Transcarpathia, Volyn tragedy July 11, marks the 73rd anniversary of the confrontation in Volyn 1943
the Theme of confrontation in Volyn 1943-1944, despite the significant efforts of Ukraine and Poland in the issues of reconciliation, remains one of the most sensitive and controversial in the history of bilateral relations. At the beginning of the Second world war and Nazi Germany's attack on Poland, the Ukrainian population was in a depressed condition. Despite the fact that in the ranks of the Polish army against the Nazis faithfully fought about 120 thousand mobilized Ukrainian soldiers, Western Ukraine was captured by rebel actions, organized by the OUN. Nearly 8 thousand members, the OUN, with the support of thousands of peasant supporters took part in performances in 183 settlements. Then for the first time in the Second world war was carried out punitive actions against Ukrainian villages by the Polish military. After Germany occupied the Ukraine, the Nazi administration pursued a policy of "divide and conquer". Unfortunately, it is often possible. In every zone the invaders in their attitude to various ethnic groups inhabiting those lands. So, in Volhynia, which became part of the Reichskommissariat "Ukraine", the Germans patronized the poles. All this only contributed to mutual suspicion and accusations of "betrayal" and "labor"enemies". The conflict began to gain momentum in the vast Nadsyannya and Podlasie (General government) in the autumn of 1942. In November 1942 – February 1943 rockeville evicted poles from several villages, occupied their place of Ukrainians. The units of the home Army interpreted this as "cooperation of Ukrainians with the Germans against the poles" and in March 1943 began the campaign of vengeance that resulted in the mass murder of Ukrainians. Due to the massacres of thousands of Ukrainians were forced to flee to Volyn. The head of the local occupation administration Erich Koch was known for its Ukrainophobia, and made an extremely brutal occupation policy. "We need to ensure that the pole at a meeting with Ukrainian want to kill him, and that the Ukrainians saw the poles, too, were eager to kill him", — so expressed the formula of its policy reichskomissar. In addition, the Nazis were transferred from the General government about 6 thousand soldiers of police battalions, staffed by poles. Exactly in Volyn in the spring of 1943 was the escalation of the ethnic conflict. The Polish police took part in German punitive actions against Ukrainians (eg. the village of Derman, 30 may 1943, Polish underground AK was preparing plans to restore the pre-war Polish authorities in Western Ukraine, but only created the Ukrainian insurgent army began the anti-Nazi uprising. Respiragene rumors about anti-Ukrainian pogroms on Kholmshchyna and Podlachia Ukrainian rebels eliminated active collaborators among the poles. Often suffered by their families. Many Ukrainian historians believe that in large measure it is this attitude of the poles, not the radical nationalism of the OUN(b) and operated the UPA was the main reason for the rebels armed actions against the Polish colonies and villages in 1943-1944. Gradually the shares of Ukrainian rebels in the Volyn region has spread to the Polish peasants and settlers of the interwar period and in the ancient Polish population From February 1943 anti-Polish actions swept the Eastern districts of Volyn (by then administrative tertiary division) is Sarny, Kostopil, Rivne and Zdolbuniv. In June the murder of poles spread to Dubno, Kremenets and Lutsk counties, in July – Gorokhovsky, Vladimir-Volyn and Kovel and at the end of August – the last Volyns'kyi district – Liuboml. 11-13 July 1943 was the General revolt against the local poles. The UPA units almost simultaneously attacked more than 100 Polish villages. After that, the command of AK Volyn branch (district) to counter the detachments of the UPA, has sent officers and ordinary soldiers staffing how to organize the Polish settlements bases of self-defense.The vast majority of pockets of Polish resistance did not survive the onslaught of the troops of the UPA and were destroyed.From mid-summer and especially in autumn 1943, the Polish base defense attacked the cell and the suit of the UPA, as well as trips to the Ukrainian village to replenish his food supply. It is clear that from such actions suffered by the Ukrainian civilian population. By early 1944 the Polish-Ukrainian conflict spreading, first in the border regions of