The Sahryń massacre was a massacre of Ukrainian combatants and civilians by members of the Polish Home Army on 10 March 1944, committed as a reprisal to similar, though en masse, attacks carried out on Polish villagers by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. The exact total death toll of Ukrainians killed in Sahryń is unknown, but estimates vary from 234 to over 600,[3][4][5][6] of which between 150 and 300 were confirmed civilians.[1] The surnames of 234 victims are known.[7]
| Sahryń massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Polish-Ukrainian ethnic conflict | |
| Native name | Різанина в Сагрині |
| Location | Sahryń |
| Date | 10 March 1944 |
| Deaths | Anywhere from 150[1] to 800[2] |
| Victims | Ukrainian collaborators and civilians |
| Perpetrators | Home Army, Peasant Battalions |
| Assailants | Stanisław Basaj "Ryś" Zenon Jachymek "Wiktor" |
No. of participants | 800 partisans |
| Motive | Revenge for massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia |
History
In the spring of 1944, Sahryń was one of the Ukrainian villages, which was burned down by Polish partisans during the conflict of ethnic cleansing with Ukrainian OUN-UPA, along the Curzon Line. The conflict "continued throughout June 1944, resulting in considerable bloodshed and the destruction of dozens of Polish and Ukrainian villages".[8] Sahryń was the site of the initial thrust of the AK counter-offensive against UPA, under the command of Lieutenant Zenon Jachymek,[9] due to Ukrainian self-defence stationing there.[10]
At dawn on 10 March 1944 the AK unit from Division Hrubieszow attacked the fortified village. A heavy fighting broke out.[9] The Ukrainians retreated, but both Catholic and Orthodox churches in Sahryń were burned down.[9] Between 150 and 300 civilians were killed by Polish forces in reprisal and 260 farmhouses were set on fire.[8]
Aftermath
Historian Mariusz Zajączkowski said that the massacre could be described as a war crime or perhaps a crime against humanity. The Institute of National Remembrance (IPN) investigation on this matter was discontinued in 2010, and the IPN denied that any crime had been committed against the Ukrainian civilians in Sahryń. A Ukrainian request to reopen the investigation was refused.[11][12]
The monument in memory of the Ukrainian victims of AK in Sahryń was erected in 2009, with the hope that both Ukrainian and Polish presidents would attend the ceremonies, but there were spelling errors discovered in the names, and as of 2011, it still awaited its official unveiling. The monument was built by the Ukrainian side, with Polish participation.[13]
References
- ^ a b Oddziałowa Komisja IPN w Lublinie, stan na wrzesień 2010.
- ^ Jaworski, Adam (2008). "Ukraińcom krzyż na zgodę" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 2009-03-11.
- ^ Adam Jaworski, "Ukraińcom krzyż na zgodę", https://web.archive.org/web/20080226093154/http://www.kronikatygodnia.pl/tekst.php?abcd=21800&dz=1
- ^ J. Makar, Chełmszczyzna w latach okupacji niemieckiej, In: Polska-Ukraina: Trudne pytania. Materiały XI międzynarodowego seminarium historycznego „Stosunki polsko-ukraińskie w latach II wojny światowej”, Warszawa, 26–28 kwietnia 2005, Światowy Związek Żołnierzy Armii Krajowej-KARTA-Wołyński Uniwersytet Państwowy im. Łesi Ukrainki, Warszawa 2006, 83-88288-49-0, p. 225.
- ^ Ihor Ilyushyn, UPA i AK. Konflikt w Zachodniej Ukrainie (1939–1945), Tyrsa, Warszawa 2009, p. 148.
- ^ Володимир Сергійчук, Трагедія українців Польщі, Ternopil 1997, p. 67.
- ^ M. Zajączkowski, Ukraińskie podziemie..., p. 302.
- ^ a b Marek Jasiak, "Overcoming Ukrainian Resistance" in: Ther, Philipp; Siljak, Ana (2001). Redrawing nations: ethnic cleansing in East-Central Europe, 1944-1948. Oxford: Rowman & Littfield. p. 174.
- ^ a b c Z historii. "Wołanie z Wołynia - Волання з Волині". Rzymskokatolicka Diecezja Łucka. p. 11. Archived from the original (DOC file, direct download) on October 21, 2015. Retrieved March 30, 2013. [unreliable source?]
- ^ "Sahryń". Polska Ludowa, Volume 7. Państ. Wydawn. Naukowe. 1968. pp. 75, 93. Retrieved March 30, 2013.
- ^ "Polsko - ukraiński spór o zbrodnię". rp.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2 October 2020.
- ^ "W IPN są na bakier z historią. Pomylili zdjęcia w zaproszeniu na ważną uroczystość". naTemat.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ Serwis informacyjny (2011-11-26). "Trudna pamięć. Pomnik w Sahryniu czeka na odsłonięcie" (in Polish). 2012 Telewizja Polska S.A. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
See also