Polish historian on Volhynia: UPA began purges, while Poles were only defending themselves

Polish historian Lukasz Adamski expressed his opinion on the tragic events in Volhynia during World War II. According to him, it is known that the UPA began ethnic purges, after which the Polish side responded with defense.

«They are all unknown in terms of the number of victims, but they agree on what happened in Volhynia due to the actions of the UPA. They only disagree on different scenarios for future communication with Ukraine. Also regarding the number of casualties – from hundreds of thousands of Poles to several tens of thousands of Ukrainians», – the scholar explained.

Adamski believes that the Polish side did not aim for ethnic cleansing on its territory, which was occupied by the Nazis. He also emphasized the distinction between Polish defense and the actions of the UPA, which, unlike it, acted with some affective direction.

Controversies surrounding UPA

Adamski acknowledges the importance of the UPA's struggle against the Soviet regime, but emphasizes that this very organization is responsible for ethnic cleansings among Poles and unsupported Ukrainians.

«UPA has significant merits before the Ukrainian people in resisting Soviet aggression, but it also became the initiator of ethnic cleansings, both among Poles and among Ukrainians who were not on the same wavelength with it», – noted the historian.

At the same time, the Polish scholar did not support the position of Ukrainian politician Volodymyr Vyatrovych, who tries to uphold the heroic image of the UPA, which causes a lot of controversy.

In the opinion of Polish historian Lukasz Adamski, the events in Volhynia were a consequence of the actions of the UPA, which committed ethnic purges, declaring war on the Polish population. Nevertheless, he acknowledges the importance of the UPA's fight against the Soviet regime and does not agree with Ukrainian politician Volodymyr Vyatrovych's position on supporting the heroic image of this organization.