Photos of UPA's victims

[MichaelB_PL]

UPA ('Ukrainian Insurgent Army') was the military branch of Ukrainian fascist organisation OUN ('Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists'). In 1943, UPA started committing organised genocide on Polish civilian population in order to "clean Ukraine of Poles".


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massacr...es_in_Volhynia



Village of Lipniki, 1943. Bodies of Poles murdered by UPA on 26th March of 1943.



Village of Lipniki, 1943.



Village of Lipniki, 1943.



Village of Lipniki, 1943.




Village of Wola Ostrowska, 1992. Exhumation of bodies of Poles murdered by UPA commited on 30th August 1943.



Village of Wola Ostrowska, 1992.



Village of Wola Ostrowska, 1992.



Village of Wola Ostrowska, 1992.



Village of Wola Ostrowska, 1992. The skull has a triangular hole made by hitting with a hammer normally used for slaughtering cattle.



Village of Wola Ostrowska, 1992. Most of found skulls are damaged with clubs, axes or hammers.



Village of Wola Ostrowska, 1992.



Village of Wola Ostrowska, 1992.



Village of Wola Ostrowska, 1992.



Village of Wola Ostrowska, 1992. Bones are laid within special chest-coffins, made for free by the Ukrainians.



Villlage of Katerynowka. Victims of UPA attack on night of 7/8 March 1943. Two sons of Piotr and Aniela Mekala - on the sides. Between them, Stasia Stefaniak, daughter of Pole and Ukrainian, with stomach slashed open and broken arms and legs.



Chobultowa manor, 1943.


Unfortunately, in present Western Ukraine, UPA often gets hailed as heroes, despite the genocide it has commited and it's fascist ideology.



Michael

[benda]

AK killed lots of civilian Ukrainians as well. Are they fascists, Michael?

[Zbyszek]

Originally Posted by benda

AK killed lots of civilian Ukrainians as well. Are they fascists, Michael?

Benda, UPA killed plenty of Ukrainians as well and it is maybe even more confusing for Ukrainians. And do not tell me they they were all traitors or Soviet agents. This terrorist organisation has not been admitted into the world association of war veteran units.
There were Ukranian military structures fighting in the WWI and they were not the nazi type. Unfortunately, UPA was nazi-like.
I consider UPA a deep-rooted thorn in Polish-Ukrainian history. UPA had its individual heroes and better episodes but as a whole, it has to be judged as a sower of evil. I would say that Armia Krayowa had its worse periods and a share of rascals but as a whole, it has been competent underground organisation respected by the Allied Forces and being able to make dialogue with the Soviet military structures during WWII at times.
UPA somewhat softened its bad image fighting in the West Galicia right after WWII but again, old terrorist instincts stained its activity there. I understand some fears of Eastern Ukrainians who read modern nationalist pamphlets glorifying the UPA and have serious doubts about homogeneity of Ukrainian nation.

[MichaelB_PL]

Originally Posted by benda

AK killed lots of civilian Ukrainians as well. Are they fascists, Michael?

No, the situation with AK was different - AK as an organisation did't issue such orders, in fact it gave orders prohibiting eye-for-eye revenge, but since many local AK soldiers lost their families in UPA mass murders, they often did murder Ukrainian civilians out of their own initative.

In UPA's case, the mass murder was organised on higher level and had a ideological fascist motive of "removing Poles from Ukraine" as expressed in UPA orders of genocide.


Michael

[benda]

Originally Posted by Zbyszek

it was a competent organization being able to make dialogue with the Soviet military structures during WWII at times.

Tell that to Poles who blame USSR for Warsaw uprising in 1944.

Mr. Zbigniew, I don't want you think I support cruel actions of UPA. I have statistics of how many people were killed by nationalists after the war - and not all of them were members of NKVD. But consideration of UPA just as a fascist organization is too simplified point of view. Some of its members were just warriors who struggled against both sides for Ukrainian freedom. Of course such structures as SS "Halytchyna", "Nachtigal", "Roland" are to be oficially condemned. So are bloody murders of civilian Poles (though I would not put the responsibility on UPA only). In fact, I am against acknowledge of UPA as a fighting side in WWII because in whole I cherish its activity negatively. But some Poles demonize UPA just like some Ukrainians idealize it. Both are wrong, in my opinion. Finally, I'd like to say that our past mustn't prevent us from our future. That is, all historical insults that were done must not stop Poland and Ukraine from cooperating now.

[benda]

Originally Posted by MichaelB_PL

No, the situation with AK was different - AK as an organisation did't issue such orders, in fact it gave orders prohibiting eye-for-eye revenge, but since many local AK soldiers lost their families in UPA mass murders, they often did murder Ukrainian civilians out of their own initative.

Michael

Not exactly. An order to kill Ukrainians was given by not "a local officer" - it was no other man than Bur-Komarowski himself (as far as I know he is considered as the major leader of whole Polish resistance and AK particularly) on August, 4, 1943. By June of 1944 about 1500 Ukrainian villages were burnt - up to 15000 population. Also I would like to add that a number of reasons of the massacre were caused by Polish government before the war.

Of course this in no way justifies UPA. But I want to show that accusing only Ukrainians of this tragedy is not correct.

[dobko]

How can someone so young be so wise, Alex?

I agree with you and Zby.

I can't begin to describe how horrible the thought of people commiting such crimes makes me feel, Mike. I don't care what organization they pretend to belong with, in the end the man makes his own choices and needs to answer for such actions. Anyone capable of such actions is niether Ukrainian nor Polish or any other Nationality ... plain and simple Evil is all that comes to mind.