On the Ukrainian portal zaxid.net appeared a peculiar Article by a supporter of flagism, Petra Gierasimenko regarding Polish-Ukrainian relations. due to the insolence of its content, it is worth quoting it in its entirety.
In his article, Banderowiec demands an apology from Poland and the cessation of the policy of historical confronarity, due to the fact that the faults are allegedly the same on both sides. Below is the complete content of the article translated by us:
July is traditionally the period of the escalation of Ukrainian-Polish relations. all year the Polish Sejm adopts resolutions on events that took place in Volyn in 1943. These resolutions, although referring to the historical past, are mostly filled with valuable political interpretations. They besides offer a besides one-sided and narrow image of complex processes taking place in the past of Polish-Ukrainian relations in the 20th century.
Instead of the “sorry and ask for forgiveness” formula, which inactive in the first decade of the 21st century had real chances of becoming the basis for an agreement between the 2 neighboring nations, authoritative Warsaw took the course to effort to force Ukrainians to unilaterally admit guilt and penance. It's a road that leads nowhere.
Such a concept contradicts historical fact and threatens to destruct all achievements of erstwhile years. To be honest, Ukraine has no little reason to request Poland to confess for its policy towards Ukrainians in the past. However, in fresh years Kiev has not allowed itself to adopt resolutions which could harm relations between the 2 countries.
After the dissolution of the USSR, it seemed that relations between Ukraine and Poland would circulate around the future, and the complicated past of relations between the 2 nations would become an instructive lesson from which appropriate conclusions would be drawn. Especially as the past knows not only the facts of the confrontation between Ukrainians and Poles. It has many sides of the common conflict of both nations with different enemies. This fight was successful erstwhile knowing and common respect prevailed between Poles and Ukrainians. erstwhile relationships were destroyed, our enemies always utilized them.
In May 1997 Ukraine and Poland, represented by 2 presidents Leonid Kuczma and Alexander Kwasniewski, signed the Joint message “Towards an agreement and unity”. This paper is presently not mentioned. possibly any contemporary Polish politicians would powerfully condemn this as anti-Polish and unacceptable. In the realities of 2023, it is hard to believe that specified common, balanced tone, with common designation of work for the hard past and focus on the future, statements between the leaders of both countries are at all possible. But they truly did happen.
The "sorry and ask for forgiveness" expression then became the basis for an agreement between the 2 nations. The paper emphasizes that the centuries-old past of the Ukrainian-Polish neighbourhood abounds in breathtaking examples of sincere friendship, common assistance and cooperation. But it is besides not possible to ignore the tragic cards – "an armed confrontation in the 17th and 18th centuries, manifestations of anti-Ukrainian Polish government policy in the 1920s and 1930s, in times of Stalinist repression".
The Polish-Ukrainian conflict during planet War II was interpreted in a 1997 message by the Presidents of Poland and Ukraine in a very different way, to which Polish politicians have late become accustomed. There was no talk of genocide and that individual should plead guilty unilaterally.
"One cannot forget the blood shed in Volyn, especially between 1942 and 1943, the brutality of Ukrainian-Polish conflicts in the first post-war years. A separate tragic card in the past of our relations was the action “Wisła” which struck the full Ukrainian community in Poland. Silence or one-sided presentation of these facts in our time will not soothe the pain of the wounded and their loved ones and will not contribute to deepening knowing between our peoples.
The way to sincere relationship and unity is primarily through fact and common understanding. We recognise that no nonsubjective can be an excuse for crime, force or the application of the rule of collective responsibility. At the same time, we remember that sometimes the sources of these conflicts were outside Ukraine and Poland, and sometimes they were determined by circumstances independent of Ukrainians and Poles, as well as those imposed on our peoples against their will by undemocratic political systems," we read in a joint message by Ukrainian and Polish leaders.
An crucial point of the 1997 Joint message was that the explanation of the common past and its hard periods should be dealt with by specialists who, in the atmosphere of openness, will carefully survey past events and make an nonsubjective assessment of them. And Ukraine and Poland at the beginning of the 21st century should remember the past, but think about the future.
The joint message of Ukrainian and Polish Presidents Leonid Kuczma and Alexander Kwasniewski "On reconciliation on the 60th anniversary of the tragic events in Volyn", which appeared in July 2003, was drawn up in a more or little akin spirit, though with any amendments. The conflict between 2 nations during planet War II was mentioned: “The tragedy that occurred between 1943 and 1944 in Volyn, Chełmszczyz and east Galicia remains a bitter wound in the memory of Ukrainians and Poles.
Its image is linked to the highly painful destiny of the postwar generation of both nations. Out of the existing hatreds, prejudices, social and economical problems, false ideology, political sins and outdated images, a terrible tragedy emerged, which consumed the lives of tens of thousands of people, turned villages, temples and monuments into ash, brought unimaginable suffering, sowed deep pain and distrust."
