Genocide of Poles in Volhynia

Almost 80 years ago, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army carried out a coordinated attack on villages in Volhynia inhabited by Poles.

- This huge tragedy is the Volhynian Massacre. It is genocide, hecatomb and hell for thousands of Polish families. It is estimated that more than 100,000 Poles lost their lives in that hell – emphasised Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.

As the Prime Minister explained, the Volhynian Massacre was committed by Ukrainian nationalists, but it was possible also because the Third Reich ruled in Volhynia at that time.

The Volhynian massacre must be explained to the end

Eighty years after the Volhynian Massacre, Poles want to find the resting places of their ancestors to organise a dignified burial for them.

- Today, we not only remember that time, but we also call for finding all the burial sites so that the victims can be exhumed and buried with dignity. We will not rest, I will not rest, until the last victim of that terrible crime is found. This is our duty and our legacy - stressed the head of the Polish government.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also pointed out that without the history of Volhynia being clarified and written down to the end Russia will always use that card to drive a wedge between Poles and Ukrainians.

- We cannot allow this, especially now when Ukrainian soldiers are fighting for their freedom and independence, but also for the sake of our safety and future - said the Prime Minister.

Search works for the remains of the victims of the Volhynian Massacre

For several weeks, based on the arrangements with the Ukrainian side, the search for the remains of the victims of the crime in the village of Puźniki in the Buczacki district has been underway, where, in February 1945, the UPA band murdered approximately 100 Poles - mainly women and children.

On the Polish side, the work is being carried out by experts from the Pomeranian Medical University and the Institute of National Remembrance, inter alia. More than a hectare of the land has already been searched and over 500 boreholes and 80 pits have been drilled. State-of-the-art equipment is being used in the search - geo-radars and magnetometer probes as well as metal detectors. The work will continue until the task is completed.

Volhynian Massacre

80 years ago, on 11 and 12 July 1943, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army carried out a coordinated attack on villages inhabited by Poles located in the former Volhynian Voivodeship. The UPA took advantage of the fact that the people were gathered in churches, on Sunday 11 July. The ,,Volhynia Bloody Sunday" is considered to be the climax of the genocide committed by Ukrainian nationalists against Poles in the period from 1943 to 1945. Approximately 100,000 Poles were killed as a result of the genocidal actions in Volhynia.