The Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) has condemned the resolution of the Polish Sejm on the events in Volyn in 1943 and fears that it will have negative consequences for both countries.
“We condemn the position of Polish MPs, some of Polish government officials and political leaders who are shaping the image of the OUN and UPA (Ukrainian Insurgent Army) as the forces that allegedly carried out “ethnic cleansing.” The statement of the Polish Sejm has only complicated the already difficult dialogue on the Volyn events and may seriously harm the relations between the two countries. We regard the resolution of the Polish Sejm as interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine,” reads a statement of the OUN’s presidium published on Tuesday.
The OUN said: “Ukrainian self-defense units in Volyn region, the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and later the Ukrainian Insurgent Army fought against all the invaders, including against the occupation by the Armia Krajowa (Polish partisan movement), which operated in Volyn region on the orders of the Polish government in exile in London, which viewed the ancient Ukrainian territory as a part of the Commonwealth of Poland.”
The organization also expressed its belief that not only Ukraine but also Poland will feel “the negative consequences of the decision of the Polish Sejm,” as the demonstrated injustice towards Ukraine prepares “good soil for a variety of speculations and further aggravate tension between Ukrainians and Poles.”
The OUN also believes that other states will also take advantage of the situation, primarily Russia, which is trying to close the door into the European Union for Ukraine, and draw the country into the “Russian world.”
“The OUN will continue to defend the historical truth and national justice in relation to the events in Volyn in 1943,” the leadership of the organization said.
As reported, the Polish Senate, the upper house of the Polish parliament, on June 20, 2013 adopted a statement on the 70th anniversary of the Volyn tragedy in which these events were described as ‘ethnic cleansing with signs of genocide’, noting that the victims of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army’s anti-Polish campaign numbered about 100,000 Poles. Fifty-five out of a hundred senators supported the document, and 20 voted against it.
On July 12, the Polish Sejm refused to support the opposition’s proposal to use the term genocide in the resolution on the 70th anniversary of the Volyn tragedy and passed the resolution with the wording “ethnic cleansing with signs of genocide” describing the events of 1943.
Historians still have many questions about the events that took place on July 11-12, 1943. According to various sources, on those days, units of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), the Ukrainian nationalist and partisan army, attacked from 60 to 100 Polish towns. Ukrainian researchers note that the Volyn tragedy came as a result of a war between Armia Krajowa, the Polish resistance movement in World War II German-occupied Poland, and the UPA, which involved civilian population. The Polish side also resorted to repressions against Ukrainian civilians. The number of victims on the Ukrainian side is estimated at 10,000-20,000 people.
