"My grandpa was drinking, we forgot everything"
Stanisław Wyspiański "Wedding"
As all year, on 11 July, the memory of the brutally murdered during the Volyn massacre – an unprecedented act of genocide by hatchers from the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and Ukrainian Insurgency Army returns. At that time there was a culmination of the criminal actions of these organizations against the Polish population in Volyn. On 11 July 1943, the UPA troops later named "blood Sunday" attacked 99 Polish towns in Wołynia, mainly in Horochów and Włodzimierz districts. The full action was carefully planned and held under the motto "Death of Lachom". Bandits entered villages and settlements, surrounding buildings and preventing residents from escaping. The Polish population was murdered in a peculiarly cruel way – frequently with forks, axe, or saw wood cutting. The buildings to which the local population was driven were besides very frequently set on fire. Here are any examples:
- in Gutin, in the territory of Włodzimierski – on 11 July 1943 about 140 people were murdered (part of the inhabitants were burned in the close forge),
- in Nowiny, in the territory of Włodzimierzski – on 11 July 1943, about 80 people were killed utilizing axe and grenades thrown into buildings,
- in Orzeszyn, in the territory of Włodzimierski – on 11 July 1943 about 300 inhabitants were shot, or beset by bayonets,
- in the General Court, in the territory of Włodzimierski – about 160 inhabitants were murdered on 11 September,
- in Poryck, in the territory of Włodzimierski – on 11 September 1943 at least 220 people were murdered (about 100 inhabitants died in a straw and a burnt church).
These are just any of the cultural cleansings made during “bloody Sunday” by UPA troops. It should be remembered that the “bloody Sunday” was only 1 of the stages of the Volyn massacre, during which at least 100,000 people died. But it's not just the number here. The perpetrators of mass crimes in Volyn appeared to be an unparalleled cruelty, which even shocked Wehrmacht soldiers. It was usually not a gunshot wound to the back of the head, but the victims were brutally tortured before they died, or death itself was done in an highly painful way.
It was not only about the physical elimination of the Polish population, but the task of victims of maximum suffering. As Jan Michalewski said: “All villages were burned, robbing the property of the victims. The victims were killed by ax strikes, pierced with forks, scythes, nailed alive to houses with their eyes forged. In UPA instructions, more than 300 described ways to torture children, women and men were discovered after the war. Death from the bullet was the lightest and the victims prayed for it erstwhile the hope of saving lives was extinguished” [1]. Dr. Urszula Szumska, who is simply a respected historian and educator, acting in the initiative of the National organization of the East Lands Committee in Lviv and investigating crimes committed in Volyn, noted in her archive examples of torture committed to victims by banners, among others: tearing the abdomen, tearing the nails to the head, beating the joints, taking out the eyes, scalping the head, cutting off the various parts of the body or setting fire [2]. Of course, there were many more ways of inflicting utmost suffering on victims – the hatchers from UPA troops were very clever in this regard.
Not only the scale, nature and way of carrying out the crime in Volyn is shocking. besides shocking is the clear support of the current Ukrainian authorities for the criminal formations liable for the Volyn massacre and its leaders. The cult of the leaders of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists Stephan Bandera is common in Ukraine (especially in the western part of it) as confirmed by the streets and monuments of Bandera, dedicated to him by museums and school of his name. This besides applies to another commanders of the Ukrainian Insurgency Army, including straight liable for the genocide committed in Volyn – Roman Szuchewycz and Dmytro Klaczewski. Significantly, Szuchewycz was posthumously awarded the title of hero of Ukraine in 2007, and late the committee of the Lviv Peripheral Council proposed that the year 2027 be announced by Szuchewycz, on the occasion of 120th anniversary of his birth. The independent Ukrainian authorities have not only never apologized for the crimes committed during the Volyn massacre, but recognise its inspirers and performers as national heroes. A symbolic example of this was the fresh granting of the name “UpA Heroes” to the Independent Centre for peculiar Operations “North”.
All the more incomprehensible are the attempts to relativize the Volynian Reich, or to ignore this terrible crime by Polish politicians In 2013, Members of the Civic Platform (except 10) opposed the draft resolution of the Sejm, in which the Volyn massacre was called genocide. During the speech during the events at Majdan Jarosław Kaczyński raised the slogan utilized by the banders “The fame of Ukraine!” to which the gathered crowd responded – “Herojam fame!”. Andrzej Duda, president of Poland, repeated this. We besides remember then Deputy Marshal of the Sejm of Małgorzata Gosiewska, photographing with OUN volunteers and explaining that the fighters of this formation are not anti-Polish, and their main goal is to fight Russia. This line of reasoning is inactive present today. late Deputy Minister of the Polish Government Andrzej Szeptycki compared the hatchets with the UPA to “soldiers cursed”. On the another hand, Euro MP Robert Biedron, referring to the act of the flag being torn up by Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik, stated that "Putin must be arrogant of her".
Is not relativizing the crimes of Ukrainian chauvinists from the OUN-UPA and justifying their modern glorifiers a spit on the graves of the victims of the Volyn massacre? Definitely. But are politicians responsible? individual chose these politicians. individual gave them a mandate to be public. individual agrees to rise the cheers of “The Glory of Ukraine!” and give unlimited financial assistance to the Volynian Reich. Have we forgotten about the fork and axe killings of our fellow countrymen in Volyn? Is it not adequate to admit that we have respect for our own past and that we can keep the memory of our ancestors?
Michał Radzikowski
[1] Piotr Oleliarczyk: “Threat on Volyn: Death from the sphere was the lightest” — https/histmag.org,
[2] Paul Sokolovski: “Victims and numbers. papers of the Volynsk crime about the circumstances of the death of Poles" – https:/stophistory.pl.
