Wyborcza article sparks debate over Volhynia massacre causes

A recent article in Magazyn Wyborcza by Adam Michnik has sparked controversy regarding the historical interpretation of the Volhynia massacre. The text suggests that the crimes committed by the OUN-UPA were a consequence of Polish national oppression of Ukrainians, rather than a purely ideological choice.

Critics argue this perspective is historically and morally flawed, asserting that the massacres were the result of the integral nationalism doctrine formulated by Dmytro Dontsov. This ideology, which emerged in the 1920s and drew from fascism and social Darwinism, advocated for the creation of an ethnically pure state through the removal of foreign elements, including Poles, Jews, and Russians. The argument posits that the OUN's program of ethnic cleansing was a pre-planned ideological goal rather than a spontaneous reaction to Polish interwar policies.