Polish Prime Minister Arrives in Ukraine to Honour Victims of Volyn Tragedy
Mateusz Morawiecki, Polish prime minister, has paid tribute to the victims of the Volyn tragedy in the territory of the abandoned village of Ostruvky in Volyn Oblast, northwestern Ukraine.
The Polish prime minister's posted on Facebook post how he set up a wooden cross and prayed in front of it.
As reported by Polsat News, the Polish prime minister was accompanied by one of the Polish descendants of the villagers, Dr Leon Popek, who studies the Volyn tragedy.
The prime minister also arrived at the cemetery where the dead Poles are buried. There, he laid a wreath at the monument dedicated to their memory.
Morawiecki's visit to Ukraine is not the only event scheduled for Friday.
Divine service will be held in the Archcathedral Basilica of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw, served by Catholic and Orthodox clergy from Poland and Ukraine.
Earlier, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that this year in July, Ukraine and Poland will hold a number of joint events to honour the victims of the Volyn tragedy.
One of the most painful issues in the shared history of Poland and Ukraine is the interpretation of the tragic events in Volyn during the Second World War, when Ukrainian Insurgent Army units committed mass murder of Poles. In Poland itself, these actions are now regarded as genocide.