Poland’s lower legislative body the Sejm voted up bill to make July 11 a “Day of Remembrance” for the Polish “victims of genocide committed by the OUN-UPA,” referring to the Ukrainian Nazi collaborators involved in “the torture and killing of over 120,000 Poles, most of whom were women and children.” The center of this was the Volhynia Massacre.
Andrew Korybko’s June 8 article, “Ukraine’s Response to the Sejm’s Volhynia Genocide Remembrance Bill Infuriated Poles,” points out that Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry’s reference to the Massacre as a “so-called” genocide and its implication that the bill “could lead to increased tension in bilateral relations” has upset Poland. This included the Ministry reminding Poles that they would be well-advised to put such history aside because, “We have a common enemy—Russia....”
Korybko explained: “This isn’t an insignificant scandal. First, the Volhynia Genocide issue is very emotive for Poles since Ukraine hasn’t apologized nor made amends.… Second, liberals and conservatives united in the Sejm to push through this bill, thus proving that it’s a bipartisan issue. And third, Ukraine’s disgraceful response comes right after the Polish presidential election, whose outcome is bad news for Kiev.”
