“The victims of the Volhynia genocide deserve a dignified burial, and their surviving relatives have the right to pray at the graves of their loved ones. That is why I consistently call on the Ukrainian authorities to provide a systemic solution regarding permits for the search and exhumation of the victims of the Volhynia Genocide. Reconciliation can only be based on truth,” wrote President-Elect Dr. Karol Nawrocki on social media.
On July 11, 1943, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) launched a coordinated attack on Poles in 150 localities in the counties of Włodzimierz, Horochów, Kowel, and Łuck. According to researchers, as many as 8,000 Poles may have been killed that day alone—shot or brutally murdered using axes, pitchforks, and knives. It marked the peak of the massacres that had been ongoing from February 1943 to the spring of 1945.
To mark the anniversary, Dr. Karol Nawrocki, President of the Institute of National Remembrance and President-Elect, published a statement on social media:
“On July 11, as we do every year, we commemorate the Poles murdered by Ukrainian nationalists during the Volhynia Massacre. Bloody Sunday, July 11, 1943, symbolizes the height of cruelty perpetrated by UPA criminals. For us Poles, this day is a time of reflection and prayer, a time to remember the children, women, and elderly who were brutally murdered. It is also a remembrance of Polish villages that have vanished without a trace. Sometimes, all that remains today is a solitary cross…” wrote Nawrocki.
“The victims of the Volhynia genocide deserve a dignified burial, and their surviving relatives have the right to pray at the graves of their loved ones. That is why I consistently call on the Ukrainian authorities to provide a systemic solution regarding permits for the search and exhumation of the victims of the Volhynia Genocide. Reconciliation can only be based on truth,” he added.