The Volyn Controversy

By Volodymyr Kish

There has been much ado in the press in Poland and Ukraine over the past month on the occasion of the 70^th anniversary of what the Polish Senate has labeled as the “ethnic cleansing with signs of genocide.” of tens of thousands of Poles from the Volyn Region of Western Ukraine during 1943. Ukrainian nationalists have responded with counter claims that the Poles were themselves guilty of far worse atrocities committed against Ukrainians during the war and in the decades that preceded it in what is now Western Ukraine. This war of words, of blame and accusations has gone on for the better part of a century, and there are many on both sides that are unwilling to look beyond their sanctimonious and aggrieved attitudes and find a path towards reconciliation.

It was with pleasant surprise therefore that I read several weeks ago that the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Archbishop Sviatoslav Shewchuk, and Archbishop Jozef Michalik, head of the Polish Roman Catholic Episcopate, signed a joint appeal in Warsaw urging their fellow countrymen respectively to forgive the sins of the past and come to a mutual reconciliation. To quote from their joint statement : “We are aware that only the truth can set us free, the truth, which does not beautify and does not omit, which does not pass over in silence, but leads to forgiveness.” Such an initiative is most welcome and long overdue.

Efforts have been made in recent decades, and especially since the disintegration of the Soviet Union, by both Polish and Ukrainian politicians, academics and religious leaders to try and come to terms with a difficult period of Polish-Ukrainian history, one marked by much bloodshed as well as deep psychological and emotional wounds. Regrettably, such efforts have had a tough time gaining traction. Those wounds are still too fresh and deep, and there are no shortage of opportunistic politicians and propagandists on both sides eager to exploit them for political purposes. Yet it is time, as the Polish and Ukrainian Archbishops have indicated, to draw a line in the sand, and leave the analysis of what transpired and the conclusions to be drawn from it, in the hands of professional and unbiased historians and scholars.

The truth about what actually happened in Volyn has been difficult to come by, exacerbated by the reality that the facts and evidence to support either side of the argument have been hard to come by. The events in question took place amidst the fog of a brutal war, both conventional as well as partisan. It was further complicated by the fact that there were four antagonist forces involved – the Polish underground, the Ukrainian underground, the Communist partisans and the Nazi army of occupation. The historical record has been further distorted by five decades of Soviet disinformation and propaganda aimed at discrediting and smearing all Ukrainians that fought against the Communist regime. In addition, both Polish and Ukrainian nationalists, partisans and politicians have spun the facts to fit their sanitized version of history.

As Professor Motyl of Rutgers University aptly noted in a recent editorial, there can be little doubt that tens of thousands of Poles, including women and children, died in Volyn at the hands of Ukrainians. Similarly, tens of thousands of Ukrainians died at the hands of the Poles in Volyn and other areas of Polish control. Atrocities and murder were undoubtedly carried out by both sides to a greater or lesser degree. The brutality of the Eastern Front combined with a centuries long struggle between Ukrainians and Poles created the tragic conditions where humanity gave way to savagery and barbarism, with neither side being able to claim moral high ground.

With a new geopolitical reality being forged in Europe, it is to both Poland and Ukraine’s advantage to find common ground and rise above the fractiousness of the past. At the same time, it is in the interests of the resurgent Russian imperialists to foment discord and ill-will between these two neighbours. Encouraging the Poles and Ukrainians to be at each other’s throats has been a common strategy of Russian rulers for centuries.

Neither the Ukrainians nor the Poles can afford to continue to prolong historical feuds and enmities. It is time to acknowledge that yes, evil and atrocities took place, but let us make sure that this does not become the spawning ground for more of the same in the future. Let us shine the light of fact and reason on what took place, recognize the human fallibilities that led to the tragedy that resulted, and as the Archbishops suggested, let the spirit of Christian forgiveness and kindness prevail, that we may enjoy a future unclouded by the sins and guilt of the past.