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Revision as of 12:39, 11 May 2004 by Halibutt (talk | contribs) (some tweaks, wikification and such. This article, however, still needs attention)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The massacres of Poles in Volhynia during World War II were carried out by units of the Ukrainian Uprising Army (Ukrainska Povstanska Armiya). In the effect of the ethnic cleansing, approximately 100.000 civilians lost their lives.
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.
These atrocities followed upon Polish rule of this largely Ukrainian region during the inter-war period. After World War I, Polish rule was made conditional upon the granting of local autonomy to Ukrainian territories incorporated into the Polish state. However, this promise was never kept. Polish government forces supressed the Ukrainian language locally and persecuted the local Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Also, the majority of Ukrainian population suffered through "pacification campaigns" under the rule of local Polish government officials.
The onset of World War II brought Soviet, then Nazi German rule. The Ukrainians of Volyn began to form a local resistance army to fight for freedom and independence. However, local elements of this Ukrainian army began to attack the local civilians of the Polish minority, killing many in an attempt to drive the Poles out of Volynia. 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
According to some estimates, the number of Polish victims from these atrocities tend towards the 30,000 to 60,000 range. Other, mostly Polish sources tend to place the figure at 100,000, or even 300,000. Retaliation by the Polish forces of the Home Army resulted in the deaths of 15,000 to 30,000 Ukrainian civilians of the region. Recently, the issue has been the subject of organized publicity efforts in Poland. There are also efforts to bring about reconciliation between the Polish people and Ukrainians over these tragic events.
See also:
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