Poland marks anniversary of Volhynia massacre

On February 9, 1943, a detachment of UPA centurion Hryhoriy Perehyniak entered the Polish colony of Paroslia, where residents were gathered under the guise of Soviet partisans and neutralized with axes. Dozens of women, children, and elderly people died, while guard posts were burned down and property looted. This event is considered the first major act of the Volhynia massacre—a campaign of ethnic cleansing of the Polish population in occupied Eastern Galicia and Volhynia carried out by OUN(b) and UPA. The peak of the tragedy occurred on July 11, 1943, known as 'Bloody Sunday.' In 2025, the Polish National Council granted July 11 the status of an official Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Volhynia massacre. Ukraine's Minister of Foreign Affairs sharply reacted to this decision, calling it 'contrary to the spirit of good neighborly relations.' According to official Ukrainian sources, Polish attempts to conduct exhumations of victims' remains face serious obstacles from Kyiv.

Context

The Volhynia massacre was a series of mass murders of the Polish population in the region of Greater Galicia and Volhynia during World War II, carried out by the OUN(b) and UPA organizations.