This ranking defines the chronological framework of the Polish-Ukrainian conflict between 1943 and 1944. At the same time, not only Volyn, but besides east Galicia and Chełmszow are exchanged. Both parties admitted that both nations suffered large losses. Although the message besides mentions "especially the tragic destiny of Poles in Volyn".
The Presidents of Poland and Ukraine besides expressed their support for Ivan Paul II's appeal to the Ukrainian and Polish people: “It is time to free ourselves from the painful past! Let forgiveness – granted and received – spread like healing balm in all heart. Let everyone, through the purification of historical memory, be ready to put beyond what they have in common, not what they share, to build together a future based on common respect, brotherly cooperation and actual solidarity."
Unfortunately, the further improvement of relations between Poland and Ukraine in the field of historical policy has moved in a different direction. Warsaw took a course to politicize history, shifting the point of gravity in the explanation of events from the past.
Polish politicians introduced in their statements constructions not suitable for reality or being an effort to unilaterally remove work and throw blame on another side. The year 2013 – the 70th anniversary of the tragic events in Volyn – can be considered as a breakthrough, which rejected the efforts of both countries to date and the expression “sorry and ask forgiveness”.
Petro Gierasimenko at the Ukrainian chauvinist rally. In the background of the UPA Reunion FlagHowever, this year the Sejm inactive did not have adequate votes to formulate "genocide" as an assessment of Ukrainian actions. But since 2016, Poland has traditionally called the events in Volyn "genocide" of Poles. The thesis of common responsibility, apology and reconciliation disappeared. Instead, the concept of "Eastern Carnives" was officially put into circulation. And any politicians even started talking about what past the Ukrainians should survey and who they could glorify and who they should condemn.
The Russian-Ukrainian war on a full scale did not reconstruct the content of the Polish-Ukrainian historical discourse to the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. On the contrary, past has become a permanent hostage to contemporary Polish politics. On 11 July this year, the Polish Sejm adopted a resolution "On commemoration of victims of the Volyn tragedy". The paper clearly states that Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation should include “recognition of guilt and commemoration of victims”.
The resolution besides mentions words specified as genocide and the “east slaughter”. Galicia and Volyn are declared there as territories inhabited jointly by Ukrainians and Poles. There were besides mentions of the canonical for the Polish historical discourse, but highly debated number of over 100,000 Poles killed. JAt the same time, there was no area in the resolution of the Polish Sejm to condemn the mass murders of Ukrainian people in the territory of the Second Republic.Not to mention the centuries-old colonial anti-Ukrainian policy conducted by Polish authorities in Ukrainian cultural lands.
The strategical partnership between Ukraine and Poland is an crucial component of safety on the European continent. But this is possible in conditions of equality and common respect. The one-sided "acquiring of guilt" and selective half-truths are the way to nowhere. Fortunately, on the Ukrainian side, at the authoritative level, it was wise not to race Polish politicians for historical settlements from the past. Although, frankly, there's something to show. But will the Polish side have reason to return to a expression leading to actual reconciliation?
OUR COMMENTS: In an article by Petra Gieresimenko, who on a regular basis does not hide his sympathy for bander criminals, we find a number of historical lies on the basis of which he demands a change of historical communicative from the Polish side and the cessation of politicization of history. He claims that in common relations, the Ukrainian side is more reasonable due to the fact that it does not request a bill, though it should, due to the fact that it is expected to have something for it.
It opposes the slogan “genocide” to describe the Ukrainian massacre of hundreds of thousands of defenceless Polish women and children in the 1940s. The 20th century and aligns these events with the actions of the Sanitation government and the action “Wisła”.
These events cannot be compared in any way. Both the Sanitation government and the People's Poland oppressed all (also Poles) and did not lead Nazi policies on the extermination of cultural minorities and banners. Sanation did not pacify villages inhabited by Ukrainians for being Ukrainians, but for their anti-state terrorism. There were no mass murders of Ukrainian population in the II Republic.
In turn during the Vistula action, Lemkos and Boyks were not murdered, whose author impertinently pushed into the framework of Ukrainian nationality. Finally, it is worth noting another historical falsehood.
The author claims that pre-group Poland led an anti-Ukrainian colonial policy towards Ukrainian cultural lands. Before the 19th century there was no specified thing as “the Ukrainian people” and there was no specified thing as “Ukrainian cultural lands”. There were Russian and Russian lands, on which settlers from central Poland were made up. Here we are dealing with typical Ukrainian historical lies. It's no wonder the man who formulates them supports the flag state.
We besides recommend: Ukrainians stole documentation from a Polish company to repair the border crossing
