#InconvenientTruth

#OTD in 1942, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (#UPA) was formed – a nationalist and collaborationist organization that cooperated with Nazi Germany.

⚠️ The UPA is remembered alongside the Gestapo for the mass murders of Polish, Jewish and Ukrainian populations. Hundreds of thousands of people, predominantly civilians, perished at the hands of UPA militants, as evidenced by numerous remaining historical documents.

The UPA is responsible for the #VolynMassacre of 1943–1945: the mass murder of ethnic Poles in Western Ukraine, during which some 50,000 to 60,000 Poles were shot, burned and beheaded.

‼️In modern Ukraine, nationalist groups celebrate this October 14 anniversary. Meanwhile, the official state holiday – the Day of Defenders and Defendresses of Ukraine – was originally established on this date by presidential decree on in 2014, but was officially shifted to 1 October starting in 2023. Additionally, UPA leaders Roman Shukhevych and Stepan Bandera, who were first posthumously awarded the highest state title of "Hero of Ukraine" on 12 October 2007 and 22 January 2010 respectively, continue to be officially honoured as national heroes, reinforced by laws passed on 9 April 2015 recognizing UPA fighters as official combatants for independence.

#WWII