Galicia and Volyn, and then further South. With the approach of the Soviet-German front the underground AK was actively preparing for an uprising to restore control over the Ukrainian lands were part of Poland before the war ("Storm"). It was contrary to the plans of command of the UPA, so the mutual struggle continued with renewed vigor. Stopped the Polish-Ukrainian confrontation in Western Ukraine only with the arrival of Soviet troops. However, the conflict continued in T. SV. UPA – Kholmshchyna, Podlasie, Nadsyannya, Lemko, Ukrainian ethnic lands in the socialist Poland. According to agreements between Poland and the USSR from September 1944 there was an exchange of population. Poles from Western Ukraine were resettled in Poland, and Ukrainians from Poland to Ukraine. To speed up the repatriation of Ukrainians, who did so reluctantly, since the end of 1945, the Polish Communist government resorted to forced deportations with the use of the troops. Now the UPA units began in defense of Ukrainian villages from eviction. 28 April – 28 July 1947 the Polish Communist authorities carried out the operation "Vistula". Was moved into Poland more than 140 thousand Ukrainians, who remained on their indigenous lands. Because now Ukrainian territory UPA was saludan, the further struggle of the UPA have lost meaning. Action "Wisla" put an end to the Ukrainian-Polish armed conflict between 1942 – 1947. In addition to the deportees during the action "Vistula", in 1945-1947 years Polish Communists forcibly resettled in the USSR half a million Ukrainians, another 10-12 thousand civilians were killed. In the battle with Polish troops and their Czechoslovak allies killed 2-3 thousand Ukrainian rebels and members of the OUN. In Poland, the Volyn tragedy, which promoted the post-Communist forces, without the support of Pro-Russian forces, has become a notable element of the symbolic world "of the conscious pole," which is about this event tell the media and politics. It should be recalled that more than 10 years ago was one of the key steps in the process of Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation and mutual forgiveness. The presidents of Poland and Ukraine in July 2003 in connection with the 60th anniversary of the Volyn opposition issued a joint statement Of reconciliation at the 60th rxnicotine in Volyn" (belopavlovic).Then was given an exhaustive political evaluation of the tragic events Heads of state, also conducted a large-scale memorial event is open the Monument to Ukrainian-Polish reconciliation "Memory – Sorrow – Unity" and a memorial to those who died. This was followed by the opening of the Presidents in 2005 the monument to the Polish underground killed the Ukrainians in the village of pawlokoma (Republic of Poland), a number of other important steps towards reconciliation. Poles and Ukrainians must remember these joint actions, to take into account the accumulated positive experience on the way to understanding and reconciliation.Ukraine's position is clear and unambiguous, especially given the bitter experience of Russian aggression in Eastern Ukraine: any crime against the civilian population is indefensible. But Ukraine is opposed to the application of the principle of collective responsibility. Every crime must be thoroughly investigated and findings should be made to specialists on the basis of reliable historical facts, not emotions. Heavy history and conflicts of the past can't cross that combines the two for centuries people. Ukrainians and poles together were defending Christian Europe at Vienna and Hawtin, repeatedly fought together against the Moscow aggressor and beat him.For centuries, poles and Ukrainians vzaimopomoshi each other in science, culture, art, economic activities. Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Ukrainians and poles in both countries are linked by kinship. Both Nations – the European Nations, with a common future.In the end, both people are now single real enemy is Putin's Russia with its Imperial ambitions. A guide to current and future generations of Ukrainians and poles can become the words of Pope John Paul II with which he appealed to both Nations and called to be cleansed of the painful past: "Let them through cleansing of the historical memory will all be ready to deliver above what unites, not what divides". This was reported in the Transcarpathian regional state administration.Ïåðåâåäåíî ñåðâèñîì "ßíäåêñ.Ïåðåâîä÷èê": translate.yandex.ru.
Source: http://uzinform.com.ua/
