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Revision as of 16:38, 8 July 2004 by 213.76.53.92 (talk)(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 suppressed 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.
| 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 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
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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