Ukraine’s approval on exhuming Polish graves of WW2 events critisized by historian

Source: Volodymyr Birchak

The recent decision of Ukraine’s government allowing Poland to exhume victims of the WW2 Volyn tragedy received a mixed reaction in the country .Ukrainian historian and military officer Volodymyr Birchak offered his judgement on the controversial move.

The historian who chairs academic programs at the Center for Liberation Movement Studies began by recalling November 1918, when Polish forces entered Lviv and instigated a Jewish pogrom. “That’s why, in the first Polish-Ukrainian war, many Jewish soldiers joined the Galician Army. There was even a special battalion called the Jewish Shock Battalion,” he explained.

The historian also pointed to Poland’s occupation of Eastern Galicia at that time, noting that the term “occupation” appeared in many orders from Polish commanders. He questioned the legitimacy of Poland’s claim to this territory.

“What right did they have to it? None! The Western Ukrainian People’s Republic (ZUNR), established in 1918, covered about 70,000 square kilometers with a population of 6 million—71% Ukrainians, 14% Poles, and 13% Jews,” Birchak said. “Jews or Poles might have laid claim to their own states here, but let’s be clear—71% were Ukrainians. So, wasn’t it their land?”

He also detailed how Poland worked to suppress Ukrainian culture during its occupation of Eastern Galicia. He mentioned how the interwar Polish government sought to assimilate Ukrainians, citing then interior minister Bronisław Pieracki’s plans for complete assimilation.

“Even in peacetime, they brought troops into Eastern Galicia under the pretext of ‘pacification,’ claiming sabotage by the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN), which never really happened,” he said. “At most, 10-15 haystacks were burned across Galicia and Volyn. But Poland exaggerated this and sent in troops, destroying anything remotely Ukrainian-[looking], arresting around 2,000 people, and conducting over 5,000 searches.”

Birchak also pointed out the Polish government efforts to put restrictions on the use of the Ukrainian language. “In 1923, Volyn had 442 Ukrainian schools. By 1927, under Polish rule, only two remained,” he noted.

Birchak didn’t shy away from addressing Poland’s complicated position in the 1930s. “Did you know that 1930s Poland was closer to Nazis and fascists than to Western European democracy?” he asked, pointing to Poland’s participation in dividing Czechoslovakia after the Munich Agreement and the Vienna Arbitration.

He also criticized Poland’s collaboration with Hungary, which ended up in the attack  on Carpathian Ukraine, part of Czechoslovakia at the time.

“By 1939, Poland tried to play innocent victims. But come on, you weren’t saints in interwar Europe. Far from it—you were closer to the dark and fiery end of the spectrum,” Birchak remarked.

Birchak vented his frustration over the perspective on the Volyn Tragedy , arguing it was part of the broader Polish-Ukrainian conflict during WWII.

“Why focus only on Volyn and 1943? The second Polish-Ukrainian war didn’t start there or then. It began in 1942, on Ukrainian ethnic territories now part of Poland, with attacks by the Polish underground on Ukrainian farmers,” he said.

He acknowledged the fact that both sides commited atrocities but criticized the selective memory surrounding the events. Birchak cited a passage from the memories of  Polish underground fighter, Stefan Desky, who admitted to the rape of a Ukrainian girl “simply because she was Ukrainian.”

“Today, Poland positions itself as the greatest victim of WWII, especially when it comes to Ukrainians, always pointing to Volyn,” Birchak said.

Birchak claims the issue of exhumation of the Volyn events’ victims is now used as part of election campaign in Poland. “They’re playing the Volyn card to score political points. And they’ve achieved their goal. Yesterday, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister announced that exhumation of ‘Volyn Tragedy’ victims would be allowed,” he noted.

He also  pointed out the reason Ukraine had eariler imposed a moratorium on such exhumations: “Poles destroyed over 15,000 graves and monuments to Ukrainians on their territory. Ukraine demanded they restore them. Did they? No!”

Birchak didn’t mince words in criticizing Ukrainian politicians for their decision. “Some spineless officials gave in, and others are celebrating this disgrace,” he concluded.