Archival Sources to Study the Mutual Aid and Rescue Cases Between Ukrainians and Poles in 1943—1944 in Volyn

Abstract

The purpose is to search and analyze the documentary sources of the Volyn tragedy of 1943, particularly with an emphasis on those materials that contain any information about cases of mutual aid and rescue between Ukrainians and Poles and also those cases which do not fit into the general picture of mutual hatred between both peoples.

Methodology. The article uses general scientific methods of analysis and synthesis of sources, including methods of critical analysis, typology, and verification of sources.

Scientific novelty. Usually, researchers of Ukrainian-Polish relations in Volyn during the World War II concentrate their efforts on describing the course of the conflict, finding as many victims as possible, substantiating or denying the “concept of the genocide of Poles” which in turn creates for readers a greatly exaggerated picture of total hatred and widespread mass murders. Only a more balanced assessment of those events will help us to look at these most tragic pages of the common history of both peoples from different perspectives. One of these is the manifestation of humanity and self-sacrifice, for the sake of preserving human life, especially in relation to persons of another nationality.

Conclusions. Usually, such cases are recorded using the oral history method. This investigation presents archival materials related to this topic and reveals their potential in supplementing and confirming oral historical sources. The processed materials prove that even the reporting archival documents, the purpose of which was to record the scale of destruction and the number of victims of the conflict, can serve as sources for recording the actions of noble Ukrainians and Poles.