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Revision as of 11:09, 2 October 2004
During World War II, approximately 100.000 Poles were massacred in Volhynia by units of the Ukrainian Uprising Army (Ukrainska Povstanska Armiya).
Volhynia was a largely Ukrainian region under Polish rule during the interwar period. After World War I, the Polish government promised to grant local autonomy to these Ukrainian territories; however, Polish government forces suppressed the Ukrainian language locally and persecuted the local Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
| Historian | Volhynia alone | Whole Ukraine |
|---|---|---|
| Norman Davies | 60,000 | 500,000 |
| Jan P. Gross | 60-80,000 | |
| Ewa and Władysław Siemaszko | 50-60,000 | 100,000 |
| Wiktor Poliszczuk | 50-60,000 | 120,000 |
| Ryszard Torzecki | 40,000 | 100,000 |
| Michał Fijałka | 40,000 | |
| Józef Turowski | 60,000 | 300,000 |
| Grzegorz Motyka | 35,000-60,000 | |
| Antoni Szczęśniak, Wiesław Szota | 100,000 | |
| Bogumiła Berdychowska | 34,647-60,000 |
The fall of Poland at the beginning of World War II brought Volhynia under Soviet rule. Then, Operation Barbarossa put it under Nazi German rule. The Ukrainians of Volyn began to form a local resistance army to fight the occupiers. However, (at some date to be inserted later) local elements of this Ukrainian army began to attack the civilians of the local Polish minority, killing many in an attempt to drive the Poles out of Volynia. At some later date to be inserted later, the UPA stopped doing this for reasons to be inserted later.
Some have raised the question whether these actions were ordered by the authorities of the army or were independent decision of local commanders; to date there is no evidence of such an order.
(Here someone might want to explain what the Germans were doing while this partisan army was running amok behind their lines.)
In the end, the Soviet and Nazi invasions, the UPA campaign and post-war Soviet expulsions all contributed to the virtual elimination of any Polish presence in the region.
Casualties
The exact number of civilian casualties remains unknown. Various historians estimate that number at between 35,000 and 60,000 of casualties in Volhynia alone, though the estimates of all victims of UPA terror in Ukraine are as high as 100,000 (or even 500,000).
Retaliation by the Polish forces of the Home Army resulted in the deaths of additional 15,000 to 30,000 Ukrainian civilians of the region, though the exact number of deaths is even less documented. The numbers cited probably include also the victims of German Schutzmannschaft and Soviet partisans, who also took part in the ethnic cleansing. There are efforts to bring about reconciliation between the Polish people and Ukrainians over these tragic events.
See also
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