With Russia a lethal presence in Ukraine, and Poland having only liberated itself from Moscow’s domination in 1989, both Poles and Ukrainians see afresh the need to deepen their reconciliation in the face of a common threat. The reconciliation in Lutsk is, in part, a consequence of the Russian invasion. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Polish President Andrzej Duda during commemorating the victims of the Volyn tragedy at the Saint Peter and Paul Cathedral, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Lutsk, Ukraine J(Photo: Maxym Marusenko) Maxym Marusenko/NurPhoto
It is all the more remarkable given that a century ago, in the aftermath of World War I and the return of Polish independence, Ukrainians and Poles were at war, another painful chapter in Slavic history. Poland has been Ukraine’s most stalwart ally since the full-scale Russian invasion last year, providing military and humanitarian aid, as well as receiving millions of refugees into their own homes, all without recourse to refugee camps.
There were reprisals by Poles against Ukrainians, with some 2,000 being killed. Poland puts the death toll as high as 100,000 and the atrocity remains a point of friction between Poland and Ukraine. In 1943 they launched a lethal attack against Polish villages. They operated in Nazi-occupied Poland after 1941, cooperating with Nazi forces. The Volhynia massacre was the work of Ukrainian nationalists, who saw in Hitler’s 1941 turn against Stalin the potential for Ukrainian independence from Moscow. The presidents jointly posted on Twitter: “Together we pay tribute to all the innocent victims of Volhynia! Memory unites us! Together we are stronger.” On his own website, Zelenskyy added: “We value every life, remember history, and defend freedom together.” That the ceremony was held in a church was already something of a gracious gesture from Zelensky, who is Jewish. Gathered in a Catholic cathedral, both Catholic and Orthodox prelates led prayers for reconciliation and then both presidents lit candles to honor the victims of the massacre. President Volodymyr Zelensky and Polish President Andrzej Duda met in the western Ukrainian city of Lutsk.
The occasion was the 80th anniversary of the 1943 Volhynia (Volyn) massacre. KRAKÓW, Poland - While international attention on the Russian invasion of Ukraine was focused on during the NATO summit in Vilnius last week, an important reconciliation, both religious and political, took place in Warsaw, Poland, and Lutsk, Ukraine.
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