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Critique[edit]

Volodymyr Viatrovych's book about the rallies of Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA) in Czechoslovakia touched little explored area and Grzegorz Motyka states that this work has been appreciated.[1]

His book "Ставлення ОУН до євреїв: формування позиції на тлі катастрофи" ("The Attitude of the OUN to the Jews. The Formation of a Position in Light of a Catastrophe") has been criticized by John-Paul Himka, Taras Kurylo,[2] Per Anders Rudling[3] and Grzegorz Rossoliński-Liebe.[4] The critics claim that this book is an attempt to deny the crimes of Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) on Jews and to dismiss the allegations of its anti-Semitism.[5][3][4] Himka and Kurylo argue that to this purpose the author uses following means: ignoring or refusing sources which disprove a presupposed thesis, unquestioning acceptance of sources from OUN and UPA which aim at justifying those organizations, relying mainly on Ukrainian sources disregarding research published in other languages.[5] Himka and Kurylo point out that V. Viatrovych considers the "Biography of Yaroslav Stetsko", one of the OUN’s leaders, a proof of his anti-Semitic plans, as a Soviet forgery. The reviewers argue that he gives voice to those suspicions without sufficient proofs and foundation.[6] At the same time, the critics claim, V. Viatrovych relies uncritically on documents published by Mykola Lebed and W. Kosyk, though it was proven they were redacted and censored of any parts that compromised OUN.[7] According to Kurylo and Himka V. Viatrovych is oblivious to testimonies of saved Jews about OUN’s crimes while on the other hand he cites the memoirs of Stella Krenzbach, though they were proven false, as proof of alleged positive stance of OUN to Jews.[8]

In the opinion of Kurylo and Himka, this work does less to understanding history, but does much to distort it, however it contains an interesting material and forms the basis for further discussions on the relationship of the OUN and UPA to Jews.[9]

The book "Друга польсько-українська війна. 1942—1947" ("The Second Polish-Ukrainian War. 1942-1947") was met with criticism from historians Ihor Ilyushyn,[10] Andrij Portnov,[11] Grzegorz Motyka,[12][13] Andrzej Zięba,[14] Per Anders Rudling,[15] Grzegorz Rossoliński-Liebe,[4] Andrzej Leon Sowa[16] and Grzegorz Hryciuk.[17] In the book V.Viatrovych presented his interpretation of the Polish-Ukrainian conflict during the years 1939-1947, including massacres of Poles in Volhynia and Eastern Galicia, as a "war" between Poles and Ukrainians. According to Portnov, Viatrovych tries to prove that there was no order of OUN’s leadership for the extermination of the Polish minority, and the killings in Volhynia was a spontaneous rebellion of Ukrainian peasants, provoked by the Poles.[18] According to Motyka, Viatrovych achieves this goal by rhetorical devices and by ignoring inconvenient facts.[19]

Similarly to the case of Yaroslav Stetsko's biography,[20] V. Viatrovych believes that the testimony of Yuri Stelmashchuk given to NKVD about receiving secret directives from Dmytro Klyachkivsky and the leadership of the OUN to kill the Polish minority, constitutes the Soviet forgery. This claim has met criticism by Motyka,[21] Rudling[20] and Hryciuk.[22] In the book V. Viatrovych repeats the opinion that a "Polish-Ukrainian war" begun with alleged massacres of Ukrainian civilians by Armia Krajowa in region of Chełm in 1942 (the claim criticized by Motyka,[23] Rudling,[24] Ilyushyn,[25] Hryciuk[26] and Sowa[27]) or that the cause of this war was Poles` collaboration with Nazi Germany which was met with objection of Grzegorz Motyka.[28] The critics of the book argue that by using word "war" in regard to relations between Poles and Ukrainians the author tries to hide the OUN-UPA's ethnic cleansing of the Polish population. According to Rossoliński-Liebe and Rudling, the way Viatrovych denies crimes against Poles differs little from his denial of anti-Jewish violence.[4][29] Rudling recommends "The Second Polish-Ukrainian War" to the readers only as an object of comparative studies of far-right revisionism and obfuscation.[29] According to Andrzej Zięba, the book passes over or outright falsifies certain materials in aim to "absolve" OUN-UPA and to rally Ukrainians around nationalist positions.[30] Also Andrii Portnov argues that the aim of the book serves UPA apologetics and political motives[18] In the opinion of Hryciuk, the version of the events presented in the book is mendacious.[31]

Motyka states that the book is gaining in value in the section on the SS-Galizien Division and the fate of the Ukrainian population in Poland in the years 1945-1947.[32] However, as a whole he considers it as unsuccessful work.[33] A similar position is expressed by Sowa.[34]

Portnov notes that "Second Polish-Ukrainian War" was met in Ukraine with enthusiasm and without critical opinions.[35]


