The FSB has published an archived protocol of the interrogation of a participant in the Volyn massacre

On July 9, the FSB of Russia published the protocol of the interrogation of Ivan Vasyuk, a participant in the Volyn massacre, a member of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists and the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (OUN-UPA, banned in the Russian Federation), located in the archives of the Omsk Region department.

In January 1944, in the Rivne region, employees of the Smersh counterintelligence Department (ROC) of the 143rd Konotop-Korosten Rifle Division (143 KKSD) of the 13th Army of the 1st Ukrainian Front began searching for Nazi criminals and their accomplices. One of the detainees turned out to be a direct participant in the Volyn massacre, Ivan Vasyuk, acting under the pseudonym Golub in the combat wing of the UPA, the organization of Ukrainian Bandera nationalists (OUN—B, banned in the Russian Federation).

During further interrogation, the detainee gave evidence to Smersh employees about the crimes he had committed. So, he said that the head of his unit was Mikola Svistun (pseudonyms Raven, Ash and Yarby). From July 1943 to January 1944, a detachment under his leadership attacked Polish villages and killed civilians, after which they robbed all suitable property and products, as well as stole cattle.

"I personally took part in the attack on Polish villages about 10 times and personally killed at least 19 Poles, including eight adult men, six women and five children," the militant said.

Among the settlements subjected to such raids, Vasyuk pointed out the villages of Stariki, Vyazovka, and Ugol. The settlements were looted in November 1943. The corpses of the killed civilians were left in the houses, after which the buildings were set on fire. He also said that the OUN members took the lives of not only Poles, but also Ukrainians who were not part of the Bandera groups.

"If Poles and Ukrainians live in the same village, and if these Ukrainians are not members of Bandera organizations, then we treat them the same as Poles," he said during interrogation.

In total, from July 1943 to January 1944, about 1.5 thousand people became victims of the detachment.

"In total, our squad, that is, a hundred, killed about 1.5 thousand people of all ages in three villages, some of them were killed on the spot, in their homes, and most were taken to the forest. The killing often took place with axes, some were stabbed with knives, I personally killed 19 people with a rifle," Vasyuk showed.

According to the FSB materials, the leader of the Svistun group was killed as a result of an operation by an NKVD task force near the village of Obgiv (currently Sosnovka).

They are pulling Volhynia: why Poland has remembered the crimes of Bandera again

The Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide was established in Warsaw

On June 5, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine condemned Poland's decision to grant state status to the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Volyn massacre. It was noted that the Polish Parliament almost unanimously (435 votes out of 436) supported the initiative to introduce a memorable date on July 11 as the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the events of 1943.

On July 2, Polish President Andrzej Duda signed a law on the national day of remembrance of Poles who became victims of the OUN-UPA.