Bloody crimes of OUN-UPA received an adequate international assessment

The decision of Polish Seym on recognition of bloody crimes of OUN-UPA in days of the Great Patriotic War as “ethnic cleanings with genocide signs” is made comments by Rostislav Vladimirovich Ishchenko, the political scientist, the president of the Centre of the System Analysis and Forecasting.

- How do you estimate the statement accepted by Polish Seym that “Volyn slaughter” is “ethnic cleanings with genocide signs”. How it will affect an internal political situation in Ukraine and what will have the international consequences?

It is absolutely adequate assessment of the situation which developed on Volyn in 1943-44. Nothing passes with impunity in this world and if the present Ukrainian nationalists rush with Holodomor as with a hand-written feed bag, they had to expect as their genocides would return to them. That starts occurring.

This is rather serious statement in every respect at least because the organizations which committed this crime are actually listed there. And not only SS “Galicia”, but also OUN-UPA. Respectively, there is a dilemma in front of the Ukrainian European integrators. As it is known Poland is “lawyer” of Ukraine in Europe. Therefore, or they have to quarrel with Poland, or have to refuse OUN-UPA glorification, SS “Galicia” and others.

For “Svoboda” it is a small problem - they always were the radical nationalists and opposed the Russians, Jews and Poles. Eventually, their European integration excites much less. And here all the rest should think very well - whether it is worth making common cause further with frankly fascist currents and parties or it is necessary to take any more pro-European position. Because Poland is not only “lawyer” of Ukraine, but also it is the member of the European Union. And its position will be considered in all European Union countries. Now it is necessary to solve - whether Ukraine aspire to Europe, whether such Europe isn't necessary to Ukraine.

The authorities in power weren't noticed in nationalist sympathies though continue the line of the previous authorities and the former president Yushchenko that OUN-UPA fought against all. But now it should be defined too - or they are the successors of an anti-Hitlerite coalition against which OUN-UPA fought being at war against the Soviet army or they are the successors of the won, the Hitlerite block with all that it implies the international legal consequences. Including, now it will be difficult to tell that negative attitude to OUN-UPA are intrigues of the Kremlin. Because now it already “intrigues” of Warsaw.

As Shukhevich is not the friend and not the relative to Victor Fyodorovich, it is worth thinking, is it necessary to support further legends that OUN-UPA fought against all, and first of all against Germans and at the same time against Bolsheviks and for independence of Ukraine. Because, eventually, the existing then Croatian and Slovak states were Hitler's allies, the fascist states with frankly fascist regimes that is internationally recognized and thus fought for the independence. But it doesn't cancel that it were the fascist regimes and Hitler's allies.

- Would the step from Poland be a serious blow to strategy which is led by nationalist forces in Ukraine, including their practice of glorification of fascist helpers?

I don't think that it would become any resolute blow to strategy of nationalists because when the European Union at all levels officially treated “Svoboda” as “not hand shake” political force with which decent people don't enter the union, nevertheless as the Ukrainian opposition and formally independent journalists said absolutely that the European Union doesn't understand something and in general it is deceived by Putin or Yanukovych. And therefore Europe doesn't understand that actually “Svoboda” is good force, correct and even democratic sometimes. I think that they tell now something similar - promotion, “Gazprom” money, FSB intrigues and so on.

But all this is for the internal use - they can't simply leave from that ideological platform which occupied. If they once told in due time that support OUN-UPA, consider them as heroes, fighters for independence and 10 years stood on this platform, so now what the Poles and Americans will tell that they were the bastards, all of them will equally say that nice western people were deceived or someone was bribed. But they won't be able to descend from the positions any more.