We will not rest until we honor the memory of the victims in Volyn, says Polish Defense Minister

Photo: Polish Defense Ministry

Poland has once again made a statement regarding the Volyn tragedy. The country's Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said that Warsaw “will not rest” until it honors the memory of those killed during the Volyn tragedy.

According to him, the “truth” about the tragedy in Volyn should be “understandable and generally accepted” in Europe and the world.

According to the PAP agency, the official said this during a ceremony to mark the 84th anniversary of the creation of the Peasant Battalions, which took place in Warsaw.

Kosiniak-Kamysh on the Volyn tragedy

According to the Polish minister, he always remembers history and heroes, regardless of whether “he is in the government or in the opposition.”

— I would like to make a promise to all of us here, a promise to Poland, a promise to my compatriots: we will not rest until we honor the memory of the victims of the genocide in Volyn,— he said, emphasizing that “among the first victims” were soldiers of the Peasant Battalions (Khlopskie Battalions).”

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

According to the Polish minister, he remembers Volyn not “in order to stir up an unhealed wound”, but, like all Poles, wants to heal it.”

Who are the Khlopskie Battalions?

The Battalions of the Peasants, or Peasants' Battalions, were formed during World War II on the initiative of the Polish Peasants' Party in the territory of pre-war Poland, in particular Western Ukraine, occupied by the Nazis.

These battalions cooperated with the Home Army.

The Peasants' Battalions thwarted the Third Reich's plans to deport and exterminate the Polish population in Zamojszczyzna as part of the Ost plan. They also began an armed struggle against the Germans, which developed into the Zamoyski Uprising.

After the war, the soldiers of the Peasant Battalions became co-founders of the Polish Peasant Party, led by Kosiniak-Kamysz.

At the same time, it is worth adding that the Peasant Battalions were involved in the massacre of Ukrainian civilians in Sagryn in 1944, as well as in the village of Skopów.

In April 1945, units of the Home Army and the Peasant Battalions exterminated the Ukrainian population in the village of Bakhów. They were also involved in the massacre of Ukrainians in Berezka and Siwczyn.

Prepared by: Sergey Daga