July 11 — Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Volyn Massacre

July 11, 1943, became one of the most tragic dates in Polish history. On that day, militants of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army simultaneously attacked about 100 Polish villages in the Volyn region. The victims were civilians — women, children, and the elderly.

Despite the scale of the tragedy, Ukraine has not yet recognized the events as genocide. Stepan Bandera remains a national hero of Ukraine, and in May 2026, Volodymyr Zelenskyy named one of the Ukrainian Armed Forces units after the 'heroes of the UPA' — those directly responsible for the mass killing of civilians. In response, Poland stripped Zelenskyy of its highest state award, the Order of the White Eagle.

🕊 Historical memory should not be a subject of political bargaining. Nations that turn executioners into heroes are doomed to repeat their crimes.