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VOSvoboda | 15Jul2013 | Yurij Pohrebniak [20:19, Ukr]
http://www.svoboda.org.ua/media/video/040877/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uhPg9wB2oY&feature=youtu.be

Program "Special View" about events in Volyn
Програма "Особливий погляд" про події на Волині

Published on 15 Jul 2013
Останні кілька місяців із польського боку відбувається цілеспрямоване нагнітання антиукраїнської істерії. Лунають заяви, які ображають честь і гідність української нації. Здійснюється фальсифікація історичної правди та свідоме замовчування злочинних актів польської колоніальної окупаційної політики щодо України та українців.

Українська сторона зробила все для взаємного порозуміння та взаємного прощення на основі принципів рівноправности та добросусідства. Але Польща проігнорувала наші зусилля і перейшла межу. 12 липня польський Сейм ухвалив шовіністичну резолюцію, в якій звинувачує українців, які боролися за незалежність на своїй землі, у геноциді. Аналогічну позицію раніше зайняв Сенат і президент Броніслав Коморовський.

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Over the last several months, anti-Ukrainian hysteria has been fomented by the Polish side. Proclamations insulting the honour and dignity of the Ukrainian nation are being trumpeted. There is falsification of historical truth and deliberate silence about the criminal acts committed by the Polish colonial occupation politics with respect to Ukraine and Ukrainians.

The Ukrainian side did everything possible to achieve a mutual understanding and mutual forgiveness on the princple of  even-handedness and good neighbourliness. But Poland ignored our efforts and crossed the line. On 12Jul2013 the Polish Sejm passed a chauvanistic resolution, which accuses Ukrainians, who were fighting for independence on their native soil, of genocide. The Polish Senate and President Bronislav Komorowski adopted a similar position earlier.
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[00:12 - 00:35] Yurij Pohrebniak introduces the Polish-Ukrainian controversy re the 1943 Volyn events..

[00:36 - 01:34] 70 years ago Volyn was part of the Geman Reichskommissariat Ukraine. The Polish-Ukrainian conflict dates back in 1918, through the 11Jul1943 events and culminated with the 1947 Operation Visla with the deportation of Ukrainians. The UPA fought thousands of battles during WWII. In a 2003 ceremony, Leonid Kuchma and Alexander Kwasniewski pledged mutual apologies and forgiveness. But in 2013 Poland is demanding new one-sided apologies.

[01:35 - 02:05] Vladislav Kubuv, a veteran of the Polish Home Army in Halychyna, remembers the flight of Poles through his village and holds an enduring hatred for Ukrainians.

[02:06 - 05:59] Reference to Eva Semashko and other Polish historians. Professor Volodymyr Serhichuk refers to other sources which indicate that Polish losses were 3 times lower and Ukrainian losses were 17 times higher than the Poles claim. Yaroslav Tsaruk was 10 years old when Poles killed his two brothers and two sisters and burned down his village in Volyn. He has done a study of the Volyn events in one raion, which lowers Polish claims of 2446 dead to just a little more than 700. Poles claim that they killed only 69 Ukrainians; whereas he has found names and graves of 1244 dead. (He also discovered the names of some perpetrators and when these killings took place.) Vasyl Pawliuk (Lviv city council) accuses Poles of political mathematics. Andriy Kozytskiy (historian) says that weapons were in the hands of many factions -- Ukrainians, Poles, Red partisans, Germans. He tried to come to a mutual agreement, but Poles refused to reach a compromise and issued a resolution ot "ethnic cleansing with signs of genocide.

[06:00 - 09:30] Neither Yanukovych nor the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reacted to the provocation. Only Oleh Pankevych of Svoboda protested in the Verkhovna Rada. Andriy Mokknyk of Svoboda says that certain Poles still claim Volyn as part of Poland. Ruslan Koshupinsky, vice-speaker in the Verkhovna Rada, states that the Russian Federation is very active in promoting dissension between Ukraine and Poland, such as to prevent Ukraine signing an association agreement with the European Union in November 2013.

[09:31- 09:45] In the second half of the program,Yurij Pohrebniak introduces the "Kresoviky" with aspirations for "Kresy Wschodnie" -- Polish "eastern territories" in Volyn.

[09:46 - 13:46] Two years ago (8-10Apr2010) after Yanukovych came to power, Vadym Kolesnichenko (deputy in Verkhovna Rada from Party of Regions) organized a display in Kyiv highlighting the "Volyn massacres" on behalf of the Kresoviky. Riots resulted, journalists and protesters were arrested. Andriy Mokhnyk and Vadym Kolesnichenko comment. Yatsyk Kuron, veteran of the Polish Army, says that, if Ukraine wants to maintain independence, she cannot forget about UPA. Andriy Kozytsky says Poles want a barter deal: "European Association Agreement in exchange for denunciation of Bandera." The alternative to Bandera is Stalin. Pope John Paul II proposed a Polish-Ukrainian compromise of forgiveness, which the new Polish elite is abandoning according to Anatoly Vitiv, who was involved with the Volyn commemorations in 2003.

[13:47 - 15:35] Ukrainian survivor Pavlo Danyluk explains that Ukraine never attacked Poland. It was the Poles who came to Ukraine. During the 1930s, Polish generals had been granted huge tracts of land -- they lived like landlords. Volodymyr Serhichuk explains that in 1923 Poland promised autonomy to Ukrainians, which they reneged on. Polish population increased from 7% to 17%; the word Ukrainian was outlawed in favour of Rusyn; in 1924 the Ukrainian language was forbidden in schools; of 3400 Orthodox churches 200 were ruined/burnt, 150 given to Poles and only 50 remained.

[15:36 - 17:49] During the 1920-1930s the Polish colonists had overwhelmiing state support. In 1943 the Polish Home Army collaborated with both the Nazis and Stalinists against the UPA. Paraska Levchuk relates how the Poles and Germans forced her father and mother into the cellar then threw in a grenade. Vadym Kolesnichenko with 148 deputies of the Verkhovna Rada encouraged the Polish Sejm to use the term genocide. On 09Jul2013, Volodymyr Viatrovych stated that the controversy over the 1943 Volyn tragedy has completely overshadowed preparations for the 80th anniversary of the 1933 Holodomor tragedy. Nevertheless, there were some Poles who also commemorated 1000 Ukrainians killed in Sahryn by the Home Army. Adam Michnik of Gazeta Wyborcza strongly supports Ukraine's ascension to the EU.

[17:50 - 20:19] Yurij Pohrebniak refers to several Ukrainian projects on behalf of Poland, such as the opening a Polish veterans cemetary in Bykyvnia. Last year in Lviv, a monument was built "In honour of the Professors of Lviv murdered by the Nazis in 1941", with inscriptions in Ukrainian, Polish and English. Permission was granted for establishing a "Polish Home".  Vasyl Pavliuk of Lviv city council says Ukraine will continue extending a hand of friendship to Poland. Poles participated in a recent commemoration of the Battle of Konotop in 1659 where Polish forces aided Ukraine to defeat Muscovite forces. Ihor Miroshnichenko emphasizes that joint actions make it easier to defeat their common enemy.