  1. ^ Гжегож Мотыка, Неудачная книга, Ab Imperio, 1/2012, p.388. Polish online version.
  2. ^ Taras Kuryło, John-Paul Himka, “Iak OUN stavylasia do ievreiv? Rozdumy nad knyzhkoiu Volodymyra Viatrovycha”, Ukraina Moderna 13 (2008), pp.252-265 [1]
  3. ^ a b Per A. Rudling, The OUN, the UPA and the Holocaust: A Study in the Manufacturing of Historical Myths, The Carl Beck Papers in Russian & East European Studies, No. 2107, November 2011, ISSN 0889-275X, pp.28-31
  4. ^ a b c d Grzegorz Rossoliński-Liebe, Debating, obfuscating and disciplining the Holocaust: post-Soviet historical discourses on the OUN–UPA and other nationalist movements, East European Jewish Affairs, 42:3, pp. 207-208
  5. ^ a b Taras Kuryło, John-Paul Himka, “Iak OUN stavylasia do ievreiv?..., p.265
  6. ^ Taras Kuryło, John-Paul Himka, “Iak OUN stavylasia do ievreiv?..., p.253
  7. ^ Taras Kuryło, John-Paul Himka, “Iak OUN stavylasia do ievreiv?..., p.259
  8. ^ Taras Kuryło, John-Paul Himka, “Iak OUN stavylasia do ievreiv?..., p.260
  9. ^ Taras Kuryło, John-Paul Himka, “Iak OUN stavylasia do ievreiv?..., p.264
  10. ^ Игорь Ильюшин, Плохо забытое старое: о новой книге Владимира Вятровича, Ab Imperio, 1/2012, pp.382-385
  11. ^ Андрей Портнов, "Истории для домашнего употребления", Ab Imperio 3/12, p.324-334
  12. ^ Гжегож Мотыка, Неудачная книга, Ab Imperio, 1/2012, pp.387-400.
  13. ^ Grzegorz Motyka, W krainie uproszczeń, Nowa Europa Wschodnia 1/2013, pp. 97-101 Ukrainian online version
  14. ^ Анджей Земба, Мифологизированная “война”, Ab Imperio, 1/2012, pp. 403-421
  15. ^ Per Anders Rudling, Warfare or War Criminality? Volodymyr V’iatrovych, Druha pol’s’ko-ukains’ka viina, 1942–1947 (Kyiv: Vydavnychyi dim “Kyevo-Mohylians’ka akademiia,” 2011). 228 pp. ISBN: 978-966-518-567, Ab Imperio, 1/2012, pp. 356-381
  16. ^ Andrzej Leon Sowa, recenzja książek: Polśko-ukrajinśki stosunki w 1942-1947 rokach u dokumentach OUN ta UPA, red. Wołodymyr Wiatrowycz oraz Wołodymyr Wiatrowycz, Druha polśko-ukrajinśka wijna 1942-1947, [in:] „Pamięć i Sprawiedliwość”, nr 21, pp. 450-460. [2]
  17. ^ Grzegorz Hryciuk, recenzja książki: Wołodymyr Wiatrowycz, Druha polśko-ukrajinśka wijna 1942-1947, [in:] „Pamięć i Sprawiedliwość” nr 21, pp. 460-471 [3]
  18. ^ a b Андрей Портнов, "Истории для домашнего употребления", p.327
  19. ^ Гжегож Мотыка, Неудачная книга, pp. 389, 392, 399
  20. ^ a b Per Anders Rudling, Warfare or War Criminality?..., p.367
  21. ^ Гжегож Мотыка, Неудачная книга, p. 390
  22. ^ Grzegorz Hryciuk, recenzja książki..., p. 465
  23. ^ Гжегож Мотыка, Неудачная книга, p. 396
  24. ^ Per Anders Rudling, Warfare or War Criminality?..., p.372
  25. ^ Игорь Ильюшин, Плохо забытое старое..., p. 384
  26. ^ Grzegorz Hryciuk, recenzja książki..., p. 467-468
  27. ^ Andrzej Leon Sowa, recenzja książek..., p.457
  28. ^ Гжегож Мотыка, Неудачная книга, p. 397
  29. ^ a b Per Anders Rudling, Warfare or War Criminality?..., p.379
  30. ^ Анджей Земба, Мифологизированная “война”, pp. 405, 419
  31. ^ Grzegorz Hryciuk, recenzja książki..., p. 471
  32. ^ Гжегож Мотыка, Неудачная книга, p. 399
  33. ^ Гжегож Мотыка, Неудачная книга, p.400.
  34. ^ Andrzej Leon Sowa, recenzja książek..., p.459
  35. ^ Андрей Портнов, "Истории для домашнего употребления", p. 326
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