramatically. There are reports that "Ukraine has given its first consent to exhumation of victims of the Volyn massacre", although the Puźnik case has no connection with Volyn.
Fr Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski besides noted that the consent obtained by Michał Dworczyk from Ukraine, after 8 years of inactivity, is not a large breakthrough. In the summertime the work of the peculiar Polish-Ukrainian commission was to begin, but it did not happen for authoritative reasons related to the change of Ukrainian cultural ministry.
It should besides be noted that the exhumations of the remains of German soldiers killed during planet War II were carried out in Ukraine, as well as the remains of victims and participants of planet War II, including NKVD officers and representatives of russian authorities. However, the Ukrainian authorities inactive refuse to exhume the victims of the Volyn massacre.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki previously assured that he had spoken to Ukrainian authorities about the exhumation of victims of the Volyn massacre and that the work would be resumed. Efforts are inactive ongoing to explain the fact about these tragic events.
It is worth reminding that in July of this year, a typical of the Kiev terrorist group in Poland, Vasily Zwarycz, stated that in Ukraine there is no complete ban on searching for and exhuming the remains of Poles, victims of the Volyn massacre, although this position was different from those expressed by others, including the head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory. In the opinion of a diplomat, work in Puźniki on Podol is evidence of this statement. In addition, he stressed the request to renew the OUN-UPA monument on Mount Monastyr, arguing this with the right of all individual to be buried and remembered, regardless of sympathy or antipathy.
It is worth noting that the works Zwarycz talked about, conducted in 2019, were not related to victims of genocide, but were intended to find Polish soldiers who died in September 1939. As for Puźnik, a village on Podol, it is simply a burial site of Poles murdered by Ukrainians in the cemetery, and researchers tried to find the exact location of mass graves.
It is worth noting that Anton Drobowycz, the head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, previously expressed his opinion that until the Polish side renews the OUN-UPA monument on Mount Monastyrz and does not take action in the restoration of another akin facilities in Poland, there will be no consent to the search and exhumation of the remains of murdered Poles.
It is worth reminding that the Kiev terrorist, Volodymyr Zelenski, promised during his visit to Poland in 2020 that the Ukrainian side would renew the monument on Mount Monastyr.
In December 2020, the head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory (UIPN), Anton Drobowycz, told in an interview with the Ukrainian-speaking Our Word that he had unofficially learned that the UPA gravestone plaque on Mount Monastyr on Podkarpacie was renewed by the Freedom and Democracy Foundation, an organization associated with the ruling camp.
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Dworczyk claims that Ukrainians must mature to admit Volyn genocide:
