Skopów Massacre
| Skopów massacre | |
|---|---|
| Part of Polish–Ukrainian ethnic conflict | |
Memorial to the victims of the Skopów massacre | |
| Location | Skopów, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland |
| Date | March 6, 1945 |
| Target | Ukrainians |
Attack type | Massacre, war crime |
| Deaths | c. 67–180 |
| Perpetrators | People's Army (Poland) |
| Motive | Anti-Ukrainian sentiment |
The Skopów massacre was a mass killing of Ukrainian civilians that took place on March 6, 1945, in the village of Skopów, southeastern Poland. The attack was carried out by a unit of the communist-aligned People's Army, led by Roman Kisiel, known by the pseudonym "Sęp".[1]
The victims included men, women, children, and an elderly Greek Catholic priest. Estimates of the number of fatalities vary, ranging from 67 to 180 people.
Background
The massacre occurred during a period of ethnic tension between Poles and Ukrainians in the aftermath of World War II. Armed units on both sides carried out retaliatory attacks, and forced relocations of Ukrainians from southeastern Poland were underway.[2]
The Massacre
On the night of March 6, 1945, the People's Army unit entered Skopów and attacked Ukrainian residents. Many victims were killed in their homes or burned alive. The local priest and his family were among those murdered.[2]
Aftermath
The event is still the subject of historical debate and is sometimes falsely attributed to the Polish Home Army. It remains a symbol of the brutal ethnic violence that occurred in the region during the 1940s.
Commemoration
A monument was erected in Skopów, listing approximately 150 to 180 names of the victims, although exact numbers remain uncertain.
See also
External links
- Jan Pisuliński – „Konflikt polsko-ukraiński w powiecie przemyskim zimą i wiosną 1945 roku i udział w nim grupy Romana Kisiela Sępa”, Pamięć i Sprawiedliwość nr 2 (2005)
- Dmytro Błażejowśkyj – „Istorycznyj szematyzm Peremyskoji Eparchiji z wkluczennjam Apostolśkoji Administratury Łemkiwszczyny (1828-1939)”, Lwów 1995, ISBN 5-7745-0672-X.
References
- ^ A. Babiak, Les nouveaux martyrs ukrainiens du XXème siècle, Rzym 2001, s. 237.
- ^ a b Jedynym źródłem potwierdzającym tak wysoką liczbę ofiar są słowa wnuczki Iwana Demiańczyka – Sophie, której krótką wypowiedź przytoczono w książce A. Babiaka „Les nouveaux martyrs ukrainiens du XXème siècle” (s. 238), wskazuje ona, iż w zbrodni tej miało zginąć 150 osób, w tym kilkadziesiąt dzieci. Jedynym źródłem potwierdzającym niską liczbę ofiar jest książka Jana Pisulińskiego.