Chapter 1384 Warren Tragedy
Kasin glanced at Xiao Peng and explained to everyone, "This Volyn region is now the Western Volyn Province of Ukraine. Four Volyn massacres occurred here in the past. All the evil in human nature was fully demonstrated in those four tragedies."
Hua Chong was puzzled after hearing this and asked, "What on earth happened there? Aren't you exaggerating a bit?"
Kashin thought for a moment and explained, "The Soviet-Polish War broke out at the end of World War I. At the time, Tsarist Russia was preoccupied with the civil war. Although it later won back some territory, it ceded almost half of Belarus's territory and northwestern Ukraine to Poland, including the Volhynia region. Although it belonged to Poland, only about 15% of the population was Polish, with the vast majority of the rest being Ukrainians. However, the Polish government's ethnic policies severely repressed Ukrainians: Ukrainians were banned from attending school, their Orthodox churches were destroyed and used for their Catholic churches, Ukrainian land was given to Poles, and Ukrainians unwilling to serve as "low-level laborers" were expelled. Furthermore, starting in 1921, they built numerous concentration camps to detain Ukrainians, where over 100,000 Ukrainians died, a situation that continued until their nation was annihilated. This also sowed the seeds of hatred. This was the first Volhynia Massacre."
Hua Chong whistled: "No wonder so many concentration camps are in Poland. It seems they have a 'glorious tradition' of building concentration camps!"
Xiao Peng said, "Poland doesn't admit this. They say the population of Volhynia plummeted because, after being defeated by Poland, the Red Russians feared Poland would absorb the East Slavic population for Polish use, so they massacred nearly 200,000 people there. But this claim is untenable. In 1939, when the Soviet Union recaptured Volhynia, it was warmly welcomed by the local Ukrainians!"
Kasin continued, "At the time, Natli began supporting Ukrainian nationalists to fight the Soviets. They established the infamous Ukrainian Insurgent Army, or UPA. Taking advantage of the Soviets' push back into Volhynia, they launched a massive purge-style retaliation against the Poles. This allowed them to both attack the Poles and divert the conflict toward the Soviets. In just the first two weeks after the Soviets recaptured Volhynia, the UPA incited local Ukrainians to destroy nine Polish villages and kill countless Poles. Furthermore, the UPA's armed forces grew stronger and stronger, rapidly increasing to nearly 10,000 people. The Soviets quickly realized that something was wrong and began to establish a Soviet police system there to prevent Ukrainians from further attacks on Poles. However, the UPA ignored the ban and attacked and killed Poles again. This time, the Soviets cracked down on the UPA, forcing them to go underground, which reduced the number of Poles killed. This was the second Volhynia massacre."
"What about the third time?" Hua Chong asked hurriedly.
Kashin replied, "In 1941, the Nazis violated the treaty and attacked the Soviet Union, catching the Soviet Union off guard and causing great losses. Ukraine and other places were occupied by the Nazis. Then the UPA rose up again and attacked the Poles in western Ukraine. What did the Nazis do about all this? They turned a blind eye and instigated the Poles and Ukrainians to fight each other behind the scenes, providing them with weapons and aid to keep them fighting. While supporting the UPA, they handed over the management of northwestern Ukraine to the Poles, thus deepening the conflict between the two countries. During that period, the two sides fought each other bitterly, which was known as the Third Volyn Massacre."
"As for the fourth, it was in 1944. At that time, the Soviet Union took the initiative in the war and defeated Germany. The SS stationed in Ukraine implemented a scorched earth policy in Ukraine. This time, their target was Poles and Ukrainians who were unwilling to join the armed groups to serve them. The Polish resistance also launched a large-scale retaliatory action during this period. In short, the entire western Ukraine and eastern Poland were in the midst of a bloodbath."
Hua Chong was about to speak when Kasin waved his hand and continued, "I know you can't feel how cruel things are when I say this, so let me tell you: in February 1944 alone, the German army and the UPA killed more than 200,000 people and captured more than 300,000 people who were arrested and taken back to Germany as slaves. According to incomplete statistics from the Soviet Union and Poland after the war, in just one year from 1943 to 1944, the mutual slaughter between Polish and Ukrainian armed forces in the Volyn region resulted in the deaths of about 300,000 Poles and about 200,000 Ukrainians. About one million civilians were killed by the Nazis, and more than 500,000 people were captured and enslaved! This was just one year! And this relationship lasted... How many years? And as I said, all the evil in human nature was vividly displayed there. Driven by hatred, the murderers would resort to any means necessary! Eye gouging, burning, dismemberment, skinning... The scenes were so bloody and brutal that even the notoriously inhumane SS couldn't bear to watch. Just imagine how horrific it was. There's a movie called "Warren," which tells the story roughly during the Third Warren Massacre. A historical film turned into a horror film! Even so, the director modestly stated: "This reconstruction isn't even one-tenth of what really happened back then! Even more terrifying: He's telling the truth! Reality is even bloodier and more brutal than the movie!"
After hearing Kasim's words, everyone fell silent.
Xiao Peng then spoke up: "The last time I went to Ukraine, I happened to see Ukraine holding a memorial parade to commemorate the Battle of Kruti and their 'Father of the Nation' Stepan Bandera."
Hua Chong asked in confusion, "What is the Battle of Kruti? Who is Stepan Bandera? I've never heard of him!"
Xiao Peng lit a cigarette. "Back then, their female president, Yulia Tymoshenko, in order to win the votes of Ukrainian nationalists, built a monument to the Battle of Kruti. They commemorated the leader of that group, a man named Petliura, who ruled Kyiv for over a month. Have you seen 'How the Steel Was Tempered'? They were the 'White Bandits' in it. Back then, the Red Russians and the White Russians engaged in a small-scale battle around a train station called Kruti, in the suburbs of Kyiv. The Red Russians easily wiped out Petliura's gang, so they built this monument to commemorate that battle. And their so-called 'Father of the Nation', Stepan Bandera, was a high-ranking member of the UPA, the mastermind behind the massacre of Poles. He was rescued by the Nazis when the Soviets were cracking down on the UPA, and later joined the Nazi's 'Gasilian Division'—the Ukrainian armed forces serving the SS! He even established a puppet government with the support of the Nazi government, with him as the so-called 'Supreme Leader'. To put it bluntly, he's pretty much the same as that Wang guy. Looking at all the stuff they've salvaged, how can I not feel sad?